While much of the focus on near field communications has been on mobile payment applications, merchants and marketers are expected to begin trialing NFC for a broader array of marketing purposes this year, according to a new report from Forrester Research.

NEW YORK – A Forrester executive at the Mobile Shopping Fall conference said NFC-enabled devices will be critical for consumers to get used to the idea of having a whole new way of paying for products – even though they did not ask for it.

Recent developments suggest that mobile payments at scale is getting closer, but with new players introducing their own services regularly, is there room for everyone and if not, which solutions are most likely to take the lead?

Mobile commerce is expected to reach $10 billion by the end of next year, according to a new report from Forrester Research.

SAN FRANCISCO – A Wet Seal executive at the Mobile Shopping Summit said that it is important to evolve with consumers and not constantly present them with the same old offers, deals and ads on mobile.

SAN FRANCISCO – A Forrester analyst at Mobile Shopping Summit said that both applications and the mobile Web are key for retailers and brands. However, a single application does not make a mobile strategy.

In 2011, Forrester Research predicts that marketers and retailers will take the training wheels off mobile programs and start investing in cohesive mobile marketing and commerce strategies.

The mobile Web is increasingly important as more consumers are using smartphones as on-the-go computers and brands need to be ready with mobile-optimized sites.

Consumers and advertisers are curious about mobile coupons, but their challenges and limited consumer usage mean they do not need to be an immediate priority, according to Forrester Research.

Samsung is launching an application store in Britain, France and Italy for its Omina smartphone on Sept. 14. But will it be a formidable force in the application market?