What do we think the year 2013 will hold in store? For a start, it will turn us all into energy experts and dramatically change the way we pay for goods and services, while mainstream businesses are likely to become increasingly ‘start-up’ in terms of their ethos.

If that wasn’t enough, the launch of the world’s first open source mobile OS will challenge the dominance of Apple and Google and revolutionize the mobile web. And I bet you thought there was nothing much on!

Here are the four big trends we see ahead for 2013…

Disruptive innovation will change the business landscape

Startup communities the world over are having a significant influence over modern business. It’s easy to think of startup communities as cliques, separate from mainstream business.

However, the ethos of fast, disruptive innovation so prevalent among startups is starting to spread to mainstream business.

In 2013 more and more enterprises will subscribe to the speedier and often more effective ‘launch now, fix later’ approach to innovation. The most interesting challenges will be faced by companies racing to disrupt themselves before the market does it to them.

The launch of Firefox OS will open up the mobile web!

Image courtesy Mozilla blog

For the last few years the mobile web has been dominated by Google and Apple. However in 2013, the introduction of the world’s first open source mobile operating system (gaining widespread support across the industry) will dramatically change the world of mobile internet.

Firefox OS, due to launch in 2013, has the potential to free the mobile web from the confines of walled gardens (read our piece for Wired magazine ‘A walled garden approach to the mobile web is stifling innovation‘).

Indeed, 2013 could be the year the web returns to its roots.

It was only with the launch of Mozilla’s original Firefox browser in the 1990s that innovation broke free on the web after being stifled by the dominance of Internet Explorer. The explosion of the open transfer of data, content, connectivity and community this enabled led to the birth of era-defining companies like Facebook. 2013 could be one of the most exciting and important years in the history of the internet we’ve yet seen.

The rollout of Smart Metering will empower consumers

Image courtesy uswitch.com

Ahead of the mandated smart meter roll-out in 2014 in the UK, it is likely that 2013 will see a number of energy providers look to get ahead of the pack. For too long, consuming energy has been a thoughtless task. The digital revolution has given consumers a desire to take control of all aspects of their lives but the energy industry has lagged behind and is perhaps the last to experience real digital disruption.

Smart metering means for the first time consumers will be able to effectively monitor and control their energy usage. It is a considerable step towards greater consumer engagement around energy consumption and one which crucially puts control in the hands of the customer.

The emergence of new ways to pay will boost efficiency

The way we pay for goods and services has changed rapidly over recent years. This is evident in the bewildered faces of shoppers when presented with a receipt and biro instead of the usual chip and pin device, or the growing nostalgia for cheque books. This year we have seen mobile technology create even more ways for us to part with our cash.

Next year expect further innovation in this area.

We will see the rise of mobile payment systems such as direct-to-bill, allowing users to purchase items by simply adding the cost to their mobile phone bill.

The technology has been around for years but consumers’ continued hunger to take control of their digital lives means choice in mobile payments will become ever more important.

What do you think?