Like many of you, I’ve been buying a lot of stuff lately in anticipation of Christmas. A few years back, when I lived in New Jersey, I started doing almost all of my Christmas shopping online. It was easier to have stuff delivered to Connecticut than it was to lug it all home with me a few days before the holiday. Since then, I’ve been hooked. Between free shipping, coupons delivered to my email inbox, and Ebates I’m pretty sure I come out ahead on this deal. However, according to 2ergo, those of us using old-fashioned websites to shop next year might be behind the times.

“Ten predictions for Mobile Marketing in 2011″ says that in 2011 shoppers will show retailers that they’re ready to make purchases via their mobile phones. “Reaching customers through traditional channels has becoming [sic] increasingly difficult and consumers now spend and average of 6.5 hours a week on the mobile web as opposed to just over four reading magazines,” says the report. Coupons and loyalty programs will be coming to a mobile phone near you — which may mean you can get rid of the dozen or so cards you carry on your key chain. Also on the prediction list, is the maturation of location-based services.

Savvy stores are already using mobile barcode applications to allow customers to compare prices.

Though I’m skeptical about having my phone work like a debit card, I love the idea of storing coupons on it. I’m always forgetting the $.25 cents off Friskies coupon in the car, or getting halfway to the mall to realize I left the 25% off offer on the kitchen table. It’s infuriating, and getting those offers sent to my phone instead of my mailbox would be heavenly. If 2011 brings me copious savings via  text message, I’d consider it a good year.