As the year draws to a close, looking at what interested you the most in the world of mobile commerce this year comes down to one word: beacons. Looking back at the most read columns here, 7 of the top 10 focused on beaconing.

The mobile coupon crowd is looking for deals. With the addition of many new mobile devices unwrapped at Christmas, more consumers can be expected to try mobile shopping apps. Looking at those already using them may provide a clue in what to expect.

Amazon had a big mobile holiday shopping season. Releasing a detailed tally of post-holiday shopping stats, Amazon said the majority, as in nearly 60% of all Amazon.com customers, shopped using a mobile device. Mobile shopping also accelerated as the shopping season progressed, with Cyber Monday remaining as the company's peak mobile shopping day.

If nothing else on Christmas Day, consumers were using their phones to shop. Yesterday's one-day sales numbers are in and mobile accounted for more than half (57%) of all online traffic, up 19% over last year. Mobile accounted for 35% of all online sales on Christmas Day, according to the latest IBM Digital Analytic Benchmark, which tracks sales by the hour.

While the number of consumers using their phones to buy things continues to rise, the security of those transactions may be undermined by the behaviors of the individuals making them. It turns out that mobile users are about 25% more likely than all consumers to use the same password to access more than one online account.

Retail sales continue to rise along with the inclusion of many mobile steps along the way. Purchases made in stores and online will reach $22 trillion this year and $28 trillion in four years, according to the latest estimates from eMarketer. The online component of the global projection is relatively small at 6% this year, increasing to 9% within four years.

Soon after all the holiday shopping is done, we can expect to see the full depth of mobile commerce and its impact on sales. Meanwhile, various studies already point to patterns of mobile behavior and how consumers are using their phones during all phases of the shopping process. Consumers are using their phones to research, check product reviews, look up product information and, in some cases, make a purchase from their phone, based on a new report.

OK, here's the deal. No, I mean, really, here are the locations of where the sales are and who has them. Mobile shoppers are always looking for a deal. Shopping for men's clothing? You're in luck. That's where the biggest discounts are. Women's clothing? The most products on sale.

Fast food locations are quickly becoming a hotbed of mobile commerce. With millions of regular and repeat customers, savvy marketers are deploying the latest mobile innovations to enhance, or at least speed up, the dining experience. Now beacons are hitting fast food and they're helping increase sales, at least in a number of McDonald's in Columbus, Georgia.

To drive sales, some aspects of mobile obviously work better than others. The question for retailers, of course, is which work best. As might be expected, loyalty/rewards programs are at the top of the list in the eyes of retailers, according to a new report.