While everyone makes predictions about what this year's trends will be in January, the real test is seeing what actually gains traction. Another tell-tale sign is if the trend is highlighted in influential industry reports.

Mary Meeker, a partner of the venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins, just released the 22nd edition of her Internet Trend Reports. By looking at data from a wide range of resources, her guide pinpoints the biggest shifts in how we use the internet, digital marketing and social media.

Read on to learn the most significant insights from this year's reports that will affect your business in the upcoming year.

Internet usage

  • Global internet usage is flat at 46 percent penetration. Growth remained the same as it did last year (+10 percent).
  • Smartphone growth is slow and only grew 3 percent, compared to 10 percent last year.
  • U.S. internet engagement is solid. Those in the U.S. are engaging 4 percent more with the internet compared to last year. We spend, on average, 5.7 hours a day with digital media. Three of those hours are on a mobile device.
  • Bots still use the internet more than people as more than 50 percent of all internet traffic was bot generated in 2016.

Digital advertising

  • Digital is officially king. Within six months we'll spend more on internet ads than television ads. As you guessed, Facebook and Google control 85 percent of the growth in online ad sales.
  • Online advertising is driven by mobile. For the first time, we now spend more time and money on mobile advertisements than we do desktop ads.
  • Allocate more to your mobile ad budget. People spend 28 percent of their media time on mobile, but businesses only spend 21 percent of total ad budgets. That's approximately a $16 billion opportunity for mobile advertisers.
  • People's favorite forms of online advertising are mobile app rewards, social click-to-play and skippable videos.
  • Location-based ads for nearby restaurants and locations are incredibly effective.
  • User-generated ads work best and have a 6.9 times higher engagement than brand-generated content. Influencer content worked especially well.

E-commerce

  • E-commerce grew by 15 percent from last year.
  • More retail stores are closing in 2017 than any year in the last 20 years. 7,000 stores are estimated to close this year, while Amazon is beginning to open its own brick-and-mortar stores. "I don't think retail is dead. Mediocre retail experiences are dead," said Nail Blumenthal, co-CEO of Warby Parker.
  • Less is more for direct-to-consumer brands because they build a community, prioritize content marketing and provide a streamlined selection of innovative products.

Social media

  • People want more customer support on social. 60 percent of people want easier access to online support channels, while 53 percent want a faster response.
  • Gaming is the most engaging form of social media, Meeker said in her presentation. "It demands your attention in ways nothing else will."