The days of people engaging exclusively on desktop are long over. Mobile optimization is a must.
Inbound marketers have been following the rise of mobile marketing for years, but considering how ingrained mobile devices are in our lives as both consumers and professionals today, it shouldn’t really be considered a “trend.” It should be a staple.
Optimizing for mobile (if not creating a dedicated mobile marketing strategy) is something you should’ve done by now, but if you haven’t, it needs to be done in 2018. No excuses.
The mobile marketing statistics and facts below will help you understand why and also provide some guidance when shaping your mobile marketing strategy in the coming year.
1. As of March 2017, 80% of top Alexa Websites were mobile adaptive. (source: Mobiforge)
This is pretty cut-and-dry. If you want your site to perform well, it needs to be optimized for mobile.
2. 51% of all digital ad budgets in 2016 were spent on mobile. (source: IAB/PricewaterhouseCoopers)
Marketers and advertisers are heavily investing in mobile, which means, most likely, so is your competition. If you want to stay competitive, you need to have a mobile optimization or marketing strategy in place.
3. By 2019, mobile advertising is expected to represent 72% of all U.S. digital ad spending. (source: MarketingLand)
But at the same time…
4. 70% of people report disliking mobile ads. (source: HubSpot)
In fact, mobile ad blocking has increased 90% year-over-year.
5. By 2018, American adults are expected to spend on average 3 hours and 23 minutes on nonvoice mobile media. (source: eMarketer)
That’s up more than 1 hour from 2013. It has increased steadily every year since.
6. 80% of Internet users own a smartphone. (source: Smart Insights)
With so many cell phone services giving away free smartphones with their contracts, this number is only going to keep increasing — which is good news for companies with a mobile marketing strategy.
7. 48% of consumers start mobile research with a search engine –but 33% go directly to the site they want. (source: Smart Insights)
This is why you want to produce valuable content that makes it easy for your buyer persona to find you online. You also want to optimize for mobile search results.
8. Users spend on average 69% of their media time on smartphones. (source: comScore)
As a marketer, you need to align with the buyer’s behavior. With more than half of people consuming media via smartphones, you need to make sure yours offers the best experience possible.
9. Google drives 96% of mobile search traffic, followed by Yahoo at 2% and Bing at 1%. (source: NetMarketShare)
Google doesn’t just dominate search on desktop, but mobile as well. If you want to increase your mobile search traffic, optimize for Google on smaller screen sizes. That means truncated titles, meta-descriptions, and careful consideration of Google AMP.
10. Apps account for 89% of mobile media time, with the other 11% spent on Websites. (source: Smart Insights)
Consumers want to consume media through an app. Provide a great experience for your persona in your app and handle your marketing on the Web.
When they are researching however…
11. 33% of consumers start mobile research with a branded Website, only 26% with a mobile app. (source: Smart Insights)
This is why you want to produce valuable content to make your brand the authority in your niche. (Are you starting to see a pattern here?)
12. 80% of social media time is spent on a mobile device. (source: comScore)
No surprise here. Make sure your social media content (graphics, thumbnails, etc.) look great on mobile. People are much more likely to see it there than on desktop.
13. Pinterest is the most mobile social network and 64% of its referred traffic comes from either smartphones or tablet devices. (source: Mobile Marketing Watch)
Facebook and Twitter get all the attention, but companies targeting mobile users should look to attract them on Pinterest as well.
14. Over 50% of smartphone users grab their smartphone immediately after waking up. (source: Express Pigeon, 2014)
I’ll admit it, that includes me. Keep this in mind when scheduling your content or sending emails. If you publish (send) early in the morning, people are more likely to be viewing on mobile.
15. 57% of users say they won’t recommend a business with a poorly-designed mobile site. (source: socPub)
A poor mobile presence can make your organization look unprofessional and out of touch with the modern consumer. Optimize for mobile to make the right impression.
16. The two most popular ways companies are optimizing for mobile are using a simple template that works for all devices (52%) and creating a mobile responsive email template (39%). (source: Adestra)
Optimizing emails for mobile is the bare minimum. Smart businesses optimize every aspect of their emails to generate more leads and increase their conversions.
17. 68% of companies have integrated mobile marketing into their overall marketing strategy. (source: Salesforce)
All of the data has shown that mobile marketing is profitable and shouldn’t be ignored.
18. 71% of marketers believe mobile marketing is core to their business. (source: Salesforce)
For many of our tech clients, mobile marketing is the top priority and it has shown to have a high ROI.
19. 58% of companies surveyed have a dedicated mobile marketing team. (source: Salesforce)
If you have the resources, it makes sense to have a team of people with an expertise in mobile marketing to get the most benefit from your marketing efforts.
20. Google says 61% of users are unlikely to return to a mobile site they had trouble accessing and 40% visit a competitor’s site instead. (source: McKinsey & Company)
Is your company “phoning in” the mobile experience of your Website? Not only are you turning away potential customers, but you’re sending them straight to your competitors that provide a better mobile experience.
21. Tablets account for the highest add-to-cart rates on eCommerce Websites at 8.58%. (source: Smart Insights)
If you’re an online retailer, you should give extra attention to the design and user experience of the tablet version of your Website.
22. In 2014, smartphones accounted for over 33% of all online traffic compared to tablets at just over 12%. (source: MarketingLand)
I know it sounds redundant, but having a responsive Website is no longer an option — it’s a requirement.
23. Mobile email opens have grown by 180% in the last three years. (source: Email Monday)
If your mobile subscribers aren’t opening your marketing emails, it’s not them — it’s you. Here are five seemingly harmless details that drastically affect email open rates.
24. 83% of mobile users say that a seamless experience across all devices is very important. (source: Wolfgang Jaegel)
This is something that Apple has mastered and proven to be very effective. Consumers now expect a seamless experience and brand consistency.
25. 91% of mobile users say that access to content is very important. (source: Wolfgang Jaegel)
The people have spoken. Your mobile site should make it as easy as possible for your persona to access your content.
26. Average smartphone conversion rates are up 64% compared to the average desktop conversion rates. (source: CMS Report)
Yet another reason to give extra attention to the mobile experience of your Website. If your brand is seeing higher conversions from desktop consider these four simple tips for increasing conversions on your mobile site.
27. 57% of users say they won’t recommend a business with a poorly designed mobile site. (CMS Report)
Web design is no longer just about looks — it’s all about the experience. Now, more than ever, great UX has a higher ROI.
28. 88% of consumers who search for a type of local business on a mobile device call or go to that business within 24 hours. (source: Nectafy)
Just like your mother told you as a kid, first impressions really do count. People use their mobile device to find a local business when they’re ready to buy and a great mobile Website makes the decision even easier for them.
29. 83% of B2B marketers said mobile apps were important to content marketing. (source: Strategy Trends)
Remember when having a Website was cool and not all businesses had one? We’re seeing the exact same trend with mobile apps today.
30. By 2018, 8 in 10 email users will likely access their email accounts exclusively from their mobile devices (source: Email Monday)
Mobile marketing isn’t just about apps and your Website; even your emails need to be fully optimized to offer the best experience on the go.
31. 40% Of Mobile Searches Have Local Intent (source: Google Mobile Moments Study)
Even local businesses need to be equipped with a mobile strategy!
32. 70% Of Consumers Delete Emails Immediately That Don’t Render Well On A Mobile Device (source: Blue Hornet)
Don’t let your message get ignored because it wasn’t optimized for mobile viewing.
33. Mobile Offers are Redeemed 10x More Frequently Than Print Offers (source: eMarketer)
48% of companies are using mobile coupons/offers in 2017. That’s up 16% since 2013.
34. As of Q1 of 2017, Samsung was the leading phone maker (with a 22.8% share) followed by Apple and Huawei. (source: International Data Corporation)
Even if everyone on your team is a hard core iPhone fan, remember, not everyone is. In fact, globally, Samsung devices are more popular. Make sure to test and optimize for that experience as well.
35. 5-5.1-inch is the most used screen size, 720 x 1280 is the most used screen resolution. (source: DeviceAtlas)
Every audience is different, but if you don’t have access to formal mobile testing or data on your users, planning around these dimensions are a good starting point.
36. 48% of millennials view video solely on their mobile device. (source: Business of Apps)
If you’re targeting a younger audience, make sure to utilize video in your mobile marketing.
37. Website that load in 5 seconds on mobile see 25% more ad visibility and 70% longer session duration. (source: Google DoubleClick)
Mobile optimization is more than just visual. Speed always plays a large role.
38. 79% of people use their smartphone for reading email — a higher percentage than those who use it for making calls. (source: Email Monday)
We’ve reached a point where the “phone” part of a smartphone is just a feature and not the primary function, which is good news for brands that use inbound marketing as their primary strategy.
Key Takeaways:
- You can safely assume that if your buyer persona has Internet they have a smartphone.
- People prefer reading emails on their mobile device and use their smartphones more for reading emails than for making calls.
- Marketers are optimizing for mobile and focusing more on mobile marketing at an increasing rate.
- Consumers are more likely to recommend and buy from the business that has a better mobile experience.
- The majority of money spent on digital advertising is targeted towards mobile.
- Most social media activity takes place on mobile.