In 2008, Mary Meeker, an analyst at Kleiner Perkins Caufield Byers, predicted that mobile would overtake fixed Internet access by 2014. That same year, Eric Schmidt of Google exhorted businesses to take a ‘Mobile First’ approach to design web experiences, informed by customer-focused smartphone analytics. Our mobile marketing statistics compilation contains all the marketing research you need to make the right decision in 2021.
13 years later, more people than ever before are using mobile devices to engage with digital content. Now, more than half of all web traffic is mobile.
This trend is set to continue, with a 25% increase in mobile traffic by 2025. Much of this traffic will come from increased video and streaming on mobile.
Countries Covered
A global compilation of smartphone analytics data reveals some interesting trends. Notably, more than 25% of all smartphone users are in China, and the Asian Pacific region makes up 55% of the global total. The United States and the United Kingdom are both prominent in many of these reports.
So now that we’ve seen how important mobile is, let’s take a closer look to see just how important it really is.
How Much Time Do Consumers Spend On Mobile Media?
Consumers use mobile media devices differently at different times of the day. This is something that businesses should be aware of when planning their advertising campaigns. The use of smartphones and tablets increases in the evening, while the use of desktop computers is highest during the daytime hours.
A report is from Wordstream shows that the pandemic has caused a change in behavior, including an increase in late-night searches. This report is important for digital marketing because it covers both mobile and desktop.
If you cannot connect with your audience through mobile search or display, or you are not providing a good mobile experience, you will fall behind your competitors who are doing those things.
Percentage of Consumers Using Mobile Devices?
There were 5.22 billion people using mobile devices in January 2021, which is 66.6% of the global population. The number of social media users increased by more than 13% in the past year, which is likely due to social distancing.
The 2020 UK benchmark found that in the UK, more time is now being spent online on mobile devices than any other type of device. The reason for this is that the number of people who own smart devices, such as smartphones and tablets, has been increasing rapidly over the past few years. In 2020, over a fifth of UK adults owned a smart speaker, which is a significant increase from previous years.
We recommend that you understand the switching behavior between multiple channels for your brand. It is important to keep track of the split between users of mobile devices and desktop devices visiting your site. Segmenting in Google Analytics is the best way to do this.
How Many Website Visits Are on Mobile vs Desktop Devices?
We should be careful when interpreting data on how much time people spend on their phones, because people usually use their phones for social media, texting, calling, and checking email. A bar chart from ZDNet shows that both US Millennials and Boomers spend less time using the internet than doing other activities on their phone.
While smartphone use is widely popular for certain activities, most consumers in western markets still use desktop and tablet devices for activities such as detailed review and purchasing.
This means that we should not just think about ‘mobile first’ or ‘smartphone adoption’ when considering our audiences, but should instead think about strategies to engage the majority of people who use multiple channels. According to comScore, the categories with the highest percentage of mobile-only users are coupons/incentives, dating, social media, and weather, all of which have above 80% mobile-only users.
Although a lot of people still use desktop computers to visit high-value websites, it is important that the experience on a desktop computer is not worse than on a tablet or smartphone. This has led to many businesses creating different versions of their website that are optimized for different screen sizes.
Mobile Device Conversion Rates and Visit Share
We have gathered a collection of e-commerce conversion stats which can help you build a stronger case for optimized mobile sites. This data is also useful as it demonstrates the difference in conversion rates between different types of mobile devices. The figures are from Kibo Monetate’s retail clients for Q3 2020.
The conversion rates for smartphones have increased dramatically in the past four quarters. According to the latest quarterly update from 2020, there is now only a very small difference between the conversion rates for desktop and mobile devices in the United States. Global tablet conversion rates are even higher than desktop conversion rates.
The average order value is higher on desktop than it is on mobile or tablet, so if you’re planning responsive web optimization, this data is very valuable.
However, interestingly, it seems the value of mobile marketing comes into play later in the decision-making process. A recent retail report by eMarketer states that internet users looking for more information in-store often skip approaching retail associates and go directly to their smartphones:
Almost seven in ten people said they would check for reviews on their phone before doing anything else, and just over half said they would look for deals.
The State Of The Mobile Customer Experience
The research study found that in order to provide an exceptional mobile shopping experience, retailers need to make the experience as easy as possible for consumers.
It is easy for consumers to get what they want and complete their purchases, but this requires a lot of work for retailers who have not made the changes necessary to provide a good mobile experience.
The Winners And Losers At Mobile UX
Best Buy and Macy’s excelled in a study of mobile web user experiences (UX) of eight of the top Fortune 100 retailers. These retailers included Best Buy, The Home Depot, Lowe’s, Macy’s, Target, and TJ Maxx. They were evaluated on the factors that make up a mobile website experience, including ease of use, speed, credibility, aesthetics, and delight.
The best companies for online shopping were Best Buy, The Home Depot, and Target. These companies scored high on all five UX factors, but they outperformed the other retailers on ease of use, speed, and aesthetics. These factors enabled online shoppers to quickly find what they wanted to buy.
The two lowest-rated retailers in the mobile retail study were Costco and Walmart. They were identified as needing better transparency around pricing and shipping. The retailers also could improve the mobile experience by reducing the amount of information shoppers are required to provide to complete their purchases.
Mobile sales are a top priority for retailers because of the amount of potential revenue involved in direct online sales and offline revenue. The study noted that mobile sales totaled over $60 billion in 2016 while mobile interactions influenced $1.05 trillion in offline sales. With the available potential that mobile retail holds and the proven strategy of offering a frictionless purchase path with seamless integration into omnichannel shopping, why is mobile CX still so challenging?
The Challenges Of Mobile CX
UserTesting’s Brian Smith believes that there are still several obstacles to overcome in the field of environmentalism. He claims that the rising expectations of customers make it very difficult to provide them with excellent mobile experiences. He goes on to say that traditional retailers are behind in development because they are tied to a physical store model and have to manage numerous customer interactions.
Smith noted that it is possible for leading retailers to transition to a new world where customer expectations are constantly shifting, if they put their customers at the center of everything they do, understand the needs of those customers, and iterate and innovate.
He referenced Jeff Bezos’ thoughts on customer-centricity in his letter to shareholders. Bezos noted that customers always want something better, even if they don’t realize it. Desire to delight customers can lead a retailer to reinvent themselves.
As consumer preferences continue to evolve, businesses are struggling to keep up. Many consumers now do their research on their mobile phones but still finish the sale in store, while others prefer to complete their purchase entirely through their mobile devices. This leaves retailers uncertain of how to appeal to customers, as they are unsure of when and where to reach them.
Bricks & Mortar May Not Be Down For The Count…Yet
The findings of a Forrester Research report show that sales completed through mobile phones are still only a small percentage of retail sales, with only 1 percent of respondents in the US having completed a purchase on their mobile phone in the past three months, and only 12 percent expecting to make a purchase this way in the next 12 months.
The sales of mobile phones (not including tablets) reached more than $60 billion in 2016, but this is nothing in comparison to the $1.05 trillion of sales in offline stores that were influenced by mobile phones.
UserTesting just released a study of the in-store experience and 52% of online shoppers say they would shop more online if the in-store experience was better.” Smith from UserTesting believes that the brick-and-mortar environment is not dead. He explained that although many commerce takes place offline, the landscape is changing dramatically so brands need to track this evolution.
Retailers have to consider a lot more than they might think when it comes to providing a seamless customer experience. This includes things like chatbots and voice search, as well as making sure that things like in-store availability are accurately reflected across all channels. It will take some time to figure out how to best do all of this, but it’s important work.
Smith saw opportunity in the way that brands can connect with their customers through different platforms such as mobile, desktop, or in store. He also saw opportunity in how brands can connect with their customers at home through Amazon Echo or Google Home.
Andrew Alexander believes that the concept of brick and mortar is evolving. He believes that brands need to cater to the needs of both traditional consumers who are comfortable with more traditional methods, as well as mobile consumers who are influenced by mobile devices. Brands that are able to effectively cater to both types of consumers will be successful in today’s mobile-driven market.
Some believe that brick and mortar stores are headed for extinction, while others believe that mobile purchasing will eventually dominate the market. According to Julie Cary, CMO of La Quinta Inns & Suites, mobile and brick and mortar interactions will continue to increase as geo-location technology improves. She believes that brick and mortar stores will have to evolve to create experiences that connect with customers on an emotional level.