The need for mobile-friendly websites is more important than ever for both companies and nonprofits. It’s not just about mobile’s projected market growth but also its impact potential.
Choosing your audience wisely is the key to an effective online marketing strategy. In that case, they probably already use mobile as their primary or preferred medium for online information consumption. If not, trends suggest they will be within the next few years.
Consider These Facts When Thinking About Your Mobile Approach:
Your Customers Are Already Mobile. Are You?
- Adoption: Mobile users are quickly becoming the most extensive user base on the web. In other words, mobile internet usage will outpace PC internet usage within the next two to three years.
- By 2013, more people will use their mobile phones than PCs to get online.
- Users of iOS and Android regularly spend 79 minutes a day using apps and download about nine apps per month.
- Mobile searches have grown by 4x since 2010.
- One in every two mobile searches is for local information.
- There will be one mobile device for every person on Earth by 2015.
Sources: Gartner, 2010; Google Internal Data, 2011; Cisco, 2011
Most Shoppers Prefer Mobile Sites Over Apps
- 81% of users prefer mobile sites to apps for researching prices.
- 79% prefer mobile sites for product reviews.
- 63% prefer mobile sites for purchasing.
Sources: Adobe Systems Adobe Mobile Experience Survey, 2011; eMarketer, 2011
Reach
Even households with a PC or paid Internet service provider tend to have one or two cell phones. An ever-widening demographic is using mobile devices, and as a result, mobile phones are proving to be an effective channel for reaching traditionally underrepresented populations. This will continue as mobile devices and data plans become increasingly affordable.
Users Expect Their Mobile Experience to Be as Good as Their Desktop Experience
- User Demand: Users now expect tailored content, and mobile is opening up possibilities to meet this expectation.
- 60% of users expect a mobile site to load in three seconds or less.
- 71% of users expect a mobile site to load faster than a desktop site.
- 78% will retry a site twice or less if it does not load initially.
Sources: Compuware, “What Users Want from Mobile,” 2011
A Bad Mobile Experience Can Cost You Customers
- 57% would not recommend a business with the wrong website.
- 40% have turned to a competitor’s site after a bad mobile experience.
- 23% of adults have cursed at their phones when a site doesn’t work.
Sources: Compuware, “What Users Want from Mobile,” 2011
Customers Are Connecting with Businesses in Their Local Area on Mobile
- 95% of smartphone users have searched for local information.
- 61% of users call a business after searching, and 59% visit the location.
- 90% of these people act within 24 hours.
Sources: Google “The Mobile Movement: Understanding Smartphone Users,” 2011
Businesses Can Drive Purchases with a Mobile-Friendly Site
- 70% of mobile users have compared product prices on their cell phones.
- 65% have read product reviews on their phones.
- 50% of mobile searches lead to a purchase.
Sources: Lightspeed Research, 2010; Google “The Mobile Movement: Understanding Smartphone Users,” 2011
Summary
Mobile-friendly sites are essential for connecting with the growing number of people on the go. Many people already rely on mobile devices as their preferred means of accessing the web.
Organizations that must adapt by incorporating mobile-friendly sites into their web presence risk missing their target audiences. Inevitably, their users will turn to organizations offering comparable information or services in their preferred mobile format.
