Why Businesses Must Optimize for Mobile
Introduction
The mobile era is here and it’s not going anywhere. People are using their phones for everything from booking tickets to ordering food, so it’s no wonder that businesses are scrambling to adapt. Mobile users are spending more time on their devices than ever before, and this trend shows no signs of slowing down. According to a study by Google, people spend around five hours per day on their smartphones—that’s over three times more time than they spend on their desktops or laptops! Mobile traffic has plateaued but it’s still growing year over year, according to comScore reports. What does this mean for your business? It means you need to optimize your website so that visitors can easily find what they’re looking for when they search online through Google or another search engine (like Bing).
Mobile is the new normal.
The fact is, mobile is the new normal. According to Statista, in 2018 there were more than 2 billion active mobile devices worldwide–and that number is expected to grow to 6 billion by 2022. The average person spends more time on their smartphone than they do watching TV or listening to music combined! Mobile devices have become so integral to our lives that it’s no surprise that people check their phones 150 times per day (according to Google). These numbers make clear just how important it is for businesses today: if you want your business to succeed in today’s world, then optimizing for mobile should be at the top of your list.
Users are spending more time on mobile than ever before.
Users are spending more time on mobile than ever before.
The average American spends 3 hours per day on their smartphones and 1 hour per day on their tablets. In fact, in a recent study conducted by Nielsen, it was revealed that people have spent more time consuming media from a mobile device than from a television set for the past two years running. This means that if you’re not optimizing for mobile users then you’re missing out on an enormous opportunity to build your brand’s visibility and convert new customers into loyal fans who come back again and again because they want what you have to offer.
Mobile has become the new normal: it’s no longer just an option but rather an expectation for consumers when they visit any kind of website or app; one that provides them with instant access to information whenever they need it most (i.e., while standing in line at Starbucks).
Mobile traffic has plateaued but it’s still growing year over year.
Mobile traffic has plateaued but it’s still growing year over year.
Mobile is still the fastest-growing segment of Internet traffic and will be for the foreseeable future. The first quarter of 2019 saw a slight decrease in overall mobile usage, but this is largely attributed to seasonality; mobile use typically increases during holiday shopping periods and drops off when people go back to work after New Year’s Day.
Mobile devices have become an integral part of our lives–we use them for nearly everything from work productivity apps like email clients or word processors, to entertainment platforms like Netflix or Amazon Prime Video (or even just playing games). As these services become more popular among consumers who aren’t yet using smartphones for everything from browsing webpages to watching television shows online (which are often available only on dedicated streaming platforms), businesses have been forced into keeping up with these changes by optimizing their sites so that they’re accessible across all devices including desktops/laptops as well as tablets/phones running iOS 11+.
People are making purchases on mobile.
Mobile commerce is growing at an annual rate of 15{b863a6bd8bb7bf417a957882dff2e3099fc2d2367da3e445e0ec93769bd9401c}, and people are buying more on mobile than ever before. In fact, according to a report by eMarketer, global mobile commerce sales will reach $1 trillion in 2021–a significant increase from the $542 billion spent in 2018.
Mobile commerce is becoming more popular among consumers as well: In 2017, 50{b863a6bd8bb7bf417a957882dff2e3099fc2d2367da3e445e0ec93769bd9401c} of smartphone users said they had made a purchase using their phones; by 2020 that number is expected to grow to 75{b863a6bd8bb7bf417a957882dff2e3099fc2d2367da3e445e0ec93769bd9401c}. In addition to being convenient and easy (you can even buy products while standing in line), mobile shopping has become integral for retailers because it allows them to connect with customers directly through push notifications or personalized ads based on location data collected through GPS tracking apps such as Uber or Lyft.*
The average American spends 3 hours per day on their smartphones and 1 hour per day on their tablets.
The average American spends 3 hours per day on their smartphones and 1 hour per day on their tablets. That’s an average of 4 hours a day, or 240 hours per month! That’s more than 100 days’ worth of time spent in front of a mobile device every year.
If you think that sounds like a lot, consider this: The average person only works 40 hours a week (that’s about 1/3rd of our waking life). So if we take that into account as well as our other daily activities like sleeping, eating dinner with friends or family members, going out for drinks on Friday night (or Saturday morning), etc., then we’re left with less than half a day each week where there isn’t some sort of screen involved in our lives – whether it be TV screen time, movie theater screen time…or mobile device screen time!
Mobile purchase rates are six times higher during lunch breaks, when people are away from their desktops and laptops.
Mobile purchases are six times higher during lunch breaks, when people are away from their desktops and laptops.
Why? Because they’re on the go, which makes them more willing to buy something off of their phone. Mobile users are also much more likely to make impulse purchases because they can’t see all of the details on a desktop screen (and thus may not realize how expensive that product is). In addition, mobile users tend to be younger than desktop users–a demographic that tends toward impulsive behavior in general.
So what does this mean for businesses? If you want to sell something online through a website or app, optimize it for mobile devices! You’ll increase sales by making sure your site works well on smartphones and tablets as well as desktops/laptops so that everyone has access regardless of what device they’re using at any given moment of day or night.
Mobile-optimized websites will help you find new customers and increase sales
Mobile-optimized websites will help you find new customers, increase sales and expand your customer base.
It’s a fact: mobile devices are now the primary way people access the internet around the world. In fact, according to Statista, over half of all internet users in 2017 accessed it through their smartphones or tablets. That number is expected to reach two-thirds by 2020.
Mobile searches have grown at an astounding rate–by more than 1,000 percent over the last five years–and they continue to grow at an even faster pace than desktop searches do!
Conclusion
Mobile-optimized websites are the future of digital marketing. If you’re not optimizing for mobile, you’re missing out on an opportunity to reach new customers and increase sales. The data shows that people are spending more time on their smartphones than ever before, so now is the time to make sure your site looks great on all devices!