MOBILE WIRELESS INTERNET EFFECT

Why every website must be mobile responsive

The Internet growth in 2015 will be driven by mobile devices. Worldwide Internet usage will be higher by 6.2 percent and top 3 billion users in 2015.  44% percent of the world’s population has internet access. Growth has been spurred by Mobile devices and wireless connectivity.

• 90% of American adults have a cell phone
• 58% of American adults have a smartphone
• 32% of American adults own an e-reader
• 42% of American adults own a tablet computer

70% of cell phone owners find themselves checking for text, email and alerts constantly. 44% of these owners slept with their cell next to their beds to ensure connectivity. 30% of these owners can’t imagine living without a wireless device. What is the possibility that these owners will abandon their cell phone or tablets? Well if the answer is zero than why do site owners own non mobile compatible websites.

The Market

166 million people own a smartphone in the USA. We never do anything without the smart phone. The industry has begun to target the smartphones with special advertising campaigns. The smartphone has begun substituting digital touch to make the experience even easier. Apple releases Apple Pay payment solution in the iPhone 6 launch. To gauge consumer interest in using smartphones to complete transactions, take a look at the performance of Google Product Listing Ads (PLA’s) on smartphones and desktops. PLA’s are unique in that they are used by retailers to showcase a product; so, we aren’t seeing consumers react to ads for services or information. Consequently, PLA’s are a good barometer for getting a pulse on consumer online shopping behavior.

The click rate (CTR) of PLA’s on smartphones is 33% higher than desktops. This would indicate consumers seem to favor their smartphones for browsing and researching products. For years, the industry has said that smartphones are used to research, but when it comes time to buying, the transaction either takes place on a desktop or in a store. Well, let’s examine that premise-

I examined the conversion rate of PLA’s for smartphones versus desktops. Since PLA’s advertise a specific product, the likelihood of a conversion rate for a PLA is very high. Desktops conversion ratio is the highest when it comes to completing transactions with a conversion rate 135% higher than smartphones; however, what’s interesting is the growth in conversion rate on smart phones. Within 6 months, the conversion rate for PLA’s on smartphones has increased 120%. This tells us the consumers are becoming comfortable buying on the smart phone. This is due to retailers and technology providers like Google making the transaction process easier and mobile friendly.