Brands sharply accelerate mobile focus

IAB study reveals 54% increase in mobile optimisation amongst top 100 brands.

Research released today by the Internet Advertising Bureau UK (IAB) shows a significant increase in the top 100 brands optimising their websites for mobile in the past six months. The second wave of the IAB’s mobile optimisation study reveals that 57% of the top 100 brands now have a mobile optimised site, up from 37%. This represents a 54% increase in six months.

Access the full research here (IAB members only)

The research used Google’s Get Mobile Meter tool to evaluate the top 100 UK advertiser websites across a range of sectors such as retail, finance, automotive and FMCG. The research revealed that the sectors with the most significant percentage increase in mobile marketing over the last six months are FMCG (up 267%), media (up 150%) and tech & telecoms (up 150%). Looking at the sectors with the greatest degree of mobile optimisation, FMCG again comes out on top with 79% of the 14 sites listed being optimised, followed closely by automotive with 73% of the 26 sites listed being optimised. FMCG’s fast uptake of mobile optimised sites in this short time frame suggests mobile is becoming a priority for this sector.

In 2013 the IAB will focus on getting brands and industry practitioners to ‘make mobile mandatory’. With 66% of mobile phone owners in the UK (32.7m)* now using their device to browse the internet every month, this year could be the first that consumers spend more time online via mobile devices and tablets than their PCs. Employing mobile marketing to engage with consumers on the move, wherever they are, is vital for a healthy bottom line. Another recent IAB study released last year revealed that 69% of UK consumers expect their mobile usage to increase dramatically by 2015 - suggesting that the importance of a solid mobile strategy and engaging mobile presence will only intensify in the years to come.

The IAB’s Senior Mobile Manager, Alex Kozloff added: "Our research shows that the industry is moving in the right direction, however with over 40% of the top 100 brands still not optimised there is still more to do to encourage brands to integrate mobile into their wider strategies. It is encouraging to see that the effort the IAB, our mobile council and the wider industry has put into this area is starting to pay off and we will continue to work with our members to help companies make mobile mandatory in 2013."

*comScore Mobilens 3 month average to November 2012