Stacey Rudolph — April 7, 2017 According to Gartner, we should expect to continue seeing a surge in mobile traffic over the coming years. TechCrunch further estimates that mobile data traffic will grow by 300% in 2017. It is also worth noting that mobile traffic overtook desktop traffic by 16% in 2014. This was monumental back then.
Infographic Source – The State of Global Mobile Internet
More people are spending more time on their smartphones
This is being triggered by the proliferation of more and affordable 4G mobile devices. Smartphones and tablets have now replaced PCs as majority of consumers prefer the more portable options for their online needs. For instance, one can browse on the go. Combined with the fact that internet penetration rate is at an all-time high, it is not surprising to see high increase in wireless data
However, this is not the only reason for this amazing increase in global mobile internet traffic. According to Comscore, mobile applications, especially the video apps, also contribute a great deal to the growth in mobile data traffic. With newer and reliable networks taking shape daily, mobile video apps have become the primary source of entertainment for most internet users. In other words, People are increasingly finding better ways of chatting with people, consuming content and watching videos, thanks to mobile apps.
What does this tell the internet markers?
Certainly, there are many lessons for marketers regarding this trend. First, marketers have to understand that proximity is everything. Nearly half of internet users confess that they cannot live without their mobile devices. This means that mobile devices present huge brand opportunities for marketers. In other words, marketers should go where the customer is likely to be and that place is most likely to be their mobile devices.
The other lesson is that mobile is location-oriented. With figures such as Google maps and local searches, it is now super easy to target local audiences. Mobile search has come a long way. Now users can search for a very specific brand in a very specific location and get all the answers on their mobile devices.
Having said that, it is important to know your users. Not all your users could be mobile savvy. For example, if your product is targeted towards older people, do not discard the desktop just yet. Moreover, some people use both desktop and mobile devices to do product research and purchases depending on where they are and what they are doing.
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