20+ Intriguing Mobile Marketing Statistics: How Effective Is Mobile Marketing in 2024?
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When we leave the house, we usually check for our wallet, keys, and phone. Smartphones have become an indispensable accessory to modern life, and with Brits spending almost three hours a day looking at their screens, marketers are invested in mobile phones as well.
Mobile marketing covers SMS, push notifications, ads on messenger apps, in-app and in-game marketing, search engine marketing, mobile website ads, and QR codes. It offers as many possibilities as the technology allows.
To see how marketers view our mobile usage habits to stay on top of our minds, keep reading our latest mobile marketing statistics.
Top Mobile Marketing Stats (Editor’s Choice)
- Mobile accounted for 54.86% of all Internet traffic in December 2021.
- Global mobile ad spend will surpass desktop advertising in 2022.
- An estimated $336.18 billion will be spent on mobile advertising globally in 2022.
- The open rate for SMS marketing ads is 98%.
- In 2021, 230 billion mobile apps were downloaded across the globe.
- Mobile game ad spend is expected to reach $61.7 billion in 2022.
- 82% of mobile gamers prefer free gaming apps with ads to paid apps without them.
- In 2022, £21.63 billion will be spent on digital advertising in the UK.
Mobile Phone Usage Statistics Worldwide
1. In 2022, there will be approximately 6.65 billion smartphone subscriptions in the world.
(Statista)
Smartphone subscriptions don’t necessarily translate to smartphone users, as many people have several accounts. Still, the number is growing by several hundred million each year. By 2026, smartphone usage statistics show subscriptions are expected to surpass 7.5 billion.
2. Industry experts predict 2.8 billion 5G subscriptions in 2025.
(Ericsson, Telekom)
It’s reported that 5G networks could enhance connection speed by up to 20 times. Since many users report that delayed loading time is a major reason for leaving a mobile site, the perfected mobile internet experience will surely impact the prevalence of mobile commerce and marketing. By 2025, 65% of the world’s population is expected to have access to 5G.
3. Mobile accounted for 54.86% of all Internet traffic in December 2021.
(StatCounter)
Mobile vs desktop internet usage statistics show that mobile is responsible for a larger traffic share. On the other hand, Desktop traffic accounted for 42.65% of all Internet traffic.
4. The latest stats show mobile commerce accounts for 72.9% of total retail ecommerce sales.
(Statista)
Mobile marketing trends show that mobile marketing will rise along with the growing interest in online shopping. Consumers are even more likely to shop online now that the pandemic has changed their shopping habits.
Mobile Marketing Trends: Ads and Texts
5. Global mobile ad spend will surpass desktop advertising in 2022.
(Statista)
Last year, the estimates placed these two areas of digital ad spending at a balanced 50\50. This year, however, the scales will tip in favour of mobile by a small yet significant 1%.
6. An estimated $336.18 billion will be spent on mobile advertising globally in 2022.
(Statista)
The growth of m-commerce pushed marketers to increasingly focus on mobile marketing. Accordingly, mobile ads are expected to continue growing. Mobile marketing statistics predict that the global mobile ad spend will reach $413 billion by 2024.
7. In 2020, mobile business traffic reached 2.7 trillion messages.
(eMarketer)
According to mobile traffic stats, mobile business messages are up by 10% compared to the year before, making mobile messaging a marketing priority for many investors. This was true even before the pandemic, with 51% of US retailers stating they plan to increase their investment in SMS marketing.
After the pandemic started, the reports rose by 5%.
8. The open rate for SMS marketing ads is 98%.
(PostFunnel)
SMS marketing statistics also reveal that potential SMS conversion rates are as high as 45%. Since text messaging is the most personal way of approaching customers, overdoing it can lead to customer dissatisfaction. Even in the digital world, there’s a balance to personal interaction, and advertising is no different.
Mobile App Usage Statistics
9. In 2021, 230 billion mobile apps were downloaded across the globe.
(Statista, PR Newswire)
In 2016, the world downloaded 140 billion apps, and it’s been rising ever since. Apart from offering functional benefits to consumers, apps are an opportunity for marketers, too. Ads can be a great source of funding for developers. With all these benefactors, it’s no wonder then that the global app market size promises to reach $366.3 billion by 2027.
10. In 2021, TikTok had 656 million instals.
(Wallaroo, CNet, Statista)
When it comes to mobile marketing, stats show that TikTok is the place to be. TikTok finally became the social marketers’ go-to network alongside Facebook and Instagram. In Q1 2020, it broke all records with 315 million downloads.
It’s still one of the most downloaded apps, and even older audiences are warming up to it. In the UK, projections show that TikTok could have around 14.8 million users in 2022.
11. Shopping and retail apps have a retention rate of 8.7% after one month.
(Statista)
Smartphone statistics show that we don’t hang on to apps for too long. The highest one-month retention rate is just 13.4% for online banking applications, and it goes as low as 2.3% for mid-core gaming apps.
Retail, though, is somewhere safely in the middle since waiting for a discount makes it worth the extra icon space!
12. 56% of consumers use supermarket apps to get discounts.
(Valassis)
Although consumers use more than one app to shop, the most commonly used apps are grocery and mass-store applications. Customers wanting to stay informed on the latest sales, coupons, and discounts appreciate the simplicity of mobile applications and the notifications that help them save.
13. 8% of users delete an app if it overloads them with push notifications.
(eMarketer)
The upside of mobile marketing is that you can reach your audience anywhere, but it comes with a responsibility. According to mobile usage statistics, if you don’t regulate how much you notify your customer base, 81% of US smartphone owners disable at least some or all push notifications. It’s better to play it safe than have no notifications at all.
14. Global mobile in-app advertising revenues were estimated to surpass $117 billion in 2020.
(Statista)
Along with mobile website advertising, in-app marketing is one of the most significant segments in the mobile advertising industry. According to mobile marketing statistics, in-app ad revenues more than doubled in five years, from $40.5 billion in 2015 to $117 billion in 2020.
Mobile Gaming App Marketing Statistics
15. Games are the most popular apps on the App store, with a share of 21.5%.
(Statista)
Mobile phone usage statistics show that gaming apps take up plenty of consumer time. For paid gaming apps, the average price is around 49 cents. However, free gaming apps are a goldmine for advertisers as they’re known for their high engagement levels.
16. The growth of the in-game advertising market is estimated at $10.97 billion between 2020 and 2024.
(PR Newswire)
Mobile advertising trends show that in-game advertising is predicted to grow at a CAGR of almost 20%, but there is some concern over ad-blockers’ increasing effect on the market. In this case, what’s good for the consumer, isn’t always what’s good for the business.
17. 82% of mobile gamers prefer free gaming apps with ads to paid apps without them.
(Game World Observer)
Gaming apps have different monetising strategies, and selling ad space is a popular funding approach. Stats on mobile marketing show that if it enables in-game perks, 74% of the US mobile gamers don’t mind watching an in-game ad.
18. Mobile game ad spend is expected to reach $61.7 billion in 2022.
(Statista)
New trends in mobile marketing show in-game ad spend will increase this year, from about $47 billion in 2021. By 2025, the spend is expected to reach $130.9 billion.
Mobile Phone Usage Statistics in the UK
19. 95.9% of internet users own a smartphone in the UK.
(We Are Social)
Research on internet users between 16 and 64 showed that 89.3% of users access the internet via their mobile phone. Mobile device usage statistics show that in 2021, it’s mandatory for businesses to be present on mobile if they want to remain competitive on the market.
20. Smartphones are considered the most important device for going online in the UK.
(Ofcom)
Mobile internet usage statistics show that less than 5% of internet users access the internet via computer only. In fact, UK consumers spend 2 hours and 44 minutes online on their smartphones every day.
According to the latest data, the average total time that UK internet users spent online was a shocking 6 hours and 26 minutes (between laptop and mobile phone). That’s plenty of time for marketers to shine!
21. 69.3% of Facebook users in the UK access the platform on their smartphones.
(DataReportal, Statista)
According to smartphone usage statistics, in the UK, mobile marketing is unthinkable without social media and vice versa. Notably, most of Facebook’s revenue (over 94%) comes from ad revenue, and most of this ad viewership (70%) comes from mobile users.
Luckily for social media platforms (and affiliated advertisers), the number of UK social media users grew to over 53 million.
22. In 2022, £21.63 billion will be spent on digital advertising in the UK.
(Statista, eMarketer)
Mobile marketing statistics show a significant increase in digital ad spend compared to 2020, spending around £15.08 billion. In 2019, mobile advertising was already the larger part of digital ad spending, with 56% in the UK. With more of the world shifting online, 2022 is taking the digital advertising market by storm.
The Bottom Line
Mobile marketing is as personal as marketing gets. With devices in our hands for hours on end, it’s the best place to reach us no matter the time of day. With personalised ads and hyperlocal marketing available to us at any time of day, mobile ad development is every marketer’s dream. As the usage of social media, mobile commerce, and mobile gaming only increases, mobile marketing growth has a pretty certain future.
What percentage of searches are performed on mobile devices? (What percentage of Google searches are mobile?)
According to mobile search statistics, in the UK, 48.48% of all searches are performed on mobile devices.
How effective is mobile marketing?
Due to its affordability, mobile marketing can be extremely effective. However, because of the amount of content a mobile ad competes with online, mobile marketing campaigns have very little room for error.
How are phones a great tool for marketing?
Phones are in everyone’s pockets. One of the main trends in mobile marketing is focusing on micro-moments. Namely, brands can reach consumers at decisive times, such as when they are hungry and looking for a place to eat. Mobile marketing provides the opportunity to constantly stay in front of consumers on social media, in apps, gaming apps, and search engines.
Why is mobile marketing so powerful today?
One of the key mobile marketing facts is that mobile devices are omnipresent. We use them everywhere we go and rely on them for information. There is no device as present in our lives as our phone, so marketers use this to bring brands as close as possible to audiences.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of mobile marketing?
The main advantages of mobile marketing include:
- Affordability
- Constant visibility
- Easier access to audiences
The disadvantages include:
- Privacy concerns for consumers
- Possible unplanned data costs (clicking on a video ad while on mobile data)
- Market saturation and low error tolerance
What percent of digital advertising is mobile?
Mobile marketing statistics show that mobile advertising made up for 56% of digital ad spend in the UK in 2019. This is not surprising since as many as 89.3% of UK consumers use their mobile devices to access the internet.
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