A Mid-Year Review of the Growing Numbers in Mobile

by Chuck Martin, Jul 5, 2012, 9:45 AM

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As the volume of research around the mobile industry continues to swirl, we thought it time to take another snapshot of where various parts of the market stand at this stage.

Almost 90% of U.S. adults now have a mobile phone and more than half of them (55%) use their phones to go online, according to Pew Internet. Almost one in five do most of their online browsing on their phone.

The trend is clear that online is moving to mobile, or perhaps more accurately, mobile is tapping into the network. The number of smartphones continues to increase, with nearly 110 million mobile subscribers now carrying one, according to research firm comScore.

Here’s a glimpse at some of the recent research findings in a range of areas.

• Market Share – By operating system, Android continues to lead the U.S. mobile market, with 51% of all smartphones, followed by iOS at 32% and BlackBerry at 11%, according to comScore. However, by operating system, iOS dominates with 65% of the mobile browser share, followed by Android at 20%, according to data this week from Net Applications. BlackBerry was measured at 1% of the browsing market.

• Advertising Revenue – As yet another indicator of the money in mobile, Twitter announced that mobile advertising now accounts for the majority of the microblogging site’s revenue. About 60% of the platform’s 140 million monthly users tap into the site from their phones.

• Search Revenue – Search ad spending via mobile increased more than 300% as more mobile consumers look for more things from their phone, according to IgnitionOne research. Mobile search accounts for 14% of total search budgets, says the firm, noting that clicks grew more than 300% and impressions more than 100%.

• In-App Revenue – Expecting to hit $2.4 billion this year, in-app advertising spending is forecast to reach $7 billion in three years, according to Juniper Research. The research firm credits the coming increase to greater app usage and engagement through rich media.

• Retail – While some “showrooming” is going on with mobile shoppers checking out in-store products and then buying elsewhere, mobile is still seen as a tool that will influence retail sales. In four years, the effect of smartphones on in-store sales at retail will increase from five percent today to 19% of total store sales, according to a study from Deloitte. That translates to mobile-influenced sales of $689 billion, says Deloitte.

• Tablets –There are now 30 million U.S. tablet users, 11% of the total population, according to a large study by InMobi and Mobext, the mobile wing of Havas Digital. For shopping, 22% of tablet users said they shopped less in physical stores and more than half (55%) buy from their tablets. Based on research from Rosetta, 81% of those tablets are being used in the living room, many while also watching television. Tablet owners also consume media on them, with more than half preferring to read news, magazines and books on screen rather than on paper, based on a Gartner study.

• Mobile Marketing – Almost half (45%) of businesses are doing some form of mobile marketing, such as with apps, 2D barcodes and mobile websites, according to research from StrongMail. The top objectives cited were to increase sales, improve customer service and increase brand awareness. Almost three-quarters (70%) expect their mobile marketing budget to increase in the next 12 months, according to the study.

International – With some six billion mobile subscriptions globally, it is no surprise that app revenue would follow. By revenue in Apple’s App Store for iPhone, the fastest growing countries are Japan (560%), Russia (115%), China (109%) and Taiwan (101%), according to a study by Distimo. The growth in revenue for Google Play in Russia is 250 percent, more than twice the growth rate of the U.S., the study found.

Whether domestic or global, the current and future mobile numbers and percentages continue pointing in the same direction.

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