Criteo Cites Higher Click Rates In Mobile Than PC

In its first-quarter financial report, retargeting platform Criteo revealed that mobile accounted for 15% of its revenue in March, up from 10% in December.

On Tuesday, the company released findings about mobile advertising specifically on its system, which serves display ads to people who have previously visited an advertiser’s Web site.
 
The biggest share of mobile click-throughs (39.5%) came from retailer ads, about the three times the next closest category -- classified ads, at 13.3%, and travel, at 12.8%. That’s not surprising given retailers are Criteo’s main ad customers. Automotive accounted for 6.4% of clicks, consumer electronics, 2.4%, and healthcare, just 1.8%.
 
The company said click-through rates are generally higher on smartphones and tablets across industry categories than on the desktop, although it didn’t provide specific figures. Jason Morse, vice president, mobile products at Criteo, indicated that desktop click rates on its platform are typically in the range of 1% to 3% -- and that rates on Android devices were twice that level.
 
Still, click-throughs have especially been questioned as a legitimate measure for ad effectiveness in mobile because of the high percentage of accidental clicks, which some studies have put at as high as 40% or 50%. But Morse noted that conversion rates in mobile are roughly on par with what it sees on the desktop. “For us, it’s a validation we can provide similar results back to advertisers on that front,” he said.
 
In that vein, Criteo reported average order value for different verticals in the first quarter based on select campaigns. Hotel bookings were the highest at about $365, followed by car rentals ($209), apparel ($105.3), retail ($84.7) and stationary ($5.9). Morse said Criteo is able to track sales tied to ads through close integration with retail partners.
 
The study did not break out the split between smartphone and tablet sales, but Morse said the results align with numerous industry studies showing people much prefer tablets for completing purchases. Tablets will generate the vast majority of m-commerce sales this year -- at 65% compared to 35% on smartphones, according to an eMarketer forecast.
 
When it comes to mobile platforms, two-thirds of e-commerce sales globally took place on Android devices, Criteo said. Given that Android runs on about 80% of the world’s smartphones, that makes sense. But iOS, which accounts for 15.2% of smartphones, delivered more sales in the U.S. and Europe.
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