Back in 2011, there were countless articles and studies stressing the importance of optimizing websites for mobile devices. Everyone could see that the entire world of digital marketing and online business was quickly going mobile, but there are still a substantial amount of websites that have still not been optimized for smartphones. With all the warnings about what was soon to come, you would think that mobile optimization would be pretty high on any online business’s priority list. Despite those that shrugged off mobile optimization, saying that people will always do most of their browsing on computers, there is now solid proof that any website that is not optimized is in for trouble.

Monetate has released an infographic detailing the information from yet another of their helpful marketing research studies. This time, in “The Battle for Smartphone Supremacy,” they researched just how much mobile has improved, particularly on smartphones, and how they are being used. Right off the bat, Monetate hits with a huge number, stating that since Q2 of 2011 there has been a 103% increase in website traffic coming from smartphones. For iPhones in particular, there has been a 117% increase in website traffic, compared to Google Android’s 85%. Also, with no surprise to anyone, Android still holds over half of the smartphone market share at 61%. However, it is not as closely followed by iPhone anymore, as they only hold roughly 20% of the market share.

Anyway, to get back to website traffic on smartphones, we see that in Q2 of 2011, iPhones only held 2.45% of total overall website traffic, while Android held 1.7%. By Q2 of this year, iPhone had boosted to 5.41% of total website traffic, and Android to 3.31%. The problem that lies within this information is shown when Monetate details the mobile marketing tactics that are currently in use.

Although it has the highest percentage, Monetate found that there were still only 46% of respondents that have mobile versions of their desktop websites. With the percentage of website traffic coming from smartphones rising so significantly and quickly, one would expect this number to be quite higher. It seems that there is still some skepticism regarding whether optimization is worth it or not. I would say that it is, especially based on the average order values of smartphone users. For iPhone users, the average order value of m-commerce purchases lies at $97.49, and for Android the average is $97.16. These averages have grown tremendously over the years, proving that people are starting to trust smartphones more with everyday activities. That said, consumers are bound to start spending even more time on their handheld devices than at their desktop computers.

Mobile optimization was something that marketers were hesitant to spend money on, not really seeing its worth. With the immense traffic coming from smartphones though, it is definitely a must. The many businesses that have already optimized should see Monetate’s infographic as a slur of great news, but for those who haven’t, it should appear as a call to action.

Written by Michael Levanduski

Michael Levanduski is a news reporter at Performance Marketing Insider. He’s been a writer at one level or another for the past 15+ years. He has three kids and lives in Grand Rapids, MI.

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