Came across this today. Mobile internet access increased 36% in the US last year, and the number of Americans (ages 13+) with mobile internet access is 18 million, according to Netpop. Globally, that number is 54 million.
Despite the growing use of the mobile web, Netpop found that slow connections and extra fees are still the primary barriers to both increased use (among current users) and adoption (among non-users).
Mobile advertising is believed to be effective in part because it reaches consumers on-the-go, shopping or engaging in other activities outside of their homes. A Universal McCann research study on smartphone usage patterns found that more than a third of high-use smartphone users respond to mobile advertisements. The study found that smartphone users are clicking on ads (53%), requesting more information or a coupon (35%).
Local mobile advertising will be the next hot trend, particularly in terms of local mobile search. Local searches made up 27.8% of all searches in 2008, but are expected to hit 35.1% in 2013.
Tags: local search, Mobile, smartphone
