The Growth of Mobile Internet Users

With the rapid increase and vast quantities of smart phones available on the market, bloggers, webmasters, SEO specialists, developers, marketers and anyone who wishes to market themselves, ideas or businesses online need to re-evaluate. It is important to recognise the potential of the ever increasing market of mobile internet users, and the nature in which people now use the internet.

Improvement of Internet Infrastructure

The relative affordability in the past decade of dial-up internet, followed by the improvement and increase of broadband infrastructures and affordable packages has saturated the UK population. According to the World Bank 84.7% of the UK population now have access to the internet, which is a huge potential market.

The increase in mobile internet has been a slow rise, with many mobile phone companies trying to get the perfect formula, but recent developments could be contributed to the software and hardware giants associated with Android and iOS. This, coupled with the growing infrastructure of 3G, 4G and Wi-Fi spots across the country, means that there is a much bigger gap for businesses and e-commerce to capitalise on. As commented by an article written by the Office for National Statistics, mobile internet use made up 45% of all internet users in 2011, compared to 31% the previous year.

Web Analytics Breakdown

Using a mixed sample of results from a number of industries, Google Analytics give a fair picture of the users. The average user going onto a website via a mobile phone ranges between 12-19% for total traffic to a website, this was taken from a sample of a regionalised campaign for a solicitor, plumber, handyman, optician and glazing specialist. This would indicate users are using their mobile for seeking local services, possibly replacing old local directories such as Yellow Pages. This is closely followed by larger national e-commerce campaigns with mobile users being between 8-14%. Although the figures may be low, it will no doubt increase in time.

The Future for Mobile Internet

Both large and small companies are starting to realise this potential of the future with specially designed mobile websites, mobile apps and mobile friendly ways to buy products online, but this is only a very small number compared to the current amount and increase of mobile users.

Social media giant Facebook had recent concerns about how to implement advertising onto mobile applications a business model that has generated so much revenue for them since the start, are concerned about harnessing this potential large group of users out there, which indicates that companies both large and small need to consider the future when channelling new business.

It is important to consider mobile internet users as an increasing market, as we’ve seen in the past from other infrastructures and technologies. In time more affordable mobile data plans will open up a much larger group of people to channel and to market to.