Market resarch firm IDC reported on Monday that mobile web use will likely surpass PC internet access by 2015. For marketers, the shift represents a need to integrate mobile SEO and search techniques into web marketing plans gradually to position themselves well moving forward.
According to IDC, mobile web users will grow by 16.6 percent per year between 2010 and 2015 as smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices become more popular.
In terms of general growth in internet use, IDC expects more than 2.7 billion people worldwide to be regular web users by 2015. Additionally, ecomerce spending is primed for 12.7 percent annual growth through 2015, reaching $1.2 trillion worldwide, according to IDC.
Mobile web use has already grown rapidly in recent years, prompting companies to optimize websites for smartphone and tablet users. However, marketing strategies must also be updated to leverage the growth of mobility solutions.
“Forget what we have taken for granted on how consumers use the internet,” Karsten Weide, research vice president of media and entertainment, said in a release. “Soon, more users will access the web using mobile devices than using PCs, and it’s going to make the internet a very different place.”
Brafton recently reported that other trends in smartphone use may be of particular interest to CMOs considering changes to their marketing budgets. Last week, Google estimated 15 percent of searches for holiday gifts and product information will come on mobile devices this Black Friday. Meanwhile, mobile payments will generate $945 billion by 2015.
