Seven out of ten smartphone and tablet users expect the same quality of content experience across all devices, according to new research from Vibrant Media.
With the Association of Online Publishers estimating that one in every three page views now comes from a mobile device, consumers are increasingly using their mobile to browse.
However, Vibrant’s study reveals that most owners of handheld devices – 81% of smartphone users and 71% of tablet users – still prefer to consume content on their desktop or laptop computers.
Building upon research which showed that 68% of the UK’s top print publications lack a digital site which renders effectively on mobile devices, Vibrant’s latest study demonstrates a growing consumer demand for publishers to provide an optimised content experience for all digital devices.
“Consumers now expect to consume content on their handheld devices just as comfortably as they do on their desktop and laptop computers – but don’t feel that publishers’ sites will match their expectations,” said Tom Pepper, managing director UK of Vibrant Media.
“A separate, fully optimised mobile site is not an absolute necessity to give consumers an effective mobile experience. Publishers just need to ensure that the editorial of their web sites renders effectively on handheld devices and start replacing desktop-only ad formats with much nimbler ads which work across desktops, laptops, tablets and the small screen format of smartphones.”
Pepper explained that many publishers are still reliant on ad formats developed for desktop devices to serve consumers on handheld devices, which often either obscure editorial or are difficult to see.
“Such clumsy ad display is a big problem,” added Pepper. “It contributes to consumers preferring to consume content on a device other than their smartphone or tablet device, which in turn prevents publishers from realising the revenue they can gain from mobile traffic.
“It’s also a big problem for advertisers as 51% of smartphone and tablet users say they mostly initiate ads on their mobile devices by mistake.”
