Users demanding more from brands, as mobile web use explodes across the globe

What’s even more exciting is that we are only at the very start of this incredible journey. Use of the mobile web is growing exponentially, with consumers in every corner of the globe taking advantage of its capability. And, while underpinned by technology, the real driver of this evolution are the people that use it.

According to the Netbiscuits People’s Web Report, twenty-five per cent of consumers now spend a huge six hours each day on the mobile web, while seven per cent said they spend more than 12 hours engaging online. This reliance is causing many users globally to seek more from their interactions on the mobile web, with their expectations of their end-to-end experience becoming increasingly demanding.

Brands already know the web isn’t just going mobile - it is mobile. Their challenge over the next few years will be to navigate the never-ending complexity of the mobile market. Consumers are driving the future of the web, and brands need to keep up. Otherwise, consumers will abandon brands that are left behind.

The ability for consumers to be able to discover mobile content, and access it seamlessly across any device is crucial for brands that want to be able to engage their customer base. More than 76 per cent of respondents said they would simply not bother trying to use a website that was not optimized for mobile. Of those, a third (32 per cent) would not return to the website at all, preferring to either to give up or try a competitor website instead.

Those brands that get it right however are already seeing the business impact. Netbiscuits customer eBay generates a sale over mobile every two seconds, and a third of all its transactions globally use a mobile device at some point in the customer journey.

However, a scaled-down version of a PC website is no longer enough for a today’s digital consumer. Across the globe, consumer overall expectations are evolving. Our research found that connection speed is the most important factor for 8 out of 10 global markets,. 61 per cent of consumers worldwide say a faster download of content would increase their satisfaction with the mobile web, and a third (33 per cent) of consumers demand the same functionality like ease of use, accessibility of content and speed of their mobile websites as they do of PC websites.

The overwhelming pressure for a better quality of experience demonstrates how the explosion of connected devices is leading to better informed and increasingly expectant consumers across both developed and emerging markets.

Many brands have taken a simple mobile app strategy, catering for a single consumer ecosystem; however this is practically slamming the door in potential customer faces. Our report shows that only 27 per cent of respondents would usually download an app when prompted to do so online, despite 75% being exposed to these prompts. When browsing or searching for information on the mobile web, 79 per cent of respondents globally said they would prefer to have the option of using a mobile website, as opposed to 18 per cent who were happy just using native apps.

Brands must be ready to deliver a quality mobile web experience, fully adapted to the device capability, behavioural context, and preferences those customers demand. Consumers today demand choice, in terms of devices and the experience they wish to receive, and those brands that don’t adapt will quickly become dinosaurs in a quickly evolving and unforgiving world.