76% of US mobile web users have seen an ad in the past month
Three in four mobile web users in the US have seen an ad in the past month, including 91 per cent of 18-24-year-olds and 83 per cent of those aged 25-34, according to new research from Mintel.
When those without smartphones or internet access are taken into consideration, a total audience of about half (49 per cent) of all adults have seen a mobile ad.
The most commonly viewed ads are app and banner ads. Roughly half of all 18-34-year-olds have seen ads in the past month in an app, in a banner, or in a mobile game. About 40 per cent of 18-34-year-olds who use the mobile web have also seen a video ad and seen (or heard) an internet radio ad in the past month.
According to Mintel, all of these penetration figures can be expected to rise on a monthly basis through 2014 as the late majority of adults adopt mobile media.
"Typically, nascent markets related to technology show slowing growth each year," says Billy Hulkower, senior analyst, technology and media at Mintel. "However, in the case of mobile ads, consumers will still be acquiring their first smartphones and tablets through 2015, suggesting that sales growth deceleration will not occur at the same pace that would be seen for a hardware market—instead, sales may accelerate further as the audience for mobile media expands."
The study also found that mobile couponing presents an opportunity for driving sales via mobile ads as 18 per cent of adults have redeemed a mobile coupon, including over 20 per cent of respondents from households with more than $100k in annual income.