Technology is reshaping the world. It’s changing the way we work and how we interact with each other.
The digital landscape changes so quickly that sometimes it can be challenging to keep up. For the 22nd year in a row, Mary Meeker released her Internet Trends Report. The report acts as a state of the union for all things tech, revealing key insights into how technology and the internet have changed in the last year.
The data compiled shows findings on everything from mobile and ecommerce, to gaming, digital health and beyond. These are our takeaways from the report.
Average time spent on mobile is on the rise.
Since the introduction of mobile devices in the market, many were expecting a shift to mobile for usage, however Meeker’s report tells a different story. Mobile usage has significantly increased in 2017. Today the average adult spends more than three hours a day on their mobile device. Conversely, desktop usage has remained steadfast, with adult users spending roughly 2.2 hours per day.
The above graph shows an “addition to mobile” over a “shift to mobile.” Digital marketeres should invest more in mobile advertising and conversion techniques while continuing to reach customers on computers.
Not surprisingly, mobile is dominating online ad dollars. In general, online spending has gone up significantly since 2009, but in the last year, mobile has surpassed desktop.
Though the money is being made from mobile, not much is being put into ad efforts on these devices. According to Meeker, people spend 28 percent of their time on mobile, but only 21 percent of ad spend is directed to that area. That is a $16 billion opportunity in the US for mobile sales.
Four million people use ad blockers on their phones.
The report also indicates an uptick in ad blocking among mobile device users.
The graph shows that nearly four million people worldwide use adblockers on their phones. That’s almost double the amount utilizing the software for their desktops. This trend is unsurprising based on user habits, but it is something to consider when targeting mobile devices.
Google and Facebook control 85 percent of online advertising.
Social media is incredibly important for every digital marketer, but Meeker’s report reveals that companies should maybe only be looking at certain sites.
At the moment, Google and Facebook control a collective 85 percent of online advertising. Those numbers are rapidly increasing with Google up 20 percent from last year and Facebook up a whopping 62 percent.
This growth doesn’t seem to be slowing down and is leaving all other social media platforms in the dust. Others such as Pinterest, LinkedIn, and Instagram only increased nine percent from 2015.
Because of the amount of users Google and Facebook have, it will be very difficult for other platforms to compete are will most likely continue to fall behind.
Though you should continue to invest in these platforms, it may make sense to make Google and Facebook priorities if you aren’t already.
Customers will leave a brand after one bad experience.
A huge role of the digital marketer is creating a positive customer interactions. The last thing you want is someone dissatisfied with your customer service and writing about it on social media. In fact, according to the report, the number of people who would stop working with a company after a bad experience went up from 74 percent in 2014 to 82 percent last year.
Customers want easier access to online support.
Social media can be a huge tool in reaching unhappy people. When asked what organizations could improve upon, 60 percent of those surveyed ranked “easier access to online support channels” as high on their list.
Customers want immediate, real-time results
Customers get fed up of waiting 24 hours for an email response or spending 20+ minutes on hold. Chat is an effective way to connect with customers day or night. Since 2013, the amount of chat conversations has risen exponentially.
Customers want answers and they want it as fast as possible. Any wait time could lead to a negative comment or tweet. So the need for reliable, speedy customer service is greater than ever.
Conclusion
There is so much to be gleaned from this extensive report but most notably for digital marketers: mobile is here to stay. Marketers should invest more efforts into advertising on Facebook and Google, and creating faster and more complete customer service solutions.
Of course this is only a fraction of what Meeker revealed in her report, and there is a lot more to dive into. For more information look through the entire presentation.
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