Still trying to make the case for mobile optimization of your company's website? Or worse -- have you gotten the green light, but are so overwhelmed by the project that you don't know where to begin?
Makes sense. Starting from square one is hard. Google probably figured as much, and they graciously conducted a study to help make mobile marketers' lives a little bit easier: "What Users Want Most From Mobile Sites Today." The study, which we found via Marketing Land, reports on two helpful perspectives. First, it helps you make the case for mobile site optimization by reporting on how smartphone users feel about mobile browsing experiences with businesses now. Then, it dives into the actual things smartphone users want from a company's mobile site.
With this data, you can build a case and actually make a user's dream scenario happen! Take a look at some of the highlights we've pulled from the study that we think will help you with your mobile marketing.
How Smartphone Users Feel About the Mobile Browsing Experience
1) 96% of smartphone users have encountered sites that weren't designed for mobile devices. Tweet This Stat!
2) 67% of users are more likely to purchase a product or service from a mobile-friendly site. Tweet This Stat!
3) 74% of users say they're also more likely to return to a site in the future if it's mobile-friendly. Tweet This Stat!
4) On the other hand, 79% of users who don't like what they find on a mobile site will go look for the information they need on another site. Tweet This Stat!
5) Additionally, 52% of users said a bad mobile experience made them less likely to engage with a company. Tweet This Stat!
6) And even if users really like a business, 50% of users will use that business less if their site isn't mobile-friendly. Tweet This Stat!
7) 48% of users say they feel frustrated and annoyed when on sites that are poorly optimized for mobile. 36% say they feel like they've wasted their time when they visit those sites. Tweet This Stat!
8) 48% of users that report a business' site didn't work well on their smartphones took it as an indication the company didn't care about their business. Tweet This Stat!
Smartphone Users' Ideal Browsing Experience
9) 76% of users want to get location or operating hours from a mobile site. Tweet This Stat!
10) 61% of users want to be able to click-to-call a business on their mobile site; 54% are looking to send an email. Tweet This Stat!
11) 53% of users want to download an app on a business' mobile site. Tweet This Stat!
12) 48% of users want to be able to access a company's social networks from their mobile site. Tweet This Stat!
13) 41% of users want to be able to play a video clip from a business' mobile site. Tweet This Stat!
14) 78% of users want to be able to find what they're looking for on a mobile site in just one or two clicks. The same percentage of users cites a desire for a search bar that's both easy to find, and to use. Tweet This Stat!
15) 76% of users want a business' mobile site to fit the small screen of their smartphone better. 64% said they want to only scroll up and down, not left and right. Tweet This Stat!
16) 69% of users called for bigger buttons that are friendlier to their fumbling fingers. Tweet This Stat!
17) 74% of users want mobile sites to look clean and efficient. Tweet This Stat!
18) 74% of users also cited they want the option to go to a full, non-mobile site version. Tweet This Stat!
19) 73% of users want a company's mobile site to make it easy to save information from the site for future reference. Tweet This Stat!
20) 73% of users also cited a need for less long forms -- forms should have few fields, and not require too much scrolling. Maybe you could give HubSpot 3's new Smart Forms a try? ;-) Tweet This Stat!
Have you optimized your website for a mobile audience yet? Are you hitting on all of these critical elements?
Image credit: Highways Agency


Colin Zylka 4:46 PM on September 25, 2012
Great info, timely and applicable to almost any business these days. With the prevalence of smart phones and tablets, having a mobile presence is a must.
Trish Jones 5:17 PM on September 25, 2012
It does seem a tall order and nigh on impossible for all but huge organisations to fulfil these requirements, however, things like only wanting to scroll up and down and not left to right is a must on any website today.
I'm also surprised at the number of people wanting aps, I would have thought they'd have enough without adding websites to their broad repertoire - still each person to their own. Great findings though.
Craig Swerdloff 5:44 PM on September 25, 2012
#20, "73% of users also cited a need for less longer forms". This point coupled with the increased likelihood of mistyped email addresses in mobile, reinforces the use case for real-time email validation at the point of collection.
Atilla Vekony 6:55 PM on September 25, 2012
#9 makes complete sense, since the majority of the time people on mobile phones are looking for the location of their appointment or store.
Matt Janowski 7:13 PM on September 25, 2012
Can't count the number of times I've cursed simply because it wasn't mobile friendly. Now I think I'll get to making mine mobile friendly. ;-)
Keith Gormezano 10:30 PM on September 25, 2012
Another thing to consider when creating mobile sites is to make sure that they support form filling software like RoboForm.
This site needs to offer that support. I couldn't fill out the above using Norton Identity Safe.
Joe Christian 3:05 AM on September 26, 2012
Wonderful post, timely and applicable to virtually any company nowadays. using the prevalence of smart phones and tablets, getting a mobile presence can be must.
Karen 4:02 AM on September 26, 2012
Very helpful information, especially now that we are developing our mobile optimized website
Thanks,
Karen
dennis brown 5:26 AM on September 26, 2012
Thanks, good info - though by the end I was having spoonerism issues with your "Tweet this stat!" links ;-)
Shawn 11:31 AM on September 26, 2012
I'm most curious about what items are being purchased most via mobile.
Also, I'm curious to know what is the comparison between purchases done via apps v. mobile sites. I myself have found that I've completed most of my purchases through brands' custom apps v. their mobile sites. The customized shopping experience is just more pleasurable.
Maria 11:32 AM on September 26, 2012
These are some incredible and eye opening statistics! Business need to seriously consider having mobile websites and/or apps. This is an incredible opportunity to grow business and build customer loyalty. People leave their homes with their keys and their cell phone. Any opportunity a business gets to engage their customers via mobile apps on a daily basis is not to be missed.
Shanna 5:01 PM on September 26, 2012
This is my favorite:
69% of users called for bigger buttons that are friendlier to their fumbling fingers.
Of course tweeting that would require a follow up explanation.
Susan Freiberg 8:24 PM on September 26, 2012
Really interesting stats. Nothing too surprsing to me, because I've been following these facts for a couple of years now.
Lifestyle Business and Design 9:21 PM on September 26, 2012
"96% of smartphone users have encountered sites that weren't designed for mobile devices."
- Absolutely!It would be very effective if you are going to have a mobile optimized website. Forget the days were people only used mobile phones for calling and sms.
Veronica Barrio 10:06 PM on September 26, 2012
This is definitely an area that is experiencing a shift right now. Great Article.
Tarjinder Kailey 11:36 PM on September 26, 2012
20 good points!
Everybody must consider all those 20 points and start optimizing their website for mobile users. Thanks Corey!
Web application development 6:26 AM on September 28, 2012
That is an interesting study, I know people are tending to make a lot of searches and browses from mobile devices but the tendency to make purchase is pretty shocking.
Nice blog.
Matt Coffy 9:01 AM on September 28, 2012
We can certainly build a better marketing approach with these stats. Mobile-friendly websites have a greater opportunity to reign in more revenue. Bottom line is, you'll have to optimize for user-experience, much as you would for targeting the right market.