Only 15.3% of marketers say they run a mobile-specific website, per results from Chief Marketer’s 2013 Mobile Marketing Survey [download page], with reasons for not offering a mobile site ranging from a lack of budget (35.8%) to an absence of internal leadership on the matter (26.8%). Results from the study indicate that while barriers to mobile app adoption also exist, some 27% of respondents already offer one or more mobile apps, and another 20.7% plan to launch at least one this year.
Asked their marketing aims for mobile apps, respondents said they were looking to build frequency and engagement (69.1%), offer rich content via a smartphone (44.8%) and build buzz (44.4%).
Marketers with apps or planning to launch one tend to favor the iPhone (91.7%) as a target more so than Android phones (79.5%). Additionally, slightly more than 70% of them will create apps for the iPad. Indeed, respondents as a whole said they were more likely to target tablet users by offering a downloadable iPad app (36.7%) than by offering an app for most Android tablets (24.2%).
Interestingly, among those not offering apps, ROI is not a primary barrier. Instead, these marketers said an inability to identify a value proposition for users (45.8%) was holding them back, with many also pointing to the high cost of app development (29.4%). Just 1 in 10 said lack of ROI was an issue.
About the Data: Chief Marketer’s 2013 Mobile Marketing Survey was conducted via email from April 10 to May 13, 2013. 666 responses were received. Respondents identified themselves as B2B marketers (48.9%), B2C marketers (18.6%) or as a company that targeted both (32.5%).
About one-quarter of respondents reported 2012 revenue of over $1 billion; approximately 22% were in the $5-50 million range; nearly 17% reported $1-5 million; and 36% under $1 million.
54.4% of respondents sell their products or services online. 76.1% market entire or mostly in North America, and only 5.1% market mainly outside North America. About 17% reported that their efforts were split equally between marketing in and outside of North America.