Here at Smoking Gun PR we’re proud of our achievements as one of Manchester’s fastest growing award-winning public relations agencies. But we don’t just do public relations.
As our services page will tell you in an instant, we also provide advice and assistance on digital marketing, design and web-build solutions, including developing mobile-friendly websites for clients at all levels. As such it’s no surprise we constantly bang on about the need for brands to position themselves at the forefront of technology by ensuring their online presence supports all platforms and devices. So, although you may be getting sick and tired of us relaying this point of view nothing is going to stop us, especially when we’re staring a brand new year in the face, meaning it’s time to prepare for the immediate future. With that in mind here are 5 facts with stats to prove you really need mobile-friendly in your business model.
1. 69% of consumer now state that having to pinch and zoom, re-sizing web pages to suit their phones, is a frustrating experience. 
According to research by the Internet Advertising Bureau, the vast majority of internet users are put off by websites that haven’t been optimised for mobile experience. Worse still, 73% would not jump onto another device, for example a laptop, in order to make the experience better. In short, they will move on to a competitor offering what they want out of a browse.
2. Digital display advertising in the UK will be worth the same as Channel 4’s entire ad revenue in just over 5 years time. 
That’s a lot of money, and a lot of potential revenue if you sell space on your domain. The problem is, to get a bite of the pudding you’ll need to convince those buying commercial room that the site is actually worth a penny or two- which means making sure it’s completely up to date in all aspects.
3. According to a survey, 73% of visitors were more likely to return to a website if it’s mobile friendly. 
That was in 2012, with Google the firm behind the research. We’re now almost three years on, and you don’t need us to explain how far things have moved in that time.
4. More than 59% of online traffic in the UK on Black Friday came from mobiles this year. 
The figure can be divided into 39% from smartphones, with iOS the leading operating system, and a further 20% from tablets.
5. By 2014, 55% of companies already had a mobile website. 45% didn’t (obviously). 
All of which means your competitors are may have jumped aboard the mobile train already, making it even more imperative that you follow suit, or risk being left at the station. And let’s face it, nobody wants that, particularly in winter.