Reading this on a mobile? There’s a strong chance that you are. More and more of us are using our smartphones to access the web, leaving the restricting wires of our desktops behind.

Whether we’re researching something, surfing social media, making a purchase or managing email, we’re more likely than ever to be doing it on a smartphone.

As such, it’s becoming more important than ever to put mobile web users front of mind when drawing up your event marketing and communications strategies. Here are 10 mobile statistics you need to know!

1. There are more mobile devices than there are people in the world

In 2014, the number of active mobile devices and the number of human beings crossed over for the first time. According to data from digital analysts at GSMA Intelligence, the number of mobile devices hit 7.22 billion, while the world population stood at 7.2 billion people.

Mobile devices are multiplying five times faster than we are, with our population growing at a rate of about two people per second or 1.2% annually. By 2021 there will be 11.6 billion mobile-connected devices, while the projected population at that time is 7.8 billion. Although not everyone in the world owns a mobile device, almost two-thirds of us do.

2. More searches now take place on mobile devices than on desktops

In May 2015, Google announced that more than 50% of search queries now take place on a mobile device. Further research by Hitwise highlighted mobile search query volumes for 11 key categories. The category with the highest percentage of mobile searches was ‘Food & Beverage’, with 72%.

3. More websites are now loaded on mobile devices than on desktop computers

Not only are more searches now carried out on mobiles, more websites are visited too.  Statcounter, a research company that tracks internet use across 2.5 million websites, said 51.3% of pages were loaded on mobile devices in October 2016, representing the first time they have surpassed desktop and laptop computers.

4. Video is responsible for 60% of mobile web data traffic

According to a report by Cisco, video viewing was responsible for 60% of total mobile data traffic in 2016, showing it is a preferred medium for web browsing on the go. And it is predicted to become even more popular. By the end of 2021, over three-quarters (78%) of the world’s mobile data traffic will be video.

5. UK Mobile advertising spend has taken over desktop advertising spend

Another milestone achieved in October last year occurred in the world of digital advertising. More money was spent on mobile advertising than on desktop advertising for the first time – £802 million vs £762 million.

According to the PwC and IAB UK digital ad spend study, mobile saw a 56.1% increase in the first half of 2016, meaning £0.36 of every £1 spent on digital advertising is now mobile – just five years ago, only £0.04 of every £1 went into mobile advertising.

6. 50% of UK e-commerce sales are made with a smartphone

Smartphones are driving record growth in online shopping, according to the latest e-Retail Sales Index from Capgemini and IMRG. Year-on-year, e-commerce sales via smartphones rose 47% in 2016 and now account for 50% of all online sales in the UK.

The report’s authors said the increase in mobile sales indicates that mobile is fast becoming the number one online sales channel for UK retailers. “Sales through smartphones are continuing to grow at a very strong rate, which is increasing the times and places in which people can browse and engage with online retailers,” they stated.

7. 61% of time spent online by people in the UK is on a mobile device

According to the 2017 mobile usage report from comScore, mobile devices now dominate the total minutes we spent online worldwide. In the UK, 61% of the time we spend online is via a mobile device, compared with 71% in the US and a staggering 91% in Indonesia.

People in the UK spend an average of 66 hours per month browsing on their smartphones, compared to just 29 hours on desktop. Mobile media use varies through the day. Desktop still dominates between 9am to 6pm but mobile leads at all other times, with usage peaking in the evening, between 8pm and 9pm.

8. 48% of consumers start mobile research with a search engine

Smart Insights says nearly half of consumers researching a potential purchase on their mobile will start with a search engine enquiry. This stat highlights the importance of having a mobile-friendly website. Google’s 2015 ‘Mobilegeddon’ algorithm update penalises non-mobile optimised sites.

If your site is not designed for viewing on a mobile device it might not show up in search results, meaning potential customers could go elsewhere.

9. Mobile optimised websites increase conversion rate by 160%

Ensuring your site is mobile friendly is not just important for SEO; it makes a massive difference to your sales conversions too. After studying 180 million shopping sessions, NetElixir Inc. found the conversion rate for smartphone shoppers on mobile-optimised sites was 160% higher than the rate for non-optimised sites.

The smartphone conversion rate was 23% of the overall site conversion rate for non-optimised sites and 60% of the overall site conversion rate for optimised sites, reports Digitalcommerce360.

10. Mobile email opens have grown by 180% in the last three years

Smartphones are not just for web browsing – they’re becoming a primary place for consuming email marketing. According to Socialmediatoday.com, email open rates on mobile devices have grown 180% in the last three years. This means it’s vital to make sure your e-shots are mobile optimised, as well as your website.

Conclusion

As these statistics show; mobile is massive – and it’s only going to get bigger. Modern consumers expect to be able to do everything on the go, including researching events and buying tickets.

Event managers using Eventbrite can relax safe in the knowledge that all our pages are fully mobile optimised and SEO friendly, so your attendees can connect with you wherever they might be.