Mobile devices are shifting fromk and influencing medium to a conversion medium, accounting for 38.6% of display ad conversions during Q3 2014, according to new research.
The Marin Software report indicates that mobile ad conversions for display increased 4.4% quarter-on-quarter and 15.8% year-over-year.
40% of impressions and 54 per cent of ad clicks also came from mobile.
Among the key highlights of the new report are:
• Mobile devices play a vital role in the purchase decision process. While completing online transactions remains largely a desktop activity, a recent study by Marin Software analyzing the conversion rate of mobile ads suggests smartphones and tablets are increasingly being used by consumers to complete purchases.
• The mobile conversion trend is consistent across channels, with similar increases recorded for search, social and display ads as consumers engage and complete transactions across the web from their smartphones and tablets.
• During Q3 2014, Marin Software found more than one out of every three ad conversions on Facebook took place on a mobile device with mobile ad conversions increasing 16 percent quarter-over-quarter. Mobile ads on Facebook accounted for 52 percent of ad impressions and 63 percent of clicks.
Marin Software said it expects consumers to continue to increase their engagement with brands via mobile ads and complete more purchases on their mobile devices.
The report looks at Facebook and Google’s own ad offerings independently, and surprisingly found that the two are lagging behind when it comes to mobile’s share of conversion.
While Facebook ads have a far higher proportion of impressions (52 per cent) and clicks (63 per cent) coming from mobile, only 35 per cent of conversions came from tablets and smartphones combined – though that figure is rising fast, up 16 per cent on last quarter.
By comparison, mobile accounted for 31 per cent of Google’s paid search impressions and 38 per cent of search ad clicks, and 30 per cent of conversions – only a 2.4 per cent increase on last quarter.