Gone are the days when smartphones were used mainly for gaming, music or podcasts. In 2025 we reached the tipping point — up to 70% of all web traffic and purchases are made from the palm of our hands. What does that mean for businesses that still prioritize content that’s designed for desktops? Let’s just say users don’t stick around for long.

CONSUMER BEHAVIOR STEERS THE SHIP

Meet people where they are. We’ve all heard the expression, likely to ad nauseam at this point. But in the context of businesses not only trying to connect but also drive purchase, it’s golden. Brands have shopper personas they target, and 92.3% of this audience uses the Internet via their smartphones. Anyone want to wager how many of these people are within arm’s length of their next ping?

With the device in hand, fast-loading content needs to be ready to roll:

• Tappable stories
• Authentic customer reviews & videos
• Personalization based on user location, behavior-curated recommendations, reminders, etc.

With up to 65% of website traffic stemming from mobile devices, the demand for smooth user experiences has never been greater. Until next year. And the year after that.

HOLD ONTO YOUR HATS, ECOM, WE ARE TALKING TO YOU.

We are also talking to financial services and healthcare, manufacturing and transportation, education and entertainment. Basically, if you have an online presence, your audience expects your content to pop up quickly, serve up what they’re looking for, and free up their time.

Instant gratification? Sure. But you don’t get to check that box unless you offer navigation that flows smoothly and let thumbs do the talking.

Once you have shown up where your audience is, smoothly delivered your content, shared reviews and/or user videos, you need to close the loop by ensuring that the purchase (or service offer) experience is equally seamless. We’re talking about m-commerce, and it extends beyond mobile payment options, such as a digital wallet.

• Real-time inventory visibility
• Guest checkout
• Location-based services
• Autofill for text fields
• Delivery date customization
• Mobile ticketing

In short, abandonment rates are a thing. It only takes a nanosecond for mobile audiences to move on if they hit a snafu.

WHAT DOES SUCCESS LOOK LIKE?

You’ve done the work. You and your team have diligently brought your website’s user experience to be as friendly and inviting as a babbling brook. What’s next? Here’s where marketing analytics shine.

The right tools will reward you with a measurable look at what’s going on, not only with tech performance, but also with user engagement, conversion and feedback.

WHAT IF MOBILE OPTIMIZATION REMAINS ON THE BACK BURNER?

Let’s look at potential probabilities of remaining desktop-first:

• Mobile bounce rate up to 50%
• Mobile-first indexing can prevent your brand from showing up on a search
• Mobile-savvy competition has a leg up

What was merely seen as a design flaw a few years ago is now a risk to your business. (You don’t see a marketing agency use “merely” in the same sentence as “design flaw” often, but here we are.) Let’s move on to a more optimistic outlook.

NEXT UP: MOBILE-FIRST MARKETING WILL CONTINUE TO EVOLVE

The trends for 2026 and beyond bring users even closer to connecting with your brand.

• Immersive experiences will let them virtually try on, play with, talk to what you’re offering.
• With clutter as an all-time no-no, in real life and online, designs will be simpler yet work twice as hard. A clean interface assists in ADA compliance and enables the kind of enhanced focus that leads to conversion.
• As regions in underdeveloped global markets start to catch up, we can expect that a universal flip from desktop-first relationships is coming.

Mobile-first marketing has gone beyond best practices—it’s become a demand. Are you ready to supply it?

THAT’S WHAT ADCOM IS HERE FOR

Helping our clients make authentic connections to their audiences is at the core of everything we do. If you haven’t taken a good look at your mobile approach, now is the time. We’ll guide you through vertical design and content, optimize user flow and offer the kind of analytics that set you up for success. Contact us and let’s talk.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Julie Robinson would like to say that she crafted this blog from the front seat of her car on her iPhone, but she’d like to say a lot of things. Truth is, she is mobile-first in everything outside of the hours of 9-5, Monday through Friday. During those hours as an Adcom Creative Director, her laptop and copious monitors have her full attention.