Two thirds of people will own a smartphone by 2018

As I’ve been writing our ’16 Marketing Trends for 2016 for the January issue of Boating Industry, there was one overarching theme that came emphatically from all of the interviews: You’ve got to have a mobile strategy for your website and your marketing.

“It’s an absolute must nowadays,” Aaron Weiche, chief marketing officer of GetFiveStars.com said about mobile websites during our interview. “Obviously, when you think about how closely integrated our mobile devices are with our lives, that most people would rather leave their house without their wallet instead of their phone, it’s the go-to for all of their information.”

The data supports this idea and a recent study from ZenithOptimedia suggests this is only going to become more prominent. The study found that smartphone use rose from 41.6 percent in 2013 to 49.5 percent in 2014 in key digital markets. Smartphone ownership is expected to reach 55.7 percent this year and projected to reach 66.5 percent – or two-thirds of individuals – by 2018.

“The rapid spread of mobile technology is transforming media consumption and marketing communication across the world,” said Jonathan Barnard, ZenithOptimedia’s Head of Forecasting. “For more and more people, their smartphone or tablet is the first place they look for information or entertainment. Marketers need a mobile-first approach to communicate with these people effectively.”

You can read more about the data behind mobile usage and the importance of mobile in your 2016 marketing strategy in our January issue, hitting mailboxes in a few weeks.