Tablets may have only become widely available about 3 years ago, but their importance is becoming more and more evident by the day. New research from Adobe has shown that tablets now account for more web traffic than smartphones (albeit by 1%). Tablets are now responsible for 8% of web traffic, whilst smartphones account for just 7%.

Whilst the difference may seem minor, this is an important finding for business owners and web designers alike. Smartphones and tablets are both technically mobile devices, but user spending habits have actually proved to be rather diverse.

According to Adobe, tablet users spend 54% per online order than their smartphone using counterparts, and 19% more than desktop users. Whether this is because tablet users are more likely to have expendable income, considering the large initial upfront payment for the device itself, or the fact that they are easier to use thanks to their larger screen size, has not yet been determined, but either way, companies need to make sure that their website is suitable for any user that wishes to access it – using the device of their choice.

Ultimately, mobile devices in general now account for around 15% of total web traffic – if your website isn’t yet optimised for mobile use, you could be missing out on a significant portion of your potential audience.

In light of contemporary disciplines like social media marketing and search engine optimisation, email marketing is often seen as a somewhat outdated marketing method. However, what many businesses don’t realise is that it’s not the medium that’s outdated, but their approach towards it – too many companies are still using the same stale email tactics that have been circulating for years. If you’re stuck in a rut and want to modernise your email approach, follow these three simple steps:

1. Optimise for mobile

According to a study by Knotice, more than a quarter of all emails are now opened on a mobile device. If your email isn’t optimised to be viewed on tablets and smartphones, you could be missing out on more than 25% of your prospective audience. Make sure your emails look just as good on mobiles as they do on desktops to ensure maximum read rates and engagement.

2. Personalise

These days, sending out a mass message with the same content for every consumer just isn’t going to cut it – modern emails have to be personalised in order to remain competitive. In fact, the Adestra July 2012 report revealed that emails with personalised subject lines are 22.2% more likely to be opened, showing that simply including your recipients’ names increases your chances of your emails being read.

3. Keep it short and sweet

Contemporary consumers may always be switched on, thanks to their portable mobile devices, but they’re also busier than ever, and don’t have time to read a lengthy, time consuming message. The same Adestra survey showed that subject lines with 30 or fewer characters performed above average in open rate, click rates and click to opens. Tailor your text to this straightforward approach and you’ll start to see results.

Choosing responsive web design is, for many companies, a no brainer. In a world where more than half of UK consumers own a smartphone, and almost 20% own a tablet, optimising your website so that it provides a consistent viewing experience across a variety of platforms just seems to make sense. However, there are a number of companies out there who still aren’t convinced of the benefits. If you’re one of them, maybe a look at our three top reasons for choosing responsive web design will change your mind.

• You’ll only need to build one site

  Yes, you can create apps for mobile devices, or multiple versions of your site, but why bother? Using responsive web design streamlines your entire web development process, so that you can focus on creating one well structured, easy to use version – whilst saving time, money and additional hassle in the process.

• You’ll be one step ahead of the competition

  Responsive web design is still a relatively new concept, and many businesses are talking about it without actually doing it. If you bite the bullet and implement responsive web design first, you’ll be offering your users a much more satisfactory experience than the underdeveloped websites of your competitors – making them more likely to use (and recommend!) your services.

• It can boost your SEO efforts

  Kristina Kledik of SEOmoz.org says that responsive web design can also work wonders for your SEO campaign. She puts this down to three essential reasons – its excellent usability, reduction of duplicate content, and ability to build links (“with responsive web design, a link to your main site is a link to your mobile site as well”). In fact, in June last year, Google was asked about responsive web design, and confirmed “this is Google’s recommended configuration,” – so if it’s endorsed by the world’s number one search engine, why would you not use it for your business?

The tree may have been taken down and you might be sick of turkey sandwiches, but the now forgotten Christmas period can still teach you some valuable lessons – particularly when it comes to online commerce. New figures from Experian Hitwise have shown that Boxing Day was the busiest ever day for online retail, with UK consumers spending 14m hours online and making 113m visits to e-commerce sites.

Unsurprisingly, e-retail giant Amazon topped the search charts, but other big name brands like Next, Debenhams and John Lewis were not far behind. One in every 125 searches made on 26th December included the word ‘sale’ or ‘sales’, proving that the British public are as keen as ever to pick up a bargain.

IBM released similarly impressive statistics for the day that highlighted the ever growing presence of mobile devices. The percentage of consumers using their tablet or smartphone to make a purchase rose to 24.73% – a significant increase on 2011’s 15.93%. The iPad was the leading device in the shopping stakes, accounting for 15.84% of all purchases, but the iPhone was not far behind with 8.63%, and phones running Android racked up a respectable 6.17% throughout the day.

These figures once again reinforce the importance of optimising your business’s website for mobile transactions. The Christmas shopping season may now be winding down, but 2013 is only just beginning, so make sure your website is ready for the New Year!

It may have a smaller total number of users, but popular social media platform Twitter has overtaken Facebook in the mobile advertising stakes, according to new figures from market research group eMarketer.

The report, published last week, predicts that Twitter will generate almost double the amount of revenue that Facebook, based on the US ad market – the largest target audience for both sites. eMarketer’s data shows Twitter’s 2012 mobile revenue at $129.7m, compared with $72.7m for Facebook.

However, the group projected that the roles will be reversed next year, anticipating that Facebook will turn the tables with $387m in mobile sales, and Twitter will lag behind with (a still impressive) $272.6m.

Despite the suggested switch, Debra Aho Williamson, principal analyst at eMarketer, has indicated that she thinks Twitter may be better built for the job.

“Twitter is built from the grown up to be very easy to use on mobile devices,” she commented. “It makes sense that advertising is a better fit. For Facebook, it’s been a learning experience.”

Although Twitter has taken an early lead, it seems that the war of mobile advertising has yet to be won. Who do you think will triumph in the long run?

Growing numbers of smartphone and tablet owners are using their mobile devices to access the internet, interact with social media, and most importantly for marketers, engage with brands. If you’re still not convinced about building a mobile version of your website, here are some crucial statistics that may change your mind.

•    UK smartphone users now spend more time accessing the internet on their phones than they do making calls
Phones are not simply a tool for communication anymore – they have become a source of information and, according to a study by 02, consumers spend more time searching Google, posting on Facebook, tweeting etc than actually making calls.

•    74% of users will wait 5 seconds for a mobile page to load before abandoning the site
A report from Compuware revealed the dramatic impact that a site that is not optimised for mobile can have. Slow loading equals less engagement, which ultimately equals less business. On top of this, 46% of users are unlikely to return to a site if it did not work properly before – meaning customers can be lost even if you have since optimised your page for mobile.

•    Only 4% of online shoppers prefer to use an app
Zmag’s survey of consumers showed that they are much more likely to engage with and therefore buy from a site than an app. 14% would buy via a website on a smartphone, compared to the app’s minimal 4% – yet another reason to ensure the site is fully functional from all devices.

Email marketing can be an effective method of getting touch with clients and consumers, but has a variable reputation due to the possibility of unsubscribers and immediate deletions.

However, recent information from Good Technology revealed that email marketing campaigns are reaching increasing numbers of people, thanks to the rise in use of email through smartphones. This data appears to be particularly relevant to the corporate sphere – 68% of consumers said that they check work email before 8am on weekdays, and even check their inbox over weekends.

John Herrema, senior vice president of corporate strategy for Good Technology, commented, “In today’s ‘always on’ mobile environment, secure access to corporate email and apps is a ‘must have’ versus a ‘nice to have’ for nearly all companies.” He also suggested that the rise in the number of employees using their own mobile devices for work may have contributed to the increase in email marketing engagement, as they are interacting with mobile content associated with their jobs more frequently.

From a marketer’s perspective, it is therefore essential that any email marketing content is optimised for both desktop and mobile viewing, to ensure that it is accessible and user-friendly. The trend for mobile devices is obvious across all industries, so it’s important to ensure that all aspects of online content are optimised for this kind of access.