Hospitality Industry Best at Providing Mobile-friendly Websites
Sixty-three percent of hotel and B&B websites are mobile-friendly, and restaurants are in second position, with 52 percent of websites being mobile-friendly.
The hospitality industry is best at providing mobile-friendly websites, according to new research from hibu, a leading provider of digital marketing solutions and websites for businesses. hibu audited 10 industries and found that hospitality businesses are best in terms of mobile-friendliness. Sixty-three percent of hotel and B&B websites are mobile-friendly, and restaurants took second position, with 52 percent of websites being mobile-friendly.[i]
Locksmith firms have also realized the importance of having a mobile-friendly website, the research found, with 45 percent of these businesses’ websites are easily viewed on mobile devices[ii], securing third place in hibu’s mobile-friendliness rankings.
In stark contrast, electricians and building and construction firms ranked low in the findings. hibu’s research found that just 20 percent of building and construction firms’ websites, and 25 percent of electricians’ websites are mobile-friendly[iii], missing out on the opportunity to attract local customers researching services on-the-go via tablets or mobile devices.
RESEARCH RESULTS BY US INDUSTRY
Despite some businesses already capitalizing on mobile marketing, the research also highlights that more than half (59 percent) of U.S. small and medium-sized businesses’ (SMBs) websites are not set up to enable customers to research or make purchases on mobile devices.[iv] With 56 percent of U.S. adults using a smartphone [v], SMBs without a mobile-friendly website are missing the opportunity to reach more customers and drive sales.
Tablet adoption in the U.S. has almost doubled in the past year, and a third (34 percent) of American adults now own one[vi], so it is surprising to discover that 87 percent of SMBs’ websites do not support viewing on the iPad (4th Gen).[vii]
The iPhone 5 is the most popular mobile device for SMBs to design their website for; although the Android-powered Galaxy S range of phones is close behind.[viii] In spite of the continued popularity of the iPad, only 13 percent of small businesses are making their websites friendly for the device.[ix]
Recent research shows that 94 percent of smartphone users use their phone to search for information about local businesses and services[x] and this is only set to increase, which means SMBs simply cannot afford not to optimize their website for mobile.
“Anyone who has visited a website that isn’t mobile-friendly knows how frustrating – or even impossible – it is to browse and navigate it on their mobile device,” said Matt Anderson, hibu Chief Digital Officer. “With consumers increasingly searching local businesses on their smartphones and tablets, it’s crucial that firms have websites that are mobile-friendly so that they continue to attract customers and don’t fall behind their competitors. Business owners may feel daunted by mobile technology, but in reality they don’t need any technical skills to ensure that their site works well and looks great on any device, or even to optimize it specifically for smartphones or tablets.”
For more information about the mobile research, including a downloadable PDF detailing the full research, please visit http://business.hibu.com/knowledge/hibu-us-mobile-audit/.
[i] Source: hibu US mobile audit, month of October 2013, among websites audited
[ii] Source: hibu US mobile audit, month of October 2013, among websites audited
[iii] Source: hibu US mobile audit, month of October 2013, among websites audited
[iv] Source: hibu US mobile audit, month of October 2013, among websites audited
[v] Source: Our Mobile Planet, US, Google, month of May 2013
[vi] Source: Pew Research, 2013
[vii] Source: hibu US mobile audit, month of October 2013, among websites audited
[viii] Source: hibu US mobile audit, month of October 2013, among websites audited
[ix] Source: hibu US mobile audit, month of October 2013, among websites audited
[x] Source: Our Mobile Planet, US Google, month of May 2013