REDEFINING

MOBILE-ONLY
USERS
Millions Selectively Avoid
the Desktop
NOVEMBER 2013
Mike Hudson
Contributors: Rimma Kats, Chris Keating, Dan Munns

Read this on
eMarketer for iPad

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Mobile has attracted a sizeable bulk of US consumers,
but the vast majority use desktop and laptop
computers along with mobile devices.
Truly mobile-only consumers are relatively rare, and their
lack of use of other devices is probably a question of
economics, not a matter of choice. Mobile offers a cheap
way to go online.
But a different sort of mobile-only consumer is coming
into focus. This subset uses mobile exclusively, or almost
exclusively, for certain activities and channels, such as
social, search or music. Within these channels, these
selective mobile-only users, or SMOs, are essentially
unreachable for marketers that arent specifically
targeting mobile.

US Internet Users, by Platform, Feb-July 2013

% of total
Feb 2013
48%

46% 6%
March 2013
45% 6%

49%

April 2013
42% 6%

52%

42% 6%

52%

May 2013
June 2013
40% 6%

54%

July 2013
40% 6%
Personal computers only
Mobile devices only

54%
Both personal computers
and mobile devices

Source: comScore, "Marketing to the Multi-Platform Majority," Oct 17, 2013

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In effect, certain desktop sites have a 20% to 30%

blind spotan important consideration in the planning,
execution and measurement phases of campaigns.
Research tells us there really are people who only
shop on mobile, said Johnna Marcus, director of mobile
and digital store marketing at Sephora. We have data
showing 31% of those with mobile internet are using
it exclusivelyits their only connection. Were not just
thinking of mobile as an augment, but really building
things out to be mobile-first and be mobile-primary.

CONTENTS
2 Executive Summary
3 Tale of Two Mobile-Onlys
6 Implications for Marketers
8 eMarketer Interviews

KEY QUESTIONS

Who are the selective mobile-only users,

or SMOs?

8 Related eMarketer Report

8 Related Links
8 Editorial and Production Contributors

What sectors and sites have more SMO users?

How can marketers reach SMOs in their
mobile channels?

REDEFINING MOBILE-ONLY USERS: MILLIONS SELECTIVELY AVOID THE DESKTOP

2013 EMARKETER INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 2

TALE OF TWO MOBILE-ONLYS

By nearly any measure, mobile use is growing among
US consumers. But the number of those who are
exclusively mobile is harder to measure. As such,
they remain missing in marketing strategies and
largely misunderstood.
Most current surveys consider mobile-only to include
people who access the internet exclusively or almost
exclusively via mobile phone or tablet. This group, a
clear minority of consumers mainly driven by economic
necessity, is not large enough to attract much attention
from marketers: A recent comScore survey found that
mobile-only users held steady at 6% of internet users
between February 2013 and July 2013even as mobile
use grew overall.
But this is a narrow view of what a mobile-only consumer
looks like. There are growing numbers of people who
access the internet in multiple ways but who limit their
use of certain channels and services entirely or almost
entirely to mobile.
These users may be called selective mobile-only users,
or SMOs, and their numbers are not insignificant: In social
media, music, video and other areas, more than 20%
of all traffic is ascribed to users who only access those
utilities using a mobile device.
This report explores both traditionally defined
mobile-only consumers as well as SMOsa growing
subsection of the digital population.

Average Time Spent per Day with the Internet by US

Adult Users of Each Device, 2010-2013
hrs:mins
3:21

3:32

3:30

3:25

1:43
1:15
0:52
0:26

1:39

1:11
0:49

0:11
2010
Online*

2011
Smartphone

2012

2013

Tablet

Note: ages 18+; time spent with each device includes all time spent with
that device, regardless of multitasking; for example, 1 hour of multitasking
online while on a mobile device is counted as 1 hour for internet and 1
hour for mobile; *includes all internet activities on desktop and laptop
computers
Source: eMarketer, July 2013
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GENERAL MOBILE-ONLY
In strictest terms, a mobile-only consumer is someone
who accesses the internet exclusively through a phone,
typically for reasons of cost.
Mobile-only users dont have a desktop PC at work.
Instead of buying a computer and paying for a home
internet connection, these consumers make do with the
connection provided by their mobile phones.
Its a relatively small groupabout 6% of US internet
users, according to comScore data mentioned earlier.
Survey results from the Pew Research Centers Internet
Project, while not specifically about truly mobile-only
consumers, offered some insight into this group.

REDEFINING MOBILE-ONLY USERS: MILLIONS SELECTIVELY AVOID THE DESKTOP

2013 EMARKETER INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 3

The source found that 34% of US mobile internet users

mostly went online via mobile phone. Hispanics and
blacks overindexed in this group, and respondents with a
modest income or lower education level were also more
likely to say the same.
Demographic Profile of US Mobile Internet Users Who
Go Online Mostly via Mobile Phone, May 2013
% of respondents in each group
Gender
Female

34%

Male

34%

Age
18-29

50%

30-49

35%

50-64

14%

65+

10%

Race/ethnicity
Hispanic

60%

Black, non-Hispanic

43%

White, non-Hispanic

27%

Household income
<$30K

45%

$30K-$50K

39%

$50K-$75K

30%

$75K+

27%

Education level
High school grad or less

45%

Some college

34%

College+

21%

Geography
Urban

33%

Suburban

35%

Rural

30%

Total

34%

Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project, "Cell Internet Use 2013," Sep
16, 2013
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The data suggests that the true mobile-only group tends

to have less disposable incomea conclusion in line
with what common sense would suggest. The expense
of a home computer and internet access precludes
some portion of the population from taking that path to
go online.

Marketers that have targeted mobile-only consumers

say its a challenge. For the most part, that is still fairly
rare unless the product itself is mobile, said Chia Chen,
senior vice president at digital agency Digitas. But on the
other hand, were at a point where we see 60% of mobile
owners have smartphones this year and up to 80% will
next year. So its going to be very difficult to market to
people in the digital realm who arent getting at least part
of their connectivity through a mobile deviceif not the
lions share.

SELECTIVE MOBILE-ONLY USERS (SMOS)

The SMO user base is considerably larger than the
traditional mobile-only group. Driven by convenience and
the widening array of services available on smartphones
and tablets, SMOs are more broadly representative of
the overall digital sphere. Given the demographic data
around mobile adoption, it is reasonable to assume SMOs
would skew younger and tend to use multiple devices,
including tablets.
However, its challenging to pin this group down. Its
one that can be sketched mainly by piecing together
information from multiple sourcessometimes requiring
inference from proximate definitions.
The tasks or activities that have the largest group of
SMOs are social media, video, music, gaming and
search. February 2013 analysis on comScores Media
Metrix Multi-Platform showed a sizeable percentage of
users exclusively accessing certain services and sites
on a mobile device. For example, across Google sites,
including YouTube, more than 13.7% of all unique visitors
browsed exclusively via mobile. That figure was nearly
16.9% for Facebook. And almost twice as many users
accessed music service Pandora without ever having
used the desktop version as those who had.

Because mobile-only represents a relatively small

portion of the overall population, and due to its economic
characteristics, it tends not to receive as much attention
from marketers.

REDEFINING MOBILE-ONLY USERS: MILLIONS SELECTIVELY AVOID THE DESKTOP

2013 EMARKETER INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 4

In fact, across the top 20 sites, ranked by unique visitors,

the SMO numbers far exceeded 6%the percentage of
internet users who only use mobile devices ever to go
online, according to comScore data mentioned earlier.
Top 20 Web Properties Among US Desktop/Mobile
Internet Users, Ranked by Unique Visitors, Feb 2013
millions
Desktop Mobile Mobile- Total digital Mobile
only
population increase*

1. Google sites

196.8

107.6

31.3

228.1

16%

2. Yahoo! sites

186.6

88.9

24.0

210.6

13%

3. Microsoft sites

166.3

48.9

9.6

175.9

6%

4. Facebook

145.3

99.7

29.5

174.8

20%

5. Amazon sites

115.4

74.1

31.7

147.0

27%

6. AOL

115.2

54.0

15.4

130.6

13%

7. Glam Media

104.5

48.0

21.6

126.1

21%

8. Apple

75.4

62.1

40.6

115.9

54%

9. Wikimedia
Foundation sites

85.9

49.3

23.7

109.5

28%

10. CBS Interactive

85.8

34.0

15.0

100.8

11. Turner Network

81.5

38.4

16.8

12. Demand Media

78.5

35.8

18.7

13. eBay

65.8

41.4

14. About.com sites

64.8

15. Ask.com sites

And eMarketer forecasts that the numbers of people

using mobile for social media, mobile video, streaming
music and gaming will increase through 2017.
Just how fast the SMO user base will grow remains
to be seenand is likely to vary by category. Company
numbers released by Facebook, however, showed rapid
growth of such users, with quarter-over-quarter growth of
mobile-only users far outpacing overall mobile users going
back to Q2 2012.
Monthly Active Mobile-Only vs. Total Mobile Facebook
Users Worldwide, Q2 2011-Q2 2013
millions and % change
Mobile-only % change Total mobile % change % change
vs. prior vs. same
Facebook
Facebook
vs. prior
quarter period of
users
users
quarter
prior year
Q2 2011

325

12.8%

Q3 2011

376

15.7%

17%

Q4 2011

432

14.9%

76.3%

98.3

21%

Q1 2012

83

488

13.0%

69.4%

97.3

24%

Q2 2012

102

22.9%

543

11.3%

67.1%

18.9

84.7

29%

Q3 2012

126

23.5%

604

11.2%

60.6%

30.0

19.0

83.7

29%

Q4 2012

157

24.6%

680

12.6%

57.4%

69.4

21.0

12.1

81.4

17%

Q1 2013

189

20.4%

751

10.4%

53.9%

16. Comcast
NBCUniversal

67.2

32.2

14.1

81.3

21%

Q2 2013

219

15.9%

819

9.1%

50.8%

17. Viacom

70.4

20.2

9.5

80.0

14%

18. The Weather

Company

56.1

37.4

20.5

76.6

37%

19. Pandora

23.0

52.0

42.1

65.1

183%

20. Gannett sites

Total internet
audience

47.6

27.0

15.4

63.1

32%

221.4

127.1

14.5

235.9

7%

Note: desktop includes audience reached via video; mobile includes

smartphone and tablet platforms; *incremental increase to desktop
audience from mobile
Source: comScore Media Metrix Multi-Platform as cited in press release,
March 25, 2013
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Other data tells a similar story of double-digit mobile-only

use for selective sites or services. Forrester Research
figures from April 2013 suggested nearly 25% of social
media users exclusively logged on to such platforms via
mobile devices.
Even in the data-hungry video segment, Ooyalas
Q2 2013 Global Video Index reported a 59% surge in
tablet video viewing and 41% for mobile video viewing
in H1 2013. The companys survey analysis pointed out
an interesting trend amid the rising numbers, saying data
showed consumers were opting to watch video via phone
or tablet, specifically for on-demand content, over other
options like conventional TV, desktops and laptops.

REDEFINING MOBILE-ONLY USERS: MILLIONS SELECTIVELY AVOID THE DESKTOP

Note: mobile-only MAUs are users who access Facebook solely through
mobile apps or the mobile site
Source: Facebook, "Quarterly Earnings Slides Q2 2013"; eMarketer
calculations, July 24, 2013
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While mobile-only commerce is a small slice of the

broader digital commerce pie, indications of a meaningful
SMO user base appear even here. xAd and Telmetrics
Mobile Path-to-Purchase study, conducted by Nielsen,
looked at those who closed transactions through
mobile-only paths. By this measure, banking services
tended toward mobile-only activity more than any other
sector. Over 50% of those who used mobile devices for
banking had made a banking decision without a PC and
closed a transaction without leaving their device.
In terms of retail, JiWires Mobile Audience Insights
Report from Q2 2013 noted that 35% of consumers who
researched a product on a smartphone also purchased
the item on such a device. For tablets, that number rose
to 41%.

2013 EMARKETER INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 5

Weve had a mobile-first philosophy for about the

past three years. We made sure all of our mobile
experiences are fast and frictionless for our consumers,
said Elizabeth Francis, CMO of Gilt Groupe. Last year,
mobile was probably 20% of our total revenues. This year,
its more than 40%. So I think its a little bit of that lovely
chicken-and-egg [scenario]where our consumers want
it, it makes it convenient, and the company has really
invested in creating the most optimal mobile experience.

IMPLICATIONS FOR MARKETERS

All data suggests mobile usage will grow into the
next decade. And most marketers are prepared to
invest more in mobile tactics while still supporting
traditional desktop experiences. Many even claim to
support a mobile-first concept of marketing. But
few are strategizing to account for the likelihood of
a meaningful portion of consumers who will only
be accessing their sites and marketing without any
exposure to the desktop.
eMarketer estimates that mobile device usage has
already surpassed desktop in terms of time spent. In
2010, daily desktop and laptop use occupied 2 hours
and 22 minutes, compared with mobile phone use of
24 minutes. Desktop and laptop will remain similar this
year, at 2 hours and 19 minutes, while mobile will rise to
2 hours and 21 minutes.
Average Time Spent per Day with Major Media by
US Adults, 2010-2013
hrs:mins
2010

2011

2012

2013

Digital

3:11

3:49

4:33

5:16

Online*

2:22

2:33

2:27

2:19

Mobile (nonvoice)

0:24

0:48

1:35

2:21

Other

0:26

0:28

0:31

0:36

TV

4:24

4:34

4:38

4:31

Radio

1:36

1:34

1:32

1:26

Print**

0:50

0:44

0:38

0:32

Newspapers

0:30

0:26

0:22

0:18

Magazines

0:20

0:18

0:16

0:14

Other

0:45

0:37

0:28

0:20

Total

10:46

11:18

11:49

12:05

Note: ages 18+; time spent with each medium includes all time spent with
that medium, regardless of multitasking; for example, 1 hour of
multitasking online while watching TV is counted as 1 hour for TV and 1
hour for online; *includes all internet activities on desktop and laptop
computers; **offline reading only
Source: eMarketer, July 2013
160460

REDEFINING MOBILE-ONLY USERS: MILLIONS SELECTIVELY AVOID THE DESKTOP

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2013 EMARKETER INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 6

Despite this shift, we expect investment in mobile

channels to lag behind desktop spending in the US
through 2016.
US Digital Ad Spending, by Channel, 2011-2017
billions
9
0
6
3
43 36
93 .5
42 57
75 51
50 .0
22 .1
60 .7
2. $4.
3. 18
0. $1.
3. $8.
4. 13
0. 31
2. 24
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$

Beyond advertising platforms, marketers also can think

about optimizing their own sites for mobile users. If you
see that about one-quarter or one-third or maybe even
half of your customer base is coming to your website
using mobile, you definitely need to take a step back
and look at what your design looks like at that size, said
Aki Iida, head of mobile for Zappos.com. Instead of
designing for (PC) or tablet or phone, I think whats more
critical is the resolution that customers are using.
Existing tactics can be optimized across all platforms
with the understanding that a consumer may only have
access to one of those platforms. As such, they must
support each other for those who go from PC to tablet
to smartphone to a mobile app, but must also work
independently enough for someone to work with only
a phone.

2011
Desktop*

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

Mobile**

Note: *includes spending primarily on desktop-based ads; **includes

display (banners and other, rich media and video), search and
messaging-based advertising
Source: eMarketer, Aug 2013
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If mobile remains a secondary consideration for a brand

where mobile-only use is strong, this means 20% to 30%
of unique visitors will never see the piece of a campaign
that received the most investment dollars.
Much of this lag in strategic response and spending
comes down to analytics. Mobile phones dont support
cookies in the traditional sense, so tracking them is a
completely different science. If not aware, a brand could
be blind to a major slice of its users. In addition, popular
digital analytics tend to lag behind mobile trends, meaning
campaign key performance indicators may not be aligned
with the results driven via mobile-only users.

The mobile website does take a slightly different

approach than our regular website does, said Iida. Youre
dealing with very small resolutions and perhaps limited
internet bandwidth. Not everyone has downloaded your
app or is familiar with your brand. And you still need to
deliver the best possible mobile web experience.
For more information on mobile optimization, please
see eMarketers May 2013 report, Responsive Design: A
Solution for Publishers, a Question for Advertisers.

Were definitely seeing growth across the mobile

channel, said Spaulding. As a marketer, I dont have as
much information as Id like to for identifying mobile-only
multidevice fans.

Its an industrywide issue of not being able to track

mobile customers the same way you can track desktop
users, said Jeff Spaulding, director of relationship
marketing for StubHub.
While it may be too early to effectively understand and
target SMOs, there are a number of mobile tactics that
help address the space. On the search side, Googles
Enhanced Campaigns, a new version of AdWords, makes
it easier for marketers to buy mobile search, although the
platform has a steep learning curve. On the display side,
Facebooks mobile ad offerings allow marketers to target
mobile users directly.

REDEFINING MOBILE-ONLY USERS: MILLIONS SELECTIVELY AVOID THE DESKTOP

2013 EMARKETER INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 7

EMARKETER INTERVIEWS
GoBank Shares Best Practices of Mobile-Only Model

Maya Draisin
Associate Publisher, Marketing
WIRED
Interview conducted on October 11, 2013

Alok Deshpande
Vice President, Product Development
GoBank

RELATED EMARKETER REPORT

Interview conducted on October 25, 2013

CMO One-to-One: Gilt Groupes Personalized Luxe

Experience Leads with Mobile
Elizabeth Francis
CMO
Gilt Groupe
Interview conducted on October 19, 2013

Mobile Apps Help Personalize Luxury for Starwoods

Preferred Guests
Chris Holdren
Senior Vice President, Starwood Preferred Guest

Responsive Design: A Solution for Publishers, a

Question for Advertisers

RELATED LINKS
comScore
Digitas
Facebook
Gilt Groupe
one50one

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

Sephora

Interview conducted on October 4, 2013

StubHub

Zappos.com Differentiates Smartphone and

Tablet Customers
Aki Iida
Head of Mobile
Zappos.com
Interview conducted on October 14, 2013

At Sephora, Mobile-First Means Connecting the

Customers Experiences
Johnna Marcus
Director, Mobile & Digital Store Marketing
Sephora
Interview conducted on October 11, 2013

WIRED
Zappos.com

EDITORIAL AND
PRODUCTION CONTRIBUTORS
Cliff Annicelli
Kaitlin Carlin
Joanne DiCamillo
Stephanie Gehrsitz
Dana Hill
Nicole Perrin
Heather Price
Allie Smith

Senior Editor
Copy Editor
Senior Production Artist
Senior Production Artist
Director of Production
Associate Editorial Director
Copy Editor
Director of Charts

Troy Brown
President
one50one
Interview conducted on October 9, 2013

Chia Chen
Senior Vice President
Digitas
Interview conducted on October 8, 2013

Jeff Spaulding
Director, Relationship Marketing
StubHub
Interview conducted on October 14, 2013

REDEFINING MOBILE-ONLY USERS: MILLIONS SELECTIVELY AVOID THE DESKTOP

2013 EMARKETER INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 8