What Happened to the Mobile Web?

A web designer friend of mine told me 6 months ago that the web 2.0 was going to be booming. So far, it's a bust.

But give it time, and as they work on improving what's holding it back, it will have an impact, someday.

Consumers Not Tied to Mobile Web

June 16, 2008

-By Steve McClellan, Adweek

Wonder why mobile Internet usage hasn’t taken off rapidly in the U.S.? Perhaps it’s because 44 percent of users report having had a bad experience in their initial use of the mobile Web. Slow connection speeds, poor site display and cost are the top three reasons respondents cited for being dissatisfied with current mobile Web services.

Those findings are from a new study on handset Internet usage from digital shop AKQA and mobile Web domain provider dotMobi. The online survey, conducted in May, polled roughly 2,000 participants.

But the survey also found there is a high level of consumer curiosity about the mobile Web and the services it offers. Roughly 90 percent of respondents said they were interested in learning about the space and what it can do.

Consumers indicated a greater preference for informational content than basic entertainment, according to the study. Three-quarters of respondents said they were most interested in using mobile Internet access to pull up maps. E-commerce is another big draw.

Daniel Rosen, managing director of AKQA Mobile, said marketers need to improve their focus on campaigns designed specifically for mobile.

“With mobile devices more ubiquitous, powerful and sophisticated than ever,” he said, “there is a real opportunity for brands to deliver groundbreaking mobile campaigns that captivate, engage and entertain their customers.”

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