Zenith reports tablets lag smartphones as Internet goes mobile

Next year, 66% of individuals in 52 countries will own a smartphone, up from 63% this year and 58% last year, according to Zenith’s Mobile Advertising Forecasts 2017, published today. However, the agency reports that growth rates of smartphone ownership are slowing as penetration reaches 80% to 90% in advanced markets, with the number of smartphone owners increasing 7% year-on-year in 2018 vs. 10% in 2017, 14% in 2016, and 21% in 2015.

Zenith reports that tablet ownership is lagging smartphone ownership, with multiple persons households likely to share a single tablet. The agency estimates global tablet penetration at 18.7% this year, increasing to 19.5% in 2018 and 20.1% in 2019.

Zenith further reports that mobile devices—including smartphones and tablets—will account for 73% of time spent on the Internet in 2018, up from 70% in 2017 and 65% in 2016, with mobile Internet use having doubled since 2011.

“For most consumers and advertisers, the mobile Internet is now the normal Internet,” said Jonathan Barnard, Zenith’s head of forecasting and director of global intelligence. “The ownership of mobile devices is beginning to saturate in some markets, but there’s plenty of room for further growth across the rest of the world.”

Vittorio Bonori, Zenith’s global brand president, added, “Because the internet is now mobile, brands have the opportunity to use it to communicate to consumers during more of their lives—when they are shopping, socializing, and traveling as well as when at their desk. By reaching consumers at the right occasions with tailored messages, brands can guide them through the consumer journey more effectively.”