Nearly Half of FMCG Brands Don’t Have a Mobile-Friendly Site

The year is 2014, and you’d be forgiven for thinking that every brand worth their salt has tapped into the importance of responsive, mobile-friendly design. But not everyone has.

Recent research from the Internet Advertising Bureau has shown that nearly half (46%) of the 50 highest-spending Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG; or products sold quickly at relatively low cost) brands don’t have a mobile-friendly site. What’s more, 30% don’t have any mobile presence at all.

Researchers judged the 50 FMCG companies with the highest advertising against on a number of different criteria. They checked:

• If sites were optimised for mobile

• If sites used responsive design

• If brands had tablet-specific sites

• If search campaigns were aimed at mobile consumers

• If brands had mobile apps

Just 22% of the businesses surveyed had a responsive website that would automatically adapt depending on the browser. 10% of the tablet websites included flash, and so would serve their asset as a back-up image or simply not at all.

What’s more, only 36% of the FMCG brands optimised their search for mobile.

Although there were high-profile brands that failed a number of key mobile criteria, some of the world’s most famous brands did perform well in the survey. Carling, Cadbury’s and Gillette in particular were all found to have engaged with mobile audiences with specialised campaigns and adaptive websites.

The Head of Mobile at the IAB, Alex Kozloff, said:

“The results from the FMCG audit clearly show that when it comes to mobile a significant percentage are still lagging behind. The consumer goods sector should be doing a lot more on mobile to ensure the media works for both them and their customers.”

You can read more about the report at the IAB here. Could you be doing more for your mobile audience?

Talk to TheGenieLab today about how we can make your brand more mobile friendly. Call 01633 415 364 or speak to a member of our team on live chat today.