Mobile advertising will soon capture the majority of digital ad spend, according to a new report from Marin Software, provider of a cross-channel performance advertising cloud. Driven by rapid consumer adoption of mobile devices, and a corresponding surge in mobile ad clicks and conversions, the report finds advertisers will spend more on mobile than desktop ads by the end of 2015.

The benchmark report, “Mobile Advertising Around the Globe: 2015 Annual Report,” includes statistics and trends uncovered through an examination of the Marin Global Online Advertising Index.

Findings from Marin Software’s Global Mobile Advertising Report include:

1. Mobile device adoption amongst consumers continues to grow relative to desktop. Consumers spend more time and attention on mobile devices than desktop now,1 and advertisers have been shifting spend away from desktop towards smartphones and tablets to reach consumer attention. Due to this digital advertising paradigm shift, mobile advertising budget is predicted to exceed desktop advertising budget by end of 2015.
2. Consumers are more likely to use mobile devices for product research than desktop. Smartphones and tablets are used by consumers for research and represent the top of the funnel, while desktops are where they go to convert.
   With 40% of all online adults starting an activity on one device and ending on another, it’s important to retarget ads seen on mobile to desktop or tablet in order to ensure maximum view-time by engaged consumers. Use a third party tracker to track users across device and channel to fully optimize advertising spend through retargeting ads.
3. However consumers are still much more likely to convert on desktop. Desktops are still the primary conversion-driving device; however research has shown that many consumers use mobile devices as upper-funnel research, and convert in-store or on desktop. Mobile conversion attribution for these cross-device and offline conversions must be tracked and recorded to properly create the link between mobile clicks and conversions.