According to a new study entitled State Of The Industry, How Mobile Is Changing Marketing from Marchex and Digiday, in the five years from 2010 and 2015, time spent on mobile has grown a startling 700%. Together, mobile and tablet use now account for 60% of the time spent on digital media. The study points out that not only are phones getting smarter, that they are evolving into a sort of “Swiss Army Knife of communication,” on which users are increasingly reliant.

Thus, it is no surprise that mobile ad spending, which currently accounts for at 19 to 28% of ad budgets is expected to triple in the next few years. This report examines the ways in which mobile is transforming marketing.

Among the key findings:

• Over 60% indicated that a consumer’s location – at home, in a store, in transit – weighed heavily when determining what content or information to serve them through their mobile device.
• Close to 50% cited driving in-store purchases as a desired outcome to achieve their mobile advertising goals.
• Almost 40% of respondents sought to drive click-to-call to achieve their goals.
• Respondents’ prefer mobile web display to in-app display by a 17% margin.
• The top challenge that mobile marketers face is measurement and attribution.
• When it comes to evaluating effectiveness, marketers cite mobile coupons as the top method for matching ad exposure to purchase.

According to the report, the effect of mobile has been to allow marketers to refocus their new digital tools on the traditional, brick-and-mortar marketplaces. By doing so, mobile is closing the gap between digital exposure and real-world sales, leading to noticeable advances in challenges like attribution.