REPORT: Mobile marketing budgets to be worth $230 billion in 2021

The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has created new opportunities for mobile marketers thanks to the advancements in mCommerce and the huge increase in the use of social media platforms. 

As a result of this, mobile marketing budgets are expected to be worth around $230 billion in 2021. That’s according to the State of Industry 2021: Mobile Marketing in EMEA report from WARC Data in partnership with MMA. 

“As we emerge from the pandemic, with many workforces still working remotely and social and m-commerce technologies rapidly developing, mobile will play an important part in marketing strategies, as indicated by the acceleration of mobile ad budgets and the opportunities provided to advertisers as outlined in this report,” said Amy Rodgers, Managing Editor Research and Rankings, WARC.

For the report, the companies carried out a survey in April and May 2021 with 575 marketing professionals from more than 30 markets. 

Last year, the company reported that 39% of mobile marketers were expecting an increase in their budget. However, this year’s survey found that 66% of the respondents are now expecting a rise. 

The survey also found that social is now the most popular marketing channel among mobile marketers. 87% of respondents said that they spend a third of their budgets on display marketing on Facebook, YouTube and other social media platforms. 

Meanwhile, 68% said mCommerce now offers more advantages and nearly half of the participants said it’s shaping their budget distribution.

Many marketers are now shifting their focus on artificial intelligence, machine learning, IoT and voice too. 

While the pandemic created new opportunities for mobile marketers, the end of the third party cookies has brought along privacy concerns for both marketers and consumers, the research found.