The importance of mobile in today’s business world is evident. Even so, many marketers and brands plan their marketing initiatives with the desktop in mind, which is out of alignment with current consumer behavior. Mobile-first agencies don’t just recognize mobile as a next step — they know it’s the only way to cater to today’s consumer, and they are right.

The numbers behind mobile paint a compelling picture regarding its impact: 

• Almost 90% of smartphone users grab their smartphone within an hour of waking up.

• Mobile’s market share is larger than desktops by almost 8%.

• Mobile devices dominate total minutes spent online, with 69% (registration required) of total digital minutes spent on mobile in the U.S.

What Does Mobile-First Mean?

A mobile-first approach means placing the mobile experience above traditional strategies, even above the desktop. In other words, a company’s digital marketing and communication tactics will be devised for mobile first and then expanded to other platforms. Mobile-first is often described or implemented in terms of design and development, but it encompasses more than that. Similar to terms like “big data” and “artificial intelligence,” “mobile-first” is an umbrella term that embodies a number of different ideas and approaches.

For some companies, becoming mobile-first is seen as a matter of mobile optimization, ensuring that all web pages are responsive on mobile devices. In fact, 51% of all digital ad budgets in 2016 were spent on mobile.