While apps still command the market for overall ad spending on mobile, spending on the mobile Web increased by 100 percent over the past year, according to a report from mobile ad platform developer Smaato.
The company, which analyzed data from billions of mobile ad impressions served on its exchange during the first half of 2015, found that advertisers are doubling down on targeting families and parents on mobile.
Spending on this demographic increased by more than 300 percent in the past year, while the second most lucrative vertical rose 87 percent.
The study also found Android apps continue to lead the pack in terms of mobile ad impressions, commanding 32 percent of the overall market, while iOS apps came in second with 20 percent, and Windows apps have 5 percent.
Publishers and app developers who make room for rich media in their apps and on their Websites are making 83 percent more money than those who don’t.
App developers and publishers who provide age and gender information make four times as much in ad revenues as those who do not, while larger ad sizes are surging in popularity, especially in developing markets.
Spending on larger ads (300 by 250 and up) rose by more than 250 percent—in sharp contrast to the overall spend on the original app-only banner ad size (320 by 50), which increased by only 30 percent.
While the United States remains on top in terms of mobile ad spending and inventory, the Asia-Pacific region is growing rapidly.
Spending in China rose by 315 percent, while spending in India grew by 279 percent, according to the report.
Relative to the first six months of 2014, the mobile Web delivered knockout supply and spending growth during the first half of 2015.
During the first half of 2014, spending on the mobile Web was only 28 percent, versus nearly three-quarters (72 percent) spent in apps.
While apps still lead, the numbers are now 38 percent for mobile Web and 62 percent for apps, and the story on the supply and inventory side is similar.
“Supply has been rising dramatically overall, but these rising mobile Web trends can again be pinpointed to the popularity of general browsing among first-time smartphone users and the need for publishers to monetize across their mobile Web properties,” particularly with so many news, commerce and entertainment sites being either mobile-first or mobile-optimized, the report stated.