Research released today by the Internet Advertising Bureau UK (IAB) reveals that just 11 of the UK’s 100 highest spending advertisers now have websites designed to automatically display content in the most appropriate way, for whichever device a consumer is using.
Called “responsive design”, the content is optimised to reflect whether a consumer is using a PC, laptop, tablet or smartphone to visit the website.
The research, from the “third wave” (August 2013) of the IAB’s study on the prevalence of mobile optimised websites amongst leading advertisers in the UK, reveals the 11 using responsive design are Peugeot, Nissan, Direct Line, Go Compare, Sainsbury’s Bank, Sky, EE, Microsoft, Colgate-Palmolive, the Department of Health and Chanel.
The automotive and technology/telecoms sectors have the highest percentage (17 percent) of brands in the top 100 (both with two out of 11) using responsive design, followed by finance with three out of 21 (14 percent).
“Responsive design is the next stage in mobile optimisation and represents a truly multi-platform experience that enables users to have the best surfing experience on whatever device they’re using,” said IAB senior mobile manager Alex Kozloff.
“It’s encouraging to see the speed at which advertisers are embracing this technology and really thinking about how consumers interact with their brand,” Kozloff maintained.
The mobile optimisation study also reveals that 58 percent of the top 100 advertisers in 2012 had a website whose home page was optimised to automatically display content in the most appropriate way for smartphones.
Gatwick Airport this month trumpeted the benefits of its own responsive design website. The new website, which mirrors the responsive design theory followed by the Gov.uk website, offers new features such as “pin my flight”, which gives passengers easy access to their flight status as they continue to browse online, and a step-by-step guide to flying out from or into Gatwick.
The Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) is the UK trade association for digital advertising, with over 900 members.