The launch of the iPhone and the take-up of unlimited mobile data tariffs has seen a marked increase in mobile Internet use. However, Omniture, Inc. has found many companies from retailers to content providers are not taking advantage of the opportunity presented by this increase.

An industry survey conducted by Omniture in August found 71 per cent of businesses say they are not measuring mobile traffic to their sites. Furthermore, 50 per cent of businesses say they do not know how many unique users landing on their sites originate from a mobile device. This represents a missed opportunity to optimise and more effectively monetise this traffic, according to Neil Weston, general manager EMEA and senior vice president at Omniture.

Recent research suggests that the population of mobile Internet users is expected to see strong growth during the next five years. "In particular, mobile browsing adoption will grow from 23 percent in 2007 to 47 percent in 2013, as portal-only activities are increasingly overtaken by Internet browsing and application use." (European Mobile Forecast, 2008 - 2013, JupiterResearch, July 30, 2008)

"Customer intelligence is vital in driving revenue but companies appear to be turning their backs on opportunities to better market to mobile audiences," says Weston. "This intelligence from mobile traffic can be used to optimise website content for mobile users and fine tune mobile marketing efforts. These activities will help to keep visitors on the site longer, which can help to increase conversion rates."

Mobile users' site experience may not be smooth if the company presents content to mobile users in the same way they present it to PC users. In the mobile world, online sites need to account for different screen sizes, different audio and video formats, etc. Businesses need to optimise their content specifically for mobile devices in order to create the best possible experience. If companies know which types of mobile devices are accessing their site, they can better optimise their content specifically for those devices.