When it comes to making a purchasing decision, more and more people are turning to their mobile devices to conduct research. In fact, a recent study by xAd and Telemetrics found that mobile device usage accounts for 64 percent of the average consumer’s online life. In addition, 42 percent of study participants said that they believed their mobile devices were the most important elements in making a purchasing decision. What this ultimately means for business owners is that if your site is not optimized for mobile, you may be missing out on potential customers and sales.

SEE ALSO: Mobile B2B Advertising for Publishers is on the Rise

Mobile Technology in the Past and Present

In the past, mobile devices were quite limited in their online capabilities. Early mobile browsers were clunky and most business owners had no idea how to optimize their sites for mobile. Additionally, sites that were optimized for mobile often didn’t work very well or did not display correctly across the variety of mobile devices that were available at the time. Today, however, virtually everyone has some type of mobile device, and as Android and iOS have become the standard mobile platforms, business owners now have an easier time optimizing their websites, and as a result, consumers are now turning to mobile devices for everything from information to shopping.

Increased Coverage Allows for Ease of Access

Another reason mobile has gained so much momentum is ease of access through increased coverage. Most cellphone carriers today offer data connection speeds that allow for large amounts of information to be downloaded and uploaded, giving consumers the ability to access a range of different site technologies, including streaming video and animations. This means that business owners are now able to engage consumers in a number of different ways, ultimately increasing the potential for a sale.

Tablets Have Heightened Mobile Technology Use

The rise of the tablet PC has also fueled mobile use. Tablet PCs are smaller than laptops but larger than smartphones, and they typically offer more processing power when compared to smaller mobile devices. Aside from browsing the web, tablets are also used for a variety of professional and personal tasks, such as taking notes and setting calendar dates. These advantages have drawn many people who otherwise wouldn’t use mobile technology to embrace it.

Access on the Go

Of course, the main reason for the rise in mobile momentum is that people are realizing that they can carry on with their busy lives and stay connected at the same time. Whether at work, home, or somewhere in between, mobile devices provide fast access to websites, social media, and more. In the past, consumers who wanted to surf the web had to be chained to a desktop or deal with the frustrations of a laptop, but with mobile technology, they can now access websites from virtually anywhere. Today, consumers can research a product while in a store, check out reviews, and ask their friends and family members about their experiences with the product, right from their mobile devices. This has led to an increase in mobile device usage, and likewise, and increase in purchasing decisions being made through mobile devices.

As for the future of mobile technology and commerce, it appears that consumers are only set to spend more time using mobile technology to make purchasing decisions and actual purchases. If you’re a business owner, you would be wise not to ignore this trend.