93 Essential In-App Advertising Statistics to Know in 2024

With the surge in the development and usage of mobile apps, the popularity of mobile ads and ad networks is increasing proportionally. 

In this post, we discuss some essential in-app advertising statistics to help publishers stay on top of their mobile marketing game.

Table of Contents:

• What Is In-App Advertising?
• 5 Mobile In-App Advertising Statistics
• 9 Mobile Device and Internet Usage Statistics
• 11 Smartphone App Usage Statistics
• 11 Mobile Marketing Statistics
• 11 Mobile E-Commerce Statistics
• 7 Social Media Statistics
• 5 Mobile Entertainment Statistics
• 13 Mobile Video Statistics
• 6 Mobile Voice Search Statistics
• 8 Global Mobile Advertising Demand Statistics
• 7 Mobile Website Optimization Statistics
• Conclusion

What Is In-App Advertising?

In-app advertising is a mobile marketing strategy that involves serving ads to app users through a mobile ad network. It includes in app video ads in addition to static ads.

As of December 2023, more than 96% of all apps in the Google Play Store were free. In such a scenario,  in-app advertising emerges as one of the most important monetization techniques for app developers. 

Here are 93 invaluable mobile marketing and in-app advertising statistics for 2024 that you'll want to know.

5 Important Mobile In-App Advertising Statistics

1. In-app ads increase retention by 4x (Mobile Marketing Magazine)
2. The click-through rate (CTR) for in-app ads is 0.56% globally, compared to the 0.23% that mobile web ads see (Siteefy)
3. Unlike mobile web ads, mobile apps convert 3x more product viewers (Siteefy)
4. In 2021, in-app advertising reached a whopping $201 billion (App Annie)
5. In 2019, 49% of monetized mobile in-app ad impressions came from Android devices, which was down by 67% in 2018 (Semrush)

Let's get into some of the more general mobile usage statistics.

9 Mobile Device and Internet Usage Statistics

1. As of 2024, there are over 5.18 billion active internet users globally, representing approximately 64.6% of the world's population. (Statista)
2. The world’s connected population grew by 189 million users in the 12 months to October 2023, with a year-on-year growth rate of 3.7 percent (DataReportal)
3. The number of smartphone users globally has reached over 5.25 billion. This growth is attributed to the availability of budget-friendly options, especially in developing markets (Oberlo) 
4. Global mobile connections currently stand at approximately 10.37 billion, surpassing the world's population by 2.46 billion connections. This indicates a 24% margin of mobile connections over the global populace. (BroadBand Search)
5. Video streaming accounts for 66% of mobile data traffic, with users spending around 100 minutes per day on mobile apps. This highlights the significant role of streaming services and app usage in mobile data consumption.  (BroadBand Search)
6. On average, US smartphone owners check their mobile phones 256 times a day (Siteefy)
7. By 2025, mobile data traffic is projected to increase by 25% (Ericsson Mobility Report)
8. There were 4.95 billion active social media user identities in October 2023, 61.4 % of the world's total population. (DataReportal)
9. More people now make purchases via mobile devices than via desktops and laptops. 56.5% of internet users aged 16 to 64 buy something online every week. (DataReportal)

From these mobile statistics, we get a clear idea of how many people use a mobile device. Now let's have a look at mobile app usage statistics.

11 Mobile App Usage Statistics

1. Time spent on mobile apps went up 30% from 2019 to a whopping 3.8 trillion hours in 2021, with the average person spending 4.8 hours a day on their cell phone (App Annie)
2. Mobile app downloads worldwide have been increasing constantly. In 2023, consumers downloaded 257 billion mobile apps to their connected devices. (Statista)
3. By 2024, the App Store's downloads are projected to increase to 41 billion, while the corresponding figure for Google Play Store is expected to be 168 billion. (Statista)
4. In 2023, consumer spending on mobile apps hit a new high at $171 billion, marking a 3% year-over-year (YoY) increase following a 2% YoY dip in 2022. (Data.ai)
5. The mobile app economy reached nearly $533 billion in 2023, including both app store spend and mobile ad spending. This included $362 billion in mobile ad spend, an 8% YoY increase. (Data.ai)
6. 21% of millennial smartphone users access their mobile apps at least 50x a day (Digital Examiner)
7. In 2023 the average person used an average of 30 apps on their smartphones per month. (The Tech Report)
8. Social apps experienced double-digit growth, with time spent up 12% to 3 trillion hours and spending up 10% to $29 billion. ( Data.ai)
9. Two of the most popular mobile apps in the world are Facebook and WhatsApp (Digital Examiner)
10. Every minute of 2021, app stores gained over $320,000—close to 20% more than in 2020 (App Annie)
11. Hours spent on mobile apps peaked at 5.1 trillion in 2023, a 6% YoY increase. Meanwhile, downloads remained flat at 257 billion, a 1% YoY increase. (Data.ai)

Evidently, consumers spend a large portion of their time and money not just on their mobile devices, but on mobile apps.

With consumers having instant access to their smartphones and apps, marketers have an incredible opportunity to reach their target audience with ridiculous precision.

11 Mobile Marketing Statistics

1. 87% of consumers in the US use mobile devices (Global Web Index)
2. 46% of Americans research products and services on a mobile app (Semrush)
3. 26% of consumers start their research with branded mobile apps (Siteefy)
4. There are 5.56 billion unique mobile phone subscribers worldwide, which is 69.1% of the population. (Semrush)
5. With privacy regulations limiting access to user data, companies with first-party customer data are now building their advertising networks. For example, Instacart generated $740 million in ad revenue in 2022, accounting for 29% of its total earnings. At the same time, retail media advertising in the US is expected to surpass $55 billion in 2024. (Phiture)
6. Mobile will account for $205.4 billion of all social media ad spending by 2027, up from $170.3 billion in 2023. (Semrush)
7. Personalization is becoming increasingly important, with 71% of consumers expecting tailored experiences. For example, Chinese shopping apps like Shein and Temu use user history and browsing behavior to provide tailored product recommendations, improving the shopping experience and customer loyalty. (Phiture)
8. Mobile ad revenues reached a record $154.1 billion in 2022, up 14.1% year-over-year (YoY). Mobile now has a 73.5% market share of total internet ad revenues. (Semrush)
9. 70% of mobile customers who find a business online will take action within an hour (Convince & Convert)
10. Paid mobile YouTube ads are 84% more likely to capture viewer attention than traditional TV commercials. Over 70% of YouTube views are on mobile devices.(Semrush)
11. 96% of users access Facebook via mobile devices (Semrush)

These mobile marketing statistics show that the world is becoming more and more mobile-centric—your digital marketing strategy should be too.

11 Mobile E-Commerce Statistics‍ 

1. Those aged 16-34 years old are more likely to use a mobile device to make online purchases (DataReportal)
2. By 2026, 24% of retail purchases are expected to take place online. (Forbes)
3. 55% of users aged 16-24 years old conduct online research on products before making a purchase; likewise, this number is 59% for users aged 55-64 (DataReportal)
4. 40% of mobile marketers use shoppable video ads to promote their products (MarketingDive)
5. Mobile commerce sales are expected to account for $710 billion in commerce sales by 2025. (Forbes)
6. By 2026, the e-commerce market is expected to be worth over $8.1 trillion. (Forbes)
7. In 2023, 80% of B2B buyers used a mobile phone to make their purchases (Digital Examiner)
8. 9 out of 10 mobile users haven't yet chosen a brand when they perform a search for a product or service (Digital Examiner)
9. Social media commerce is expected to reach $2.9 trillion by 2026. (Forbes)
10. Consumers are 184% more likely to purchase (and they spend 45% more) if they end up on an e-commerce website through a user-generated video (Wordstream)
11. 60% of B2B buyers have said that mobile has played a major role in influencing a recent purchase (AppTech)

7 Social Media Statistics That Matter For Advertisers

1. Total social media ad spending is expected to touch $300 billion in 2024, compared to $270 billion in 2023. (Vaizle)
2. Nearly 60% of the world's population (4.65 billion people) are active social media users. At 39%, social media apps are the most used category of apps. (DataReportal & Smart Insights)
3. Between October 2022 and 2023, 215 million new users joined social media, indicating an overall increase of 4.5%, with 6.8 users signing up every second (Vaizle)
4. Facebook is the leading social media platform, with over 3 billion active users a month in 2023. (Statista) 
5. 44.8% of internet users use social media to find information related to brands (Hootsuite)
6. Social media platforms make up more than 12.74% of all mobile data traffic (Digital Examiner)
7. LinkedIn is fast emerging as an important social media platform for advertisers. In 2024, 50% of display and 25% of digital ad spending will go to LinkedIn. (Vaizle)

5 Mobile Entertainment Statistics

1. The mobile entertainment market was valued at $98.6 billion in 2021 and is registering a CAGR of 15.5% during the forecast period (2023-2030). The market is projected to be worth  $360.6 billion by 2030. (Consumer Insights Chronicle 360 Analysis)
2. Time spent on TV decreases by 7% year-on-year, whereas mobile time continues to increase (DataReportal)
3. 16% of people use their mobile devices to stream movies, shows, and live events (Semrush)
4. Social media is actively replacing search engines for young adults, with platforms like Instagram and TikTok being used for searches. (Vaizle)
5. 52% of smartphone users have mobile gaming apps on their device, whereas over 95% have social or messaging apps, an internet browser, a utility or tool app, and an entertainment app (Statista)

13 Mobile Video Statistics

1. Mobile video consumption doubles eerie year. (Social Media Today)
2. By 2025, video traffic is expected to account for 76% of all mobile traffic. (Ericsson Mobility Report)
3. Shorter mobile video ads (6-10 seconds long) are as effective as longer videos (Digital Examiner)
4. 30% of mobile users watch only 14% of horizontal video ads, whereas, most users watch up to 90% of vertical video ads (Yans Media Case Study)
5. Advertising with video content can boost your revenue by up to 49% faster than other types of content (Wordstream)
6. Global mobile data traffic consumption per smartphone is expected to reach 56 GB per month at the end of 2029. (Ericsson Mobility Report)
7. 68% of consumers prefer watching videos to learn more about products and services (Wordstream)
8. Marketers who use videos in their ad campaigns experience 34% higher conversion rates (Wordstream)
9. Ad spending for digital video advertising is expected to increase by 41.9% from 2017 to 2024 (Statista)
10. 75% of businesses on Facebook use video ads (Wordstream)
11. Brands are 23% more likely to stay in consumers' minds if the brand appears within the first 3 seconds of the video (Wordstream)
12. 87% of online marketers use video content. The most popular types in 2021 were explainer videos (72%), presentation videos (49%), testimonials (48%), and sales and video ads (42% each) (Wordstream) 
13. The mobile entertainment market was valued at $98.6 billion in 2021 and is registering a CAGR of 15.5% during the forecast period (2023-2030). The market is projected to be worth $360.6 billion by 2030. (Consumer Insights Chronicle 360 Analysis)

It's unsurprising that video content makes up a large portion of mobile data traffic as people love to watch videos!

This makes video content and ads the perfect way for businesses to engage with their audiences and boost their brand awareness.

6 Mobile Voice Search Statistics You Need To Know In 2024

1. The voice search feature on mobile is used by more than 25% of the global population (Microsoft)
2. The global voice recognition market is predicted to be worth $26.8 billion in 2024. (DemandSage)
3. Over half (52%) of voice assistant users use this technology daily or every other day (NationalPublicMedia)
4. The most popular age group using voice search is 18-34 years old, with 77% using voice search on smartphones, 37% on tablets, and 34% on desktops.(DemandSage)
5. 27% of the global population of smartphone owners report using voice search (Digital Examiner)
6. Nearly 50% of people use voice search to research products (Social Media Today)

8 Global Mobile Advertising Demand Statistics

1. In 2019, the latest year for which exact data is available, nearly 94% of Facebook's (Meta) revenue came from mobile advertising. (Statista)
2. Social and entertainment apps experienced double-digit growth, with spending up 10% year-over-year to $29 billion and time spent up 12% to 3 trillion total hours.(MarketingDive)
3. Sales statistics show that mobile app revenues generated more than $935 billion in 2023—an increase from $693 billion in 2021 (Serpwatch)
4. The US was the biggest mobile ad market in 2020 with $120 million in mobile advertising spend (Semrush)
5. Mobile ad spending is projected to hit $402 billion in 2024, representing an 11% year-over-year increase. (MarketingDive)
6. In 2024, mobile ad spending in the US is predicted to reach $9.26 billion (Statista)
7. 63% of retailers say that social media was the best place to run ads to drive traffic to their online stores (Semrush)
8. In 2024, direct consumer monetization in social apps via in-app purchases is expected to continue growing, reaching an estimated $1.3 billion, a 150% year-over-year increase. (MarketingDive)

On a global scale, these statistics speak for themselves about the demand for mobile advertising and the opportunity it presents.

7 Mobile Website Optimization Statistics

1. The average conversion rate for paid search landing pages across all industries is 2.35%, with the top 10% of landing pages having a conversion rate of 11.45% or above. (HigherVisibility)
2. 61% of users prefer businesses with mobile-responsive websites (SmartInsights)
3. Businesses with over 40 landing pages generate 12 times more leads than those with 1 to 5 landing pages. (HigherVisibility)
4. Mobile websites get 15% more unique clicks than desktop-only websites.(Digital Examiner)
5. Increasing page load speed from 5 to 1 second can triple your conversions. (HigherVisibility)
6. With every second of additional load time (0-5 seconds), website conversion rates drop, on average, by 4.42% (Digital Examiner)
7. 38% of marketers say having a video on a landing page positively impacts conversion. (HigherVisibility)

These statistics show just how important a mobile-first approach is, not only for advertising but also for a business’ overall digital marketing strategy.

Conclusion

If these mobile marketing statistics make one thing clear, it's that the popularity and opportunities of mobile and in-app advertising are endless.

With these smart insights and Publift's cutting-edge programmatic advertising technology, publisher’s can take their mobile marketing strategy to new heights and get the most out of their ads.

Publift has helped its clients realize an average 55% uplift in ad revenue since 2015, through the use of cutting-edge programmatic advertising technology paired with impartial and ethical guidance.

If you're making more than $2,000 in monthly ad revenue,contact us today to learn more about how Publift can help increase your ad revenue and best optimize the ad space available on your website or app.