Most smartphone users in the UK ignore the ads they receive on their handsets because they find them “intrusive”, according to a new report by Deloitte.
A survey by the accountancy firm found that 88 per cent of smartphone owners ignore ads on their mobiles and 36 per cent automatically delete them, while only 9 per cent take any further action once they view a mobile ad.
The report notes that “citizens in some countries may regard advertising sent to what they would regard as a personal device as intrusive and default to ignoring any advertising”.
“If this is the case, location-based mobile advertising to this type of audience may well be counter-productive,” it adds.
The study, which surveyed 30,454 mobile users in 15 countries, revealed that adverts that offer bargains and free use of apps or games are the most popular ways to encourage users to respond to mobile marketing.
It also found that despite the rise of mobile social networking, text messaging is still the most popular form of non-voice communication among mobile users, with 84 per cent sending at least one SMS every day, compared with 50 per cent who access email via their phones and 40 per cent who use a social network.
