It’s no surprise that mobile engagement increased during the global pandemic. But a recent report found that marketers responded quickly to increased mobile engagement by investing more in mobile ads. 
The report from App Annie revealed a 26% year-on-year increase in 2020, with a spend of $240 billion. Other findings in the report include:
- Ad placements on mobile platforms in the US increased by 95% YoY.
- Interstitials saw the greatest growth of the various ad formats. Mobile video ads increased somewhat but lost ground overall due to pandemic-related production issues and economic pressures. This indicates that advertisers are looking for less expensive ways to show their ads during a tight financial period.
- Mobile transactions increased 20% YoY as consumers spent $143 billion on mobile apps. App Annie predicts this trend will continue in 2021 with a mobile ad spend of $290 billion.
- Influencer partnerships have grown.
- Gaming apps have gained ground, with a 28% audience growth since last March.
- Social media grew at a rate of 325% YoY in 2020. TikTok was the most downloaded app in 2020 and should reach 1.2 billion monthly active users in 2021.
- Mobile growth occurred across all age groups, not just younger groups, as Gen X and boomers spent 30% more time on mobile apps in 2020.