The US holiday period saw a sharp rise in mobile ad spend and clickthrough rates (CTRs) according to figures released today by digital performance media firm, Clash Group.

Mobile advertising spend was 31 per cent up over the holiday period (Friday 23 – Monday 26 November), compared to normal shopping periods, and was 100 per cent up on the same holiday period in 2011. The Clash Group figures also show a 12 per cent increase in tablet usage over normal shopping periods as marketers and consumers exploit mobile smart devices.

CTRs on mobile rose by 23 per cent compared to the average for normal shopping periods, and by 5 per cent compared to the same holiday period in 2011. This compares with a rise of 5 per cent in CTRs on desktop ads compared to normal shopping periods, and a 1 per cent increase on the same holiday period in 2011. CTRs generated by re-targeted desktop and mobile ads was 24 per cent higher than over normal shopping periods.

“These stats confirm the dramatic growth in consumers browsing the web on mobile compared to conventional digital devices,” said Clash Group global CEO, Simon Wajcenberg. “The significant rise in CTRs on mobile ads generated this Black Friday and Cyber Monday compared to 2011 shows quite clearly how marketers and consumers have taken to their smart devices. It is also interesting to see how re-targeting on mobile and desktop is generating real leads for marketers.”