Digital marketing research firm InsightExpress has released the results of research exploring mobile Internet engagement levels among Smartphone owners, as compared to owners of other devices, in the US. The study also examined which factors drive mobile Internet users to return to specific sites. The research was conducted in July 2009 among 1,210 respondents that reflect a representative sample of the online US population. 
The study found that while site design is important in driving repeat site visits, if visitors are not engaged, then even the most sophisticated mobile site will not succeed. However, the impact of the device itself, and the level at which it allows users to engage with the content, should not be ignored.
The InsightExpress study isolated engagement levels that users displayed while browsing the Internet. Specifically, they examined positive engagement (enjoyment of the activity) while on three different devices – a feature phone, a Smartphone, and a computer. The researchers found that 68% of Smartphone users reported feeling positively engaged while using the mobile Internet, second only to the 70% of users who were positively engaged while on a computer. Only 47% of feature phone users reported positive mobile site engagement. These results indicate that Smartphone users are as engaged with mobile Internet content as those who are browsing the Internet on their computer.
When mobile Internet users were asked to identify the top three elements that most influence their decision to return to a mobile Internet site, they reported:

1. The speed at which the site loads
2. The ease of navigation on the site
3. The quality of the content on the site itself

Among mobile Internet users, several small but telling differences were revealed when comparing Smartphone owners to feature phone owners. While both groups prioritized the speed at which a mobile site loads, Smartphone users looked next at the quality of the content, ranking ease of navigation as less important. In contrast, feature phone users found ease of navigation almost as essential as their number one concern, the speed at which the mobile site loads. These differences can be explained by the limited navigation capabilities available with feature phones, making simple interfaces an absolute necessity. Smartphones, with their advanced browsers and data entry facilities, allow for more complex page navigation.
Mobile website features that had the least impact on a users decision to make a return visit were the absence of advertising, the ability to personalize, and the number of links, videos or images on the site. Publishers will likely welcome the news that the presence of advertising on a site does not lessen its appeal.
There's a golden lesson here for advertisers, says Joy Liuzzo, Director of Marketing and Mobile Research at InsightExpress. Mobile advertising presents a unique opportunity to take advantage of high engagement levels and less clutter on the pages. Plus, advertisers enjoy a large share of voice per page, since there is often only one advertisement on the page and it takes up more screen space. It's a winning combination for everyone.”