Marketers are planning to invest an average of £340,000 on customer-facing mobile projects in the next 12-18 months – thats according to Antenna Softwares Mobile Business Forecast for Marketers report. The research, which was conducted by Vanson Bourne, profiled 1,000 business decision makers in the UK and US about their current and future mobile projects. 

But while many businesses are currently working on mobile projects – 45 per cent on a mobile site, 43 per cent on native apps, and 32 per cent on web apps for consumers – take-up for these isnt a guaranteed success.

According to the report, only 20 per cent of UK and US businesses have seen their customer-facing mobile projects taken up by the majority of the consumers they were aimed at.

“Ever since the launch of the first iPhone, demand for apps has skyrocketed and helped ignite a marketing renaissance,” says Jim Somers, chief marketing and strategy officer for Antenna Software. “Marketers are spending more and more on mobile, looking at new ways to engage with customers and offer a truly multichannel experience. But it’s clear that not all projects are a success, and our research shows that many businesses are frustrated by the design and usability of the mobile projects they commission.”

The results of third-party development, it seems, are frequently disappointing to the businesses who commissioned them. 45 per cent said that they were dissatisfied with the length of time it took to complete the project. 21 per cent said the final product was not easy to use, 11 per cent said they felt the final build was not sleek enough, and 10 per cent said they did not feel it aligned to company branding.