Tablet marketing on steep incline, study finds

Mobile search campaigns are starting to take precedent for many marketing companies, as the enthusiasm behind tablet computers, smartphones and other mobile devices is showing no signs of slowing in the foreseeable future.

According to an October 2011 study from marketing firm Efficient Frontier, mobile could account for as much as 10 percent of marketers' search budgets by the end of 2011. This is a sizable increase from less than a year ago, when mobile search spend hovered around 0.5 percent.

Tablet computers, Efficient Frontier notes, represent the largest portion of mobile spending. In September 2011, tablets captured 77 percent of retail mobile ad spending, and this year the mobile devices have accounted for 60 percent of mobile clicks and impressions.

This focus on tablets is likely to be an important one for marketers. The large screen and convenience of tablets make them attractive to online shoppers. Additionally, a September 2011 study from Forrester Research finds that tablet owners tend to be wealthier and more likely to make bigger online purchases than the average consumer.