Research participants in a study conducted by Orange rated mobile media as the most personal and innovative media, highlighting mobile's potential in the marketing mix. Participants also revealed they access mobile Internet mostly from home, either to check emails or browse the Internet. According to a report by Opera.com South Africans use the mobile web to search, email and visit social networks. South Africa has more than ten million unique mobile Internet users a month compared to just over five million unique desktop Internet users per month. According to Len Pienaar, CEO of FNB mCommerce a recent study indicated that 28% of banking customers use their cellphones for banking compared to just 16% who use the Internet. The study also showed that 34% of banking customers use one or both channels.

What does the growth of the mobile Internet mean for your business? Firstly, it is important to ensure your current website renders well on a mobile phone. It is not necessary to purchase a .mobi domain, a .com or .co.za domain will still be viewable in a mobile browser. Check your website in your phone's browser and make sure the website loads fast. It might be prudent to include smaller and fewer images and to make use of simpler navigation. Furthermore, make sure that your contact details can be easily accessed via a mobile browser since an increasing number of consumers are making use of their cellphones to check directions or contact details.

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