66% of consumers will have a smartphone by next year

Two-thirds of people across the globe will own a smartphone by next year.

This is according to the Mobile Advertising Forecasts 2017 report from Zenith, which shows that the global smartphone user base will increase this year, rising from 63 per cent to 66 per cent. By comparison, the figure stood at just 58 per cent in 2016.

With this in mind, brands need to make sure their marketing strategies are responding to this and are optimising their digital content for mobile, exploring apps and adopting an 'always-on' approach.

As Jonathan Barnard, head of forecasting and director of global intelligence at Zenith, commented: "For most consumers and advertisers, the mobile internet is now the normal internet."

Indeed, Zenith predicts that by 2019, brands across the world will be spending $156 billion (£117 billion) a year on mobile advertising, which will be equivalent to more than one-quarter (26 per cent) of all digital ad spend.