Fat Fingers, Accidential Clicks & the Issue with Mobile Display Banners

The most significant problem faced by mobile advertisers today? Your big, giant, fat fingers apparently.

A survey released recently from mobile location firm Retale found that 60 percent of clicks on mobile banner ads were mistakes (accidental). 

Those fat fingers and "pocket clicks" of yours are not only a real problem for advertisers (who are often forced to pay for all clicks received), but are causing consumers to feel "annoyed" (68 percent), "frustrated" (45 percent), and downright "angry" (22 percent) according to the Retale research. It's sort of a lose-lose situation it seems.   

"Mobile display spend will hit $18 billion this year," said Pat Dermody, President of Retale. "Given the investment and with the majority of mobile banner clicks done accidentally, brands, marketers and agencies should reconsider their mobile strategies. Keep in mind, mobile display campaigns may suffer, not just from accidental clicks, but from viewability and fraud. To counteract these challenges and reach mobile users, other approaches need to be part of the mobile marketing mix."