Ad-blocker uptake to be less than expected

According to Deloitte Global, less than 0.3% of smartphone and tablet users will be using an ad-blocker by the end of this year. An ad-blocker is a software file that blocks access to sites delivering advertising files. This includes visible forms of advertising such as banners and pop-ups, as well as trackers, which operate in the background, tracking users’ online activity.

Though there are various benefits to installing ad-blockers on mobile devices, there are a number of reasons why people are unlikely to install them. For starters, only a small number of the 3.4bn smartphones and tablets that will be in use by the end of the year will have native ad-blocking capabilities in their operating systems. Moreover, most of the usage of these devices is app based, which means they will not be affected by device level ad-blocking – ad-blockers are only able to filter browser based content and are therefore not fully comprehensive.

Then there’s the simple fact that consumers are often too lazy to select and download an ad-blocker and adjust the settings on their devices. Plus, ad-blockers need to be paid for. It’s for all these reasons that Deloitte Global is predicting that – at best – only 10% of the market will have an ad-blocker installed and operational by the end of this year.

That said, marketers should not entirely disregard the threat posed by ad-blockers. They certainly offer a number of benefits to consumers, including decreased download times and the fact that they allow for the downloading of mostly ad-free content while the blocking of trackers prevents the resale of the user’s browsing patterns.

Interestingly, when ad-blockers were first introduced to the market, they flew to the top of the app store charts in the space of just one weekend. However, subsequently, sales have fallen steadily. That said, there is the possibility that there will be a new wave of interest leading to greater levels of adoption at some point in the future.

Online publishers relying on advertising for their revenue need to look to solutions such as easy payment for their content instead of providing an array of consumer data as a condition to making money, or look to subscription based memberships, advises Deloitte Global.

Even without the use of an ad-blocker, users generally operate according to their own methods of ad-blocking, simply by ignoring websites that have what they believe are excessive levels of advertising  content.

The big take-out: Even though the uptake of ad-blockers has been far slower than predicted, ad-blockers remain a threat to online content dependent on advertising for revenue.