LONDON: More major brands in the UK have now optimised their websites for mobile phones than was the case just a few months ago, indicating a growing engagement with this channel.

The Internet Advertising Bureau, the trade body, reported that 57% of the country's top 100 biggest brands currently boast websites tailored for mobile handsets, up from 37% in August 2012.

"Our research shows that the industry is moving in the right direction," said Alex Kozloff, the IAB's senior mobile manager. "However, with over 40% of the top 100 brands still not optimised there is still more to do to encourage brands to integrate mobile into their wider strategies."

Companies in the fast-moving consumer goods sector delivered the best results on this measure, as 11 of the 14 platforms assessed from the industry were adapted for mobile, a score of 79% overall.

The automotive category claimed second position on this metric, as 19 of 26 online properties analysed had achieved a similar status, yielding a reading of 73% for the largest carmakers.

Based on data from Google's Get Mobile Meter that looked at the 100 leading advertiser websites in the UK, FMCG brands also logged the greatest increase in their mobile marketing activity, up by 267%.

Media owners registered a total of 150% here, matching the returns recorded by technology and telecoms companies.

In making the case that marketers need to "make mobile mandatory", the IAB quoted figures from comScore, the insights group, showing that 66% of UK mobile phone users, or 32.7m people, accessed the web through this route each month.

"This year could be the first that consumers spend more time online via mobile devices and tablets than their PCs," the IAB's report added.

Another study released by the organisation last year found 69% of UK consumers thought their usage of mobile devices would grow "dramatically" by 2015, demonstrating this is a long-term trend.

Data sourced from IAB; additional content by Warc staff