For the past two or three years, mobile devices have been presented to marketers as yet another channel they can leverage to engage prospective buyers. However, the platform was still relatively young and many brands have yet to make strong investments in marketing to on-the-go consumers.

Recent research from Walker Sands Communications suggests the time may be now for at least considering the optimization of websites for mobile users. According to the public relations firm, approximately 13 percent of total web traffic during the fourth quarter of 2011 originated from smartphones and tablets. To put that in perspective, that's more than one in 10 prospects.

The number of mobile web users has jumped considerably over the past 12 months – during the same time last year, only approximately 6 percent of total internet traffic was derived from mobile devices. Looking even further back, the disparity is much larger.

"When we began this study in Q3 2010, traffic originating from mobile devices accounted for a relatively modest portion (4 percent) of total web traffic," said John Fairley, director of digital services at Walker Sands. "More than a year later, we have seen a significant uptick in mobile browsing, which has increased more than three-fold."

It's crucial, however, the advertisers not make the mistake of assuming all platforms are equal when integrating mobile devices into their multichannel marketing efforts. Consumers using Android devices, such as the HTC Evo, are the most likely to browse the web. The Android operating system accounted for 46 percent of mobile visitors, whereas Apple made up 31 percent and 4 percent used BlackBerry phones.

When it comes to tablets, Apple is still king. Despite the launch of competing products, such as the Samsung Galaxy, 16 percent of mobile web surfers use the iPad.

"Android's expansive portfolio of mobile products makes it more accessible to a broad base of consumers than Apple's iPhone, which is why we see tremendous growth in the Android marketshare at the expense of Apple's iPhone," said Daniel Laloggia, digital marketing manager at Walker Sands.

Separate data from Nielsen suggests that Android device owners are the most likely to click on displays and mobile ads, so Google's growing marketshare should add further incentive for brands to at least consider integrating mobile devices into their campaigns.