• by Laurie Sullivan  @lauriesullivan, February 27, 2017

Surges in smartphone traffic rose 7% and app installs rose 8% since January 1, 2017, according to Adobe Analytics Monday. The analysis supports the theory that smartphone visits have grown 69% since 2014 and desktop and tablets have lost ground -- at 23% and 19%, respectively -- in the past three years. 

The analysis from Adobe Analytics, based on 1.7 trillion visits to 16,000 Web sites from January 2014 through January 2017, shows Web traffic in the United States no longer brings new users to the Internet. But it still provides a good opportunity for marketers to connect with consumers.

Web site traffic in the U.S. fell slightly by 0.4% during the past 36 months. 

The report, released on the opening day of Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, takes into consideration more than 130 billion apps  launched from 1,000 apps throughout the United States, EMEA and APAC.

Engagement has become the latest focus for marketers investing more in mobile across the U.S., but new challenges have surfaced. Consumers have adopted mobile as a quick and easy way to access content, yet the share of traffic from tablets to U.S. Web sites continues to decline. 

Tablet share of traffic in the U.S. fell to 8% in 2016 from 9% in 2015. In the UK, tablet traffic fell to 13% in 2016 from 15% in 2015, and in India to 3% from 5%, respectively.

Similarly, the app boom has ended in the U.S., according to Adobe Analytics.

As of January 2017, app installs fell 38% since December 2014 and app launches are down 28%. Brands that have a large mobile audience now need to focus on retaining their market share. Given the decline in app use in the U.S., other countries are likely to follow, with the UK and France expected to see similar trends, per findings.

The report also notes that smartphone growth continues to come from developing nations. Brazil and Argentina are the fastest-growing regions for smartphone share of Web traffic at 44% and 43% growth, respectively.