Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt was recently asked for his predictions for 2014 in an interview with Bloomberg. As the leader of most influential web giant, he surely has the credible foresight, and one of those declarations is that “Mobile has won”.

What does that mean? Well, it only adds to the validity of the claim that mobile purchase and usage has already surpassed that of consumer personal computers. Take note: Schmidt said mobile “has” won – it denotes an event in the past. So how is that a prediction if it already happened?

He was making a prediction on the business aspect. Yes, mobile has won for roughly more than 2 years now, and it’s not news anymore. But its commercial implication is that businesses would need to adjust their traditionally desktop-centered online marketing methods to make more room for mobile.

According to MarketingLand.com: “This 2014, we’ll probably see US smartphone penetration hit 75 percent (from 65 percent today). It’s possible that by next year at this time smartphone ownership will exceed 80 percent of US adults.”

“That doesn’t mean all smartphone-consumer behavior will be uniform but it does mean that for a significant percentage of smartphone (and tablet owners) these devices will be primary and the PC secondary”.

Mobile lead generation

The era of mobile usage should also usher in a major revolution in the B2B lead generation and online marketing world. With mobile, prospects are able to interact faster and timelier than ever, and this could trigger marketers to adapt accordingly by being ‘on-the-go’ themselves.

In the last two years, data have consistently shown that buyers (both consumers and business) are making purchases on mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones.

Lead generation and social media on mobile

Probably the biggest driver of mobile usage among consumers is the accessibility to social media. People want to own mobile devices so they can have constant access to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Foursquare. This is also something that online marketers should adjust to.

Using that huge exposure potential effectively can increase a brand’s ability to connect with its target audience, provide customer service and most important of all, to maintain an active presence. With online marketing, it’s all about being ubiquitous, and the rise of mobile usage takes this concept to whole new level.

Schmidt’s statement is just another bullet point in the endless list of reasons why marketers should go mobile – now.

This content originally appeared at Callbox Blog.