It seems that 2023 is going to be a much bigger year for influencer marketing with 64% of brand marketers expecting to grow their budgets on the format. That’s according to a new survey of 150 brand marketing leaders by creator marketing company Open Influence.

Brand marketers see the value in influencer marketing

A growing number of brands have opened up their budgets to influencer marketing with 13% of them dedicating at least $1 million to it. However almost a third (29%) admit that selling the idea of creator marketing to upper marketing is still challenging. 

Brands up their influencer marketing budgets

Source: Open Influence

A whopping 81% of brand managers outsource their influencer marketing fully or partially in order to minimise common hurdles in-house including negotiations and contracting (20%) and developing an effective strategy (17%).

The study also found that 77% of brands prefer long-term relationships with creators. That’s good news for influencers, brands and consumers alike as it allows them to develop stronger connections over time while keeping campaigns cost-efficient. 

Measurement is the big issue

Less than half of brand marketers (40%) find it easy to obtain accurate influencer marketing metrics. Tracking analytics is challenging and first-party isn’t always reliable or accessible. The issue with attribution may be one of the reasons why 77% also run paid social campaigns alongside their creator marketing campaigns. This allows brands to maximise efficiency and ROI. 

Top platforms and influencer choice

Instagram is still the number one influencer marketing platform, followed by TikTok. Short-form video is rapidly attracting ever more marketing dollars as audiences prefer to view content. Much of the growth in short-form video is being led by the TikTok app. 

Instagram is a top platform for influencer marketing

Source: Open Influence

Short-form video leads in format

Source: Open Influence

When it comes to influencer selection, brands consider follower count 3x more than the expertise of the creator. Some 17% would like to partner with macro creators with over 5 million followers. It goes to show that numbers still matter. 

However, brands also want creators who are relatable (35%) and aspirational (36%).

For 2023 and beyond it’s reassuring to see that 91% of brand marketers are open to exploring new trends in influencer marketing and continue to experiment. 

Key takeaways

• 64% of brand marketers expect to increase their influencer marketing budgets in 2023
• 81% outsource their influencer marketing fully or partially
• 77% run paid social campaigns alongside their creator marketing campaigns

The post 64% up budgets for influencer marketing appeared first on Business of Apps.

We couldn’t be more excited to announce App Promotion Summit is returning to NYC in-person on Thursday 22nd June 2023.

300 app marketers will gather in Midtown Manhattan to meet, learn and discuss across four rooms of app growth content.

We’ll be providing the finest 5* food and drink in our legendary friendly atmosphere.

Join us as we bring together the US app community to share how apps are adapting, growing and succeeding in 2023.

We would love for you to join us.

Reserve your ticket here or let us know if you’d like to participate as a speaker or partner.

The post App Promotion Summit is returning to New York City appeared first on Business of Apps.

There’s much to be excited about when it comes to mobile video ads. The format boosts ROI for small and large advertisers alike and viewability rates are significantly higher than those of other formats. Unsurprisingly, 63% of mobile advertisers consider short-form video a top marketing trend for 2023. But new research shows that video ad placement may require some refinement as most consumers will hold brands accountable for the content their ads appear next to. Let’s dive in. 

Content association matters

According to a survey of consumers in the UK, US and Australia by Magna Media Trials, almost half of UK consumers (49%) agree that a brand supports the content they appear adjacent to. In the US and Australia, slightly fewer consumers would agree at 41% and 36%, respectively. 

Adjacent here refers to ads shown before a video, ads appearing before creator content, ads played during videos, or those supporting influencers. 

Ad placement also aids in message recall. When messages were associated with standard content, message recall was higher (+14 points) compared to when it was placed next to questionable or grey content (+4 points).

Markets aren’t immune to grey content (brown; green = standard content) 

Source: Magna Media Trials

Purchase intent was also higher with standard content (+10%) versus grey content (+4%) as was search intent. 

Standard content (green) improves purchase and search intent versus grey content (brown)

Source: Magna Media Trials

Brands stand more to lose with Gen Z and millennials where purchase intent decreased 7% and 5%, respectively. 

What’s considered appropriate varies by sector

Interestingly, what consumers consider appropriate varies by brand sector. Not surprisingly, questionable content is considered most inappropriate for toy brands as these tend to cater to children. But financial service brand ads that are placed next to grey content are also a big no-no. Beverage and quick-service food brands are less likely to be judged harshly for grey content. 

Grey content is unacceptable in some sectors

Source: Magna Media Trials

Brands which regularly target B2B audiences should be even wearier in placing their ads next to questionable content as consumers will judge them even more harshly for it. 

Key takeaways

• 49% of UK customers agree a brand supports the content their mobile video ads appear adjacent to
• Messages associated with standard content improve recall (+14 points) 
• Brands stand more to lose with Gen Z and millennials where purchase intent decreased 7% and 5%, respectively, when ads appeared next to grey content

The post Brands held accountable for content next to their mobile video ads appeared first on Business of Apps.

Mobile app adoption on the App Store and Google Play remained stagnant in the final quarter of 2022 according to the latest data from Sensor Tower. That’s on the back of an overall 9% rise in app installs to 151 billion in 2022. But some app categories performed better than others. 

There’s no stopping social apps

Global app downloads dropped 0.1% year-on-year to 35.5 billion in Q4 2022. However, social media apps such as Instagram and TikTok continued to attract a high number of downloads. Instagram was the number one app worldwide in Q4 2022, followed by TikTok and Facebook in third and fourth place. 

While this may be good news for marketers looking to up their budgets on social campaigns, choosing the right format will be all the more important this year. On Instagram, for example, the average reach for Stories has dropped 7% and for feed posts that drop is even sharper at 22%. Meanwhile, Reels get between 2-12x more reach compared to feed posts.

Games dominate but downloads are slowing

Overall, mobile game downloads declined between Q3 and Q4 2022. In November, game downloads were 4.4 billion on both app stores which was level with 2020. However, the World Cup helped spike football game apps. FIFA Mobile and Soccer Super Star grew 137% and 112% quarter-on-quarter, respectively.

Stumble Guys game dominates downloads

Source: Sensor Tower

Stumble Guys by Kitka Games dominated download growth in 2022 and was the fastest-growing app. It ranked top in Latin America and Europe with more than 50 million downloads and 36 million, respectively.

Key takeaways

• Global app downloads dropped 0.1% year-on-year to 35.5 billion in Q4 2022
• Social media apps continue to attract high downloads
• Mobile game downloads declined between Q3 and Q4 2022

The post Global app downloads remain stagnant in Q4 2022 appeared first on Business of Apps.

In light of continued privacy scandals in recent years, consumer trust in technology companies has declined. Based on a survey of 2,000 adults, research by Forbes Advisor sheds light on the app developers British mobile users trust the least. 

Meta has a major trust issue

Almost half of respondents (48%) said they don’t trust Meta-owned apps including Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. The social media company has repeatedly come under fire for continued data breaches and privacy scandals. 

Its competitors such as TikTok and Twitter aren’t faring much better and score among the least trusted apps at 42% and 41%, respectively. 

The least trusted apps and technology brands

Source: Forbes Advisor

PayPal is the platform Brits trust the most (47%), followed by Amazon (41%) and Microsoft (39%). 

Notably, nine of the ten most trusted brands were created before the 2000s whereas the least trusted brands have been operating for less than 20 years. 

Younger people are more comfortable sharing their data

An overwhelming majority (90%) of British app users are worried about their data being hacked. Around two-thirds aren’t happy offering their data to the government and some 43% feel uncomfortable sharing data with the NHS. 

Start-ups, gambling and social media companies are the ones users are most weary of sharing their details with. 

However, younger users aged 18 to 34 years aren’t as worried when sharing their data with Instagram or TikTok (17%). In the 35-54-year-old bracket this trust drops to just 7% and it’s even lower among the 55-year-olds (3%). The reverse is true for sharing data with the NHS which older users feel more comfortable with compared with younger ones. 

“Like or not, we all exist in an era where it’s nigh-on impossible to live without sharing your personal data – even if you don’t consider yourself to be particularly ‘digital’,” said Laura Howard, at Forbes Advisor. 

“Making an online doctor’s appointment, paying a bill via your banking app, getting a discount on your shopping with a supermarket loyalty card, or checking the traffic before setting off on a journey – it all adds to the vast and continuous stream of data related to you and your behaviour as a consumer. But our knowledge and awareness around how to protect this data has perhaps not kept pace with the technology.”

But there are things users can do. The survey found that one-quarter of social media users weren’t taking steps to protect their accounts. Over a third (36%) use different passwords and have adjusted their privacy settings for their account and one in five change their passwords regularly. 

How Brits are protecting their social accounts

Source: Forbes Advisor

Key takeaways

• 48% of Brits don’t trust Meta-owned apps
• PayPal is the most trusted brand among Brits (47%)
• 90% of Brits are worried about falling victim to data hacking

The post 48% of Brits do not trust Meta-owned apps appeared first on Business of Apps.

Welcome to 2023! Last year was quite the roller coaster for many, which saw us rolling out massive FREE plan changes to try and help those brands financially impacted by all the turmoil. Now that 2022 is behind us and given it’s been several months since I’ve provided a seasonal wrap-up, let’s dig in.

This post was first published on intellifluence.com.

27,000+ active brands

We keep on growing. Most of you lovely brands joining us are coming in on the FREE influencer marketing plan. Thank you for choosing us to test the waters and especially those of you that realize we’re a good fit and upgrade to Starter through Advanced.

216,000+ influencers

Back in August, we were almost to 200,000 so casually increasing the base of creators by 8% over a few months after 6.5 years in operations is nothing we take for granted.

Throughout this period we’ve been quietly rolling out the logic to remove spam signups, so the raw numbers are even higher. That’s not what you’re here for, so let’s look at the fun stuff. Per usual, I can’t disclose various security and fraud updates and will skip the numerous bug fixes as well as admin-only changes, so here are the Fall pull requests of note from the ~200 to choose from.

Audience demographics and plan expansion for free brand users

Audience demographics

We have been asked for demographics repeatedly over the years. My biggest reason for not doing so is a good amount of the data encountered in our testing appeared to be unreliable. We now have a mix of processes to capture and determine audience demographics for Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok (which are of course the most popular social networks by usage). Currently, we are updating demographics on verified users of these social platforms when their overall audience size justifies a deeper dive for brands.

Free brand improvements

I won’t say a whole lot since we actually had an announcement specifically for it, but FREE brands can run a campaign to get a better sense of the full capabilities stack at Intellifluence.

Worked with expansion

Brands can now determine who they’ve worked with across an entire account, an individual campaign, or a singular brand alias associated with an account.

Marketplace visibility filters

Some brands have so many campaigns that they needed a way to filter deeper to find active and visible campaigns faster.

More talent manager overhauls

In our system, talent managers have a special role which requires them to be able to oversee and interact on the behalf of multiple influencers simultaneously. At times our development will focus on drastically improving one user type, so we used some of the past few months to catch up on the functionality for talent managers to put it on par with the rest of the user types.

Re-hire

I love this one, which came from one of our most active Advanced brands. Sometimes a brand might have a great experience with an influencer and wishes to immediately re-hire them without having to jump through another campaign setup. We made it a lot easier to keep working with the creators you like working with.

Private public marketplace offers

A request from another of our Advanced brands was the desire to set up a Marketplace Offer that could be applied to, in order to skip having to perform outbound pitches in the system, but also a way to set it as private so a brand could provide the offer when encountering the right influencers potentially outside of the Intellifluence ecosystem. This has worked great as the brand is able to DM commenters on their Instagram channel with the offer with ease.

Cleaning up influencer offers

Some of the improvements here have to do with being able to toggle what’s available by hiding temporarily inactive influencers’ offers as well as those that are associated with social accounts that are de-verified. The goal here is to only show the highest quality offers to brands as we can.

Product campaign logic

Some campaigns are more complex than others and occasionally influencers would get confused about what they’re allowed to do when it comes to product purchases, refunds, and reviews. The improvements here focus on ensuring Sallybot knows when to warn the brand or influencer if a campaign’s parameters are being potentially violated and provide appropriate warnings to prevent such issues. It’ll also now prevent pitch acceptance if a brand has been locked or deactivated, protecting our influencers.

Mobile dynamic linking

It’s somewhat simple conceptually but has had a nice impact. Influencers have access to iOS and Android apps to manage their workflow, but when getting emails from the system would have to separately go to the app to interact; we simply tightened the experience so the app is utilized if it exists on an influencer’s phone.

Sallybot messaging

We’re always looking at support feedback, so whenever we’re getting the same type of request, question, or complaint, we try to solve it programmatically. In these cases, the answer was to inject transaction thread messaging to pre-answer questions related primarily to money. Happy users = happy support team = happy Joe.

Gracefully recognize links

Sometimes influencers will post review links in a message rather than the available process, so we made the system smarter to recognize the URL as a potentially finished product and allow brands to treat it as such if they choose.

Flags in more places

If you’re working on a lot of campaigns that span geographies, it can be helpful to know where an influencer is from. The simple way to provide this information at a glance is to display the flag that corresponds to their current mailing address in more areas where you might be making decisions that require geographical nuance.

What’s next?

A lot of workflow improvements are currently in the pipeline, designed to make interaction with the platform smoother and faster. As we continue to scale users, this is one of the best uses of our time: increasing everyone’s happiness. We’re also hard at work with our partnership initiatives and deeper integration of support into the everyday use cases that drive our continued growth.

The post Intellifluence announces audience demographics and workflow logic flexibility appeared first on Business of Apps.

User churn is a major issue for app developers. Around half of Android apps were uninstalled within 30 days of download in 2022 and half of those were removed within just 24 hours finds a new report from AppsFlyer. Let’s take a closer look.

Some app categories fare better than others

The App Uninstall Report found that 49% of Android apps were uninstalled within a month after download and of those, 49% were uninstalled within just one day. Whilst that number seems staggering, it’s still 8% lower compared to 2021. 

Android app uninstalls year-on-year

Source: AppsFlyer

Gaming apps saw some of the highest uninstall rates (66%) within 30 days after download, followed by social (60%), education (53%), utilities (53%) and finance apps (45%). Travel apps, on the other hand, saw some of the highest brand loyalty at 31%.

AppsFlyer says that hyper-casual and casual gaming titles suffer because of their reduced shelf life of these titles. 

Uninstall rates by app category

Source: AppsFlyer

Unsurprisingly, uninstall rates of organic users were lower at an average of 28% among all categories. Organic users typically show higher intent than non-organic ones. The difference between organic and non-organic users in gaming was just 13% compared to 30% for non-gaming apps. 

The where and the when

Uninstall rates were higher in developing markets with Nepal, Bangladesh and Kazakhstan showing the highest rates of user churn. The average uninstall rate in developing countries was between 26-43% compared to 36% in developed nations. This may be due to the more dominant use of iOS devices and their higher storage which results in users having to delete fewer apps to free up space.

Day 1 is typically the highest for uninstalls across all categories. Day 1 rates were particularly high in finance apps at 27% compared to the average of other verticals. 

Overall Day 1 uninstalls

Source: AppsFlyer

How to optimise your app marketing for fewer uninstalls

The key takeaway for app marketers is optimisation. With uninstalls being a major issue, it’s important to keep measuring them using attribution options. First interactions with users should be designed to encourage lasting connections. Apps must deliver on their promise in order to be successful and be updated in good time. User feedback proves valuable in doing the latter. It’s worth bearing in mind user privacy and security. 

Key takeaways

• 49% of Android apps were uninstalled within a month after download 
• 49% of Android apps were uninstalled within just one day
• Gaming apps had the highest uninstall rates (66%) within 30 days after download

The post Half of Android apps are uninstalled within 30 days after download appeared first on Business of Apps.

Installs of finance apps have grown 25% across Africa, according to the latest report from AppsFlyer and Google. Based on an analysis of 140 million installs across 3,000 finance apps, the report sheds light on the rising interest in managing finances using apps to navigate economic uncertainty. 

Finance app installs spike in Africa

The African countries leading the rise in finance app installs are Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa. Ghana saw installs of finance apps spike by 200%, followed by Nigeria at 33%. Kenya recorded a 5% growth while South Africa declined by 11%. 

Ghana finance app installs 

Source: AppsFlyer

Among the top Google search trends between May 2021 and 2022 were lending and currency conversions, hinting at the uncertainty of the economic situation. 

South Africa recorded a 700% rise in search intent for “grant status” and “payment date”, and a 51% increase in intent for “loan application searches”. Similarly, “currency conversion” searches rose 74% in intent. 

Nigeria recorded a 68% search intent for “loan app” while in Kenya people searched for “currency conversion” (52%).

Overall finance app install trend by platform

Source: AppsFlyer

App marketers are taking note

The rise in app installs correlates to an increase in app install ad spending across Africa. App install ad spending for finance rose a total of 3% and represented around 87% of total spending across the continent in 2022, compared with the previous year. 

Marketers up remarketing efforts

Source: AppsFlyer

There was a 45% rise in finance app install ad spending on Android devices as marketers ramp up budgets to acquire new users and reengage existing ones. Installs from remarking campaigns surged by 55%. 

“When we look at Google’s search trends, it’s clear that financial uncertainty is weighing heavily on many people across the continent,” said Lizzie Kondowe, Africa Apps Lead, Google. “We’re seeing more and more apps come to market that aim to solve these problems, and so it’s no surprise to see installs rising. We’re proud to be working alongside AppsFlyer, to bring marketers the insights and tools they need to grow their apps.”

Key takeaways

• Installs of finance apps rise 25% across Africa,
• Ghana saw installs of finance apps spike 200%
• Marketers ramp up app install ad spending of finance apps by 45% 

The post Finance app installs in Africa jump 25% attracting 3% higher ad spending appeared first on Business of Apps.

Nearly two-thirds of consumers will abandon an app or mobile shopping transaction if they encounter problems during the process. Delivering seamless digital experiences is now more important than ever for mCommerce brands. And according to a new survey from digital experience intelligence firm Fullstory, consumers are willing to reward those who deliver it. 

Customers care about the app experience more than the brand

Based on the answers from 7,000 customers, the findings reveal that 44% don’t care where they shop as long as it works. With 42% of marketers believing customer loyalty will decline this year due to spending habits, it’s now more important than ever that a brand’s app experience is seamless in order to entice customers to return. 

Customers care about functionality not the brand name

Source: Fullstory

But what exactly frustrates mobile shoppers?

A majority (72%) of respondents cited slow loading times of apps and websites as a major frustration when making an online purchase. 63% get annoyed with loading errors. Other issues leading to cart abandonment included dead links or buttons (46%), forms that don’t accept inputs (39%) and page glitches (38%).

The major frustrations among app and mobile shoppers

Source: Fullstory

The top priority for 76% of shoppers is to finish their transactions quickly. 

One in three consumers said that mobile app and online experiences left them feeling stressed with 71% of Americans rage-clicking on a site or app. 

However, some app categories fare betters than others. In retail apps, around half of consumers described the digital experience as simple compared to just 26% using travel apps. Healthcare (31%) and grocery (33%) apps may need to rethink simplifying their functionalities as well. 

How can app experiences be improved?

With 65% of consumers likely to abandon a transaction over frustrations and 55% saying they would be unlikely to return to a business with a poor digital experience, something has to change. 

“Providing an exceptional digital experience is one of the best ways to win customers, who are clearly open to switching brands and won’t tolerate digital friction,” said Scott Voigt, CEO of FullStory. 

“Digital experience data and insights equip brands to create perfect digital experiences, making it easier for consumers to get things done online and helping businesses increase revenue and retention.”

Key takeaways

• 44% of customers don’t care where they shop as long as it works
• 72% of respondents say slow loading times are a major frustration
• The top priority for 76% of shoppers is to finish their transaction quickly

The post 55% of customers will not return to app or mobile site delivering a poor experience appeared first on Business of Apps.

Super Early Bird tickets are selling fast for App Promotion Summit London 2023 in March. We don’t want you to miss out on saving £500+ and we have limited tickets remaining.

In-person ticket holders can enjoy our networking coffee breaks, lunch, cocktail roundtables, evening drinks reception and the legendary late night after party.

We hope you can join us in person on Thursday March 23rd, along with hundreds of other app marketers, as we teach you how to become a smarter app marketer to grow and scale your app.

Book your ticket now to learn from the likes of what3words, Domino’s, Monzo, Howbout, Nude, Paired and Product Madness and network with the biggest names in app marketing.

Brands booked on so far include Decathlon, Xero, FARFETCH, Kiwi.com, Smarkets and Fiverr.

Reserve your ticket by this Friday (20th January).

The post APS London Super Early Bird Tickets End Friday appeared first on Business of Apps.

Google and Apple have failed yet again to stop dubious apps from entering their app stores, highlighting the failures in the stores’ moderation processes. This time it involves ChatGPT which is a natural language processing tool created by OpenAI, the same company that developed DALL-E. So what’s the problem?

ChatGPT apps flood the stores

ChatGPT is an important tool that elevates conversational AI, enhancing it for search and everyday work tasks. It’s currently available to use for free via the website. No official app has been launched.

But that hasn’t stopped a whole slew of Google Play and App Store developers from posting apps with ChatGPT in their names. These apps include other chatbots that show ads or offer subscriptions. They are either fraudulent or violate OpenAI’s trademark. 

Daily installs of ChatGPT apps

Source: Appstorespy

The findings have been posted by app market intelligence firm Appstorespy.  

Do Apple and Google care?

Appstorespy then reached out to Google and Apple to find out if the companies had done anything about these fraudulent apps. Google removed two dozen of such apps including an unofficial ChatGPT app that had already gotten 138,000 installs. Some developers have been quick to rename their apps such as Open Chat which has 170,000 installs. 

However, others can still be found. ChatGPT AI Writing Assistant has already generated some $10,000 in revenue by selling supposed credits for ChatGPT.

By mid-January, fake ChatGPT apps attracted a total 67,000 installs per day on Google Play.

Daily installs of ChatGPT apps picked up again in January

Source: Appstorespy

Meanwhile, Apple has blocked just 4 of the 49 apps with ChatGPT in the title. 

Key takeaways

• ChatGPT apps are available on the App Store and Google Play even though OpenAI has launched no such app
• Google has taken action to remove some of these apps, Apple removed 4 out of 49 by mid-January
• Fake ChatGPT apps attracted a total 67,000 installs per day on Google Play in January

The post Google and Apple fail to remove fraudulent ChatGPT apps from their app stores appeared first on Business of Apps.

After the success of MoEngage’s #GROWTH Summit in London on 2nd November, they are now hosting their #GROWTH Summit Berlin event on 26 January at ALICE Rooftop and Garden in Berlin.

So far, MoEngage has executed over 50 #Growth Summits globally. The format of the event is invite-only and curated for B2C leaders from marketing, product owners, entrepreneurs, CRM, and analytics professionals.

The objective is to give brands the chance to network and learn from elite speakers, as they discuss growth, customer engagement, acquisition, and retention.

Join MoEngage in Berlin as they invite leaders to share stories, discuss digital-first strategies, and teach frameworks on customer engagement and growth. Register here to declare your interest, and MoEngage will come back to you to confirm your attendance.

Why attend?

5 Reasons you should attend this event

• Exclusive insights from global brand leaders: Hear first-hand accounts and insider information from experts who helped Deutsche Telekom, KptnCook, Douglas, Freeletics, Idealo, Sweatcoin, and other companies succeed.
• Strategic discussion on engagement & retention: Join conversations on how to drive customer engagement and retention to grow your business after the holiday season and throughout 2023
• 1:1 networking with high-calibre people: Meet and converse with leaders from digital-first brands, share ideas, and gain valuable insights for your own business.
• Explore MoEngage: Use the dedicated demo area to learn more about the MoEngage platform and how we can help your business grow faster.
• Some of the best views and food Berlin has to offer: We promise the most interesting conversations over the best views in Berlin, as well as delicious food and drinks.

About #GROWTH

#GROWTH is a community for B2C CRM, product, and growth marketing professionals focused on customer engagement and growth.  The #GROWTH program provides the individual with access to a large, global community, courses, and learning resources. #GROWTH members also get priority invites to other conferences and peer learning events.

The post Join MoEngage’s #GROWTH Summit Berlin 2023 appeared first on Business of Apps.

Over the last few weeks, we’ve seen social media emerge as one of the hottest media targets for app and mobile advertisers in 2023. More than half of marketers are looking to boost their ad spending on social channels and 49% are excited about the possibilities of social video in 2023. Now a new report from SaaS tracking and analysis firm Meltwater finds that more organisations are embracing social media in 2023 due to global economic uncertainty.

The importance of a social media strategy in 2023

Over half (52%) of organisations said that economic uncertainty led them to consider social media as an important channel for their company. As consumers are feeling the squeeze, it appears that brands are looking for ways to keep them more engaged. 

Social app marketing has different objectives. Raising brand awareness (81%) and engagement (60%) are the most important goals among advertisers. Roughly half of marketers (49%) also use social to acquire new customers. 

Social media marketing goals

Source: Meltwater

“While brand perception and brand awareness has always been integral, this trend seems to be increasing in 2023. We still believe that marketing professionals will face similar challenges such as lack of time or resources; however, social media is an exceptional tool for combating these challenges, which shows in the report. Investing in social media channels, particularly Tik Tok, is an effective method of creating a strong brand,” said Jess Smith, Marketing Manager of Meltwater UKI.

With brand awareness as their top goal, the majority of respondents (71%) consider organic social posts as more important in driving their marketing strategy compared with paid social (66%). 

Facebook and LinkedIn dominate the social landscape

Facebook (89%) and LinkedIn (87%) were the most-used social channels among marketers, followed by Instagram (84%), YouTube (67%) and Twitter (66%) rounding out the top. The use of TikTok is also rapidly expanding (up 30% in 2022 compared to 16% in 2021). Some 47% of respondents said they planned to use TikTok for their marketing efforts in 2023.

Top social media channels among organisations 

Source: Meltwater

This year, 71% of B2C organisations also plan to use influencer marketing, an increase of 7% from the previous year. 

While there are plenty of channels for marketers to dip into, measuring the success of their campaigns can be difficult.

The survey found that engagement (80%), followers (65%) and website traffic (59%) are the top three media metrics for social advertisers. Just 17% of respondents track ROI from social channels. 

How to measure the success of social media campaigns in 2023?

Source: Meltwater

Resource management and impact measurement are top challenges

When asked about social media campaign challenges, 49% of respondents stated finding the time and resources followed by measuring the impact of their campaign (46%). 

Given that brand awareness and engagement are top goals of social campaigns, it comes as no surprise that marketers are worried about growing their social following (40%). Many businesses are also struggling to prove the impact of social campaigns (33%) which hampers further investment (27%).

It seems social media has proven to be an important component of a company’s communication stack. 

Key takeaways

• 52% say economic uncertainty led them to consider social media as an important channel for their organisation
• Raising brand awareness (81%) and engagement (60%) are the top goals
• Facebook (89%), LinkedIn (87%), Instagram (84%), YouTube (67%) and Twitter (66%) are considered the top social channels

The post For 52% of marketers, economic uncertainty is key driver for increase in social media app ad budgets appeared first on Business of Apps.

Remerge has launched Agency Activators – a partnership program empowering media and brand agencies to become qualified leaders in the programmatic in-app advertising market.

Remerge, which ranks as the top global player for mobile re-engagement campaigns after Meta and Google, will share the inner workings of its technology and offer workshops to equip members with expertise to grow their clients’ app revenues.

The first agencies to join the program are M&C Saatchi Performance, Headlight, Phiture, Lemmonet, WITHIN, Publicis’ Spark Foundry, alongside growth transformation partner Winclap.

This post was first published on remerge.io.

Steve Massaro, Director of Channel Alliances, Remerge:

“I’ve been in agency-centric roles for most of my career and can say that the relevance and influence of these companies in the mobile industry have never been greater. In the app ecosystem, where new creative formats, economic pressures, and privacy changes are constantly changing the landscape, the value our agency partners bring to our shared clients is continuously becoming more apparent.

“Remerge’s Agency Activators program will increase that strategic value through tailored educational sessions that build on our members’ programmatic knowledge and guide them through newer innovations. We’re offering masterclasses on fundamental areas of mobile marketing, ranging from incrementality to creative strategy, and more.

“Coupling this training with access to logistical and commercial benefits unique to this program has already proved to be successful for our members, who are helping teams tap into Remerge’s solutions to drive growth for their clients’ apps.”

As programmatic ad spending soars and brands make bigger investments in mobile, marketers are looking for partners who can help them navigate the industry.

Pan Katsukis, Co-founder and CEO, Remerge:

“We’re seeing more brands enter the mobile space and get serious about programmatic advertising. Performance marketing and developing deeper levels of in-app engagement are often new territories for these organizations. We’re creating an environment where leading agencies can enhance their understanding of the market and learn how to scale their clients’ business.”

Agency Activators is active in the Americas and will expand to Asia-Pacific, Europe, Africa and Middle East markets.

Adrienne Rice, Director of Media Investment, M&C Saatchi Performance:

“Recent market developments have made it harder for mobile businesses to find their way in the programmatic advertising industry and make informed decisions about where to allocate budget to grow revenues. App marketing is a rapidly evolving concept, and our clients need partners who know how to unlock its potential. The expert support, resources, and benefits we get from Remerge’s agency partnership program ensure we can deliver results for our clients.”

Pedro de Arteaga, COO and VP USA, at Winclap:

“Remerge is one of our most strategic partners. To grow efficiently with programmatic ads it is crucial to work with media channels with leading technology and transparent practices. Remerge has both. This partnership program’s masterclass sessions give us a fresh perspective on what’s happening in programmatic while providing insights and benefits for our media business. As we are a Growth Transformation company, it is important for us to collaborate with partners that help us disrupt how our clients grow. This program helps us do that with programmatic media.”

Learn more about Remerge’s Agency Activators program.

The post Remerge unveils partnership program to help agencies master mobile marketing for their app-based clients appeared first on Business of Apps.

New year, new us!

As you may have seen, App Growth Network is making some BIG changes. We’ve slowly been rebranding our app marketing services under App Guardians, but rest assured, App Growth Network is alive and well. In fact, we’re greatly expanding our portfolio of services!

AGN is now App Growth Network Ltd, a parent company made up of a network of mobile industry professionals, that will soon offer multiple branches to accelerate mobile growth. These divisions will service apps at various stages of maturity — from the earliest startups to more mature app products — that will help apps thrive no matter where they are in their app growth journey.

Here we’d like to give you a sneak peek at each division and what each one is all about:

AGN Brainery

E-learning and Training Division

AGN Brainery is all about educating and training those who are ready to level up their mobile marketing know-how.

Whether you’re an app novice looking to get started with mobile growth basics or an industry veteran that’s ready to catapult their career forward, we will soon be offering online courses that will help you learn the latest in mobile marketing trends and best practices. There will be a range of beginner and advanced courses in core mobile marketing areas like ASO, Apple Search Ads, and Paid UA, led by experts in the mobile marketing field.

Launching Q2 2023

AGN App Coaches

Product-Market Fit Assessment Division

For app developers and app-preneurs just starting out, one of the biggest challenges is getting ready to enter the game and start competing to win. For those who are unsure if their consumer app is ready to scale and what they need to do to get it there, we will have the AGN App Coaches division open to help!

As a client, you will receive a customized product-market fitness score based on a comprehensive product-market fit assessment survey. Once a score is determined, our mobile app growth coaches are here to guide you through the required path to success — from the earliest stages to your end goal. We’ll help you figure out where your mobile app is in its journey and give your pro recommendations and action items on how to improve your app product and get it ready to reach the next level.

Launching Q1 2023

App Guardians

Mobile Marketing Agency Division

Formerly known as App Growth Network, App Guardians is the dedicated Mobile Marketing Agency that exists under the App Growth Network Ltd umbrella. We are an app marketing agency made up of experienced marketers that offer award-winning services including ASO, paid UA, data/analytics, and creative planning/development.

Visit the App Guardians site here.

AGN Think Tank

App Data and Insights Division

Our dedicated Think Tank is all about mobile analytics and data.  For all mobile apps that want to scale and benefit from sustainable growth, the only way forward is with data-driven decisions made with expert mobile data analysts at the wheel.

With AGN Think Tank’s services and offerings, clients will get a detailed view of their app metrics and customized data on app-specific requirements that they can turn into actionable insights to develop next-level app growth strategies.

Launching Q2 2023

AGN Labs

Internal App Investment Division

We like to think of AGN labs as our internal app incubator. We invest in mobile apps that we believe align with our vision of improving people’s daily lives and help nurture them into mature, successful, full-scale mobile apps. Our current AGN Labs portfolio has young and mid-market apps in the health & fitness, lifestyle, and finance categories with much more room to grow!

AGN AppVentures

External App Investors Division

Is the next unicorn app out there, just waiting to be discovered? Founded for passionate investors and venture capitalists looking for exciting new investment opportunities, AGN AppVentures pairs investors with mobile apps that are ready to reach the next level of greatness. These are vetted apps that have achieved the right product-market fit and need the financial backing to take it all the way!

Launching Q2 2023

For inquiries about any of our existing and/or upcoming divisions, please don’t hesitate to contact us! Also, be sure to follow us on LinkedIn where we will be making all announcements of launches, services and more.

The post App Growth Network announces expansion of mobile app services appeared first on Business of Apps.

Over the last few years, short-form video has become an important marketing tool for retailers and mCommerce businesses. And no app does it better than TikTok with 78% of small retailers saying they achieved positive ROI using TikTok ads. That’s according to research from Capterra which took a closer look at the social app for small business owners. 

Short-form video boosts ROI

Around a third of marketers achieving a positive ROI with TikTok ads saw returns within six months after their campaigns. Short-form video has the highest ROI among social media formats and 50% of social marketers plan to use it for the first time in 2023 while 95% said they would increase their investment in the format. 63% of mobile advertisers consider short-form video a top trend this year.

Percentage of SMBs planning to increase their TikTok marketing spend this year

Source: Capterra

Among those using TikTok, 52% said they would boost spending on the platform while 21% will maintain spending. 

Why short-form wins

TikTok video ads that perform best are those that are authentic and seamless, made by real people for real people.

Video ads attract younger audiences, like millennials and Gen Z. Videos that fare best are those that are funny, trendy and true to a brand’s values.

Capterra found that 60% of SMBs prefer in-feed ads which resembled organic content for conversions. Over three-quarters of those using TikTok also post organic content while two-thirds also run ads. 72% said that organic was very valuable to their overall marketing performance compared to 55% who said the same for TikTok ads. When using organic content, 88% of SMBs show off their products or services while 63% tap into relevant SEO keyword techniques. 

Some content performs better than others

Source: Capterra

Cross-posting content to other social channels is a popular strategy for most marketers (82%). 

Because quality content counts when it comes to social video, most SMBs use video and content creation tools (67%), while 55% use social media performance analytics. 

SMBs leverage creation tools for short-form video campaigns

Source: Capterra

Key takeaways

• 78% of SMBs achieved positive ROI using TikTok ads
• 52% will increase spending on the platform while 21% will maintain spending
• 60% of SMBs use in-feed ads which resemble organic content to increase conversions

The post 78% of SMBs boost ROI with short-form video ads appeared first on Business of Apps.

Have you got an app growth game plan for 2023?

Join us this March at App Promotion Summit in London and discover how to level up your app marketing.

APS London will host challenging conversations covering key app industry issues including iOS16+, evolving user behaviour, rapid growth and more.

In our interactive sessions, we will be covering app growth topics across the funnel:

• Evolving user behaviour
• User journey optimization
• SKAN 4.0 – IDFA & Privacy Sandbox
• Custom Product Pages and In-app events
• Influencer marketing
• Process automation
• App subscriptions
• Product marketing

Are you ready to become a smarter app marketer?

Super Early Bird tickets are on sale until Friday 20th January – don’t miss out before it’s too late.

The post What’s your app growth strategy for 2023? appeared first on Business of Apps.

During December installs of music streaming apps increased 9% compared to the year’s average. Installs 42% higher than the average on Christmas Day, according to new data from app and mobile advertising expert Adjust. Let’s take a closer look at the mobile app trends over the holidays 2022. 

Music streaming and recipes for the holidays

Sessions in music streaming apps were up 8% on Christmas Eve and 9% on Christmas Day compared to the previous year, highlighting the growing demand for entertainment apps. The category benefitted from increased consumer spending and time-spent-in-app as users seek convenient options and subscription models to listen to their favourite tracks.

Music streaming app installs Q4 2022

Source: Adjust

Installs of recipe apps were 8% higher on Christmas Eve compared to the year’s average. But by December 31st, installs had surged to a whopping 24% above the average and sessions were up 7%. 

Food delivery apps saw a bigger boost at the end of the year with installs up 11%. 

Gaming installs skyrocket during Christmas

App installs of games were up 7% and 18% on December 24th and 25th, respectively, while sessions grew 4%. That’s a significant boon for game developers and highlights continuing demand for games. However, other research cautions that spending in-game could slow down this year due to macroeconomic woes. 

Game app installs Q4 2022

Source: Adjust

All eyes on health and travel

Just ahead of the new year, and in line with resolutions, installs of health and fitness apps jumped 25% year-on-year. However, they were down during most of December. On January 1st, installs were 42% more than the average during December. However, session growth lagged behind. 

Travel apps performed well during the holiday season as users went to see family and relatives. Installs between December 25th and 31st were 9% higher than the yearly average. 

Key takeaways

• Installs of music streaming apps were 42% higher than the average on Christmas Day
• Installs of recipe apps were 8% higher on Christmas Eve compared to the year’s average
• Installs of gaming apps were up 7% and 18% on December 24th and 25th, respectively

The post Installs of music streaming apps rose 9% in December but games are the big winner appeared first on Business of Apps.

In 2022 mobile ad spending jumped 14% to $336 billion globally despite the worsening macroeconomic situation. That’s according to the latest data from mobile and app expert data.ai, formerly App Annie. So what’s the outlook for 2023?

Mobile ad spend growth hampered by economy

As users are spending more time in apps than ever before with total hours surpassing 4 trillion in 2022 on Android alone, mobile ad spend will continue to grow to $362 billion. That’s a 7.5% year-on-year rise from 2022, half of the previous year’s growth. Spending is expected to be stifled by the economic situation. 

Global mobile ad spend prediction

Source: data.ai

This also affects consumer spending as gamers have less disposable income to put toward their favourite games. However, non-gaming apps are predicted to continue to attract serious cash. Among the top categories for spending and hours spent are entertainment and social media apps. 

App downloads and time spent are hotting up in newer markets

While consumer spend on apps dropped 2% in 2022 globally, Taiwan, Brazil, Hong Kong, and Mexico bucked the trend at 15%, 22%, 34% and 17%, respectively. Downloads jumped 11% last year with Pakistan seeing the highest jump at 35%. Standout app categories were utility, entertainment and finance apps. It’s evident that a growing number of people are gravitating toward using their mobile devices to manage their everyday lives. 

Top app subgenres for spend

Source: data.ai

Users are also spending considerably more time in apps. However, there are three distinct categories that make up 50% of time spent. They are communication (social media), short videos (entertainment) and video sharing (entertainment) apps. In gaming, top categories were sandbox games like Roblox and Minecraft. Consumers spent 27% more time playing them.

Time spent versus consumer spending by app category

Source: data.ai

Key takeaways

• In 2023 mobile ad spending will continue to grow to $362 billion, a 7.5% year-on-year rise 
• Consumer spending on apps dropped 2% in 2022
• Downloads jumped 11% in 2022

The post App ad spend growth will slow but downloads to remain strong appeared first on Business of Apps.

Apple announced the company has now paid out a record $320 billion to app developers since 2008. The company now has 900 million paid subscriptions across various services with App Store subscriptions responsible for a major chunk of it. 

The App Store’s continued success

Back in 2021, Apple said that App Store developers earned a total of $260 billion to date, which means that the company forked out a whopping $60 billion to developers last year, representing just a fraction of the company’s overall commerce. The sum is a testament to the success of the global App Store which continues to provide an easy way for users to discover and download apps and games. 

Apple payout to developers 2022

Source: Apple

Apple said the App Store now has a whopping 650 million visitors from across 175 regions each week and continues to deliver new experiences. Some of the top apps last year included the social app BeReal and the mobile game Apex Legends.

Many challenges ahead

However, 2022 hasn’t been an easy year for the App Store as it faced further antitrust lawsuits, one of which is now being prepared by the US Department of Justice. The UK is also looking into the group’s browsers and cloud gaming services in connection to the Android-Apple duopoly. 

Apple has been working at making concessions. It changed its pricing on the App Store late last year to address common complaints from developers who want to run their businesses according to their preferred rules. 

Apple subscription businesses flourish

Despite these hurdles, the group announced its subscription businesses were doing particularly well. Apple Arcade, the group’s game subscription business, added another 50 titles in 2022 and now hosts over 200 games. Apple Music now has over 100 million songs available in its catalogue. Meanwhile, Apple Fitness+ has grown to over 3,500 workouts. 

Other Apple services pick up

Source: Apple

Key takeaways

• Apple paid out $320 billion to app developers since 2008
• The company now has 900 million paid subscriptions across various services 
• The App Store has 650 million visitors from across 175 regions each week

The post Apple subscriptions drive $320 billion pay-out to app developers appeared first on Business of Apps.

In light of the growing importance of user privacy and following the launch of Apple’s Ad Tracking Transparency framework in 2021, more app and mobile advertisers moved their budgets to focus on Android. That’s according to a report from mobile performance agency AdQuantum and intelligence platform SocialPeta. 

Mobile advertisers reconsider their investments

During the first half of 2022, the number of mobile and app advertisers dropped 6% year-on-year while total creatives dropped 27% month-on-month. Europe and America saw the most significant decline at 30% and 21% year-on-year, respectively. 

However, advertisers increased by 10% in the Middle East, South America, South Asia and other emerging markets. APAC has some of the most engaged mobile gamers with 70% pre-registering for games and the average session length surpassing the global average of 30 minutes by 4 minutes. 

Marketers move to focus on quality and UGC

The drop in creatives can be attributed to a growing number of marketers focusing on quality over quantity. The total number of mobile game creatives declined 28% during H1 2022. Casual and puzzle games attracted higher percentages of creatives while in non-gaming reading and tool apps saw creatives jump. Shopping app creatives declined 2% year-on-year.

Non-gaming app categories attracting highest percentage of app creatives

Source: AdQuantum

Meta continues to be the main mobile paid traffic source, particularly for non-gaming apps. When it comes to gaming apps, the social platform is more closely followed by Instagram and Messenger.

Android attracts more creatives than iOS

The average app creative on Android was 171 more than on iOS. Android had about 70% of mobile game advertisers and creatives and 60% of total advertisers. The average percentage of creatives per advertiser on Android was 14% more than that on iOS.

Percentages of creatives for iOS (blue) versus Android (green) 

Source: AdQuantum

“Operating in a post-ATT environment, gaming apps (particularly hyper casuals) have led the way in getting users to opt-in when asked if an app can track their activity. According to Adjust data, gaming apps currently boast a 34% opt-in rate, followed by social  at 22%, and e-commerce apps at 21%. Hyper casual reaches as high as 51% in some regions,” says Elena Ivanova, Senior Account Executive, Adjust.

CPM is a top user acquisition strategy

When it comes to user acquisition, US marketers still prefer CPM. The average CPM was over $20 but the US had the highest advertising cost at an average CPM of $28, CPC of $4 and CTR of 1.2%. 

Advertising costs for mobile non-gaming apps continue to rise

Source: AdQuantum

In the second half of the year, advertising costs for non-gaming apps rose to $9, up 64% from H1 2021, and $19 for game apps (up 18%).

Key takeaways

• Number of mobile and app advertisers dropped 6% year-on-year while total creatives dropped 27% month-on-month in H1 2022 
• Advertisers increased 10% in the Middle East, South America, South Asia and other emerging markets
• Android had about 70% of mobile game advertisers and creatives and 60% of total advertisers

The post Android accounted for 70% of app ad creatives in second half of 2022 appeared first on Business of Apps.

Marketers anticipate spending significantly more of their budgets on digital audio in 2023, followed by digital video, according to the latest industry report from Integral Ad Science. Social media and mobile remain key priorities for marketers this year, but experts acknowledge that there are many challenges ahead. Let’s dive in. 

Marketing concerns in 2023

To understand spending for app and mobile campaigns a little better, it’s worth taking a look at the main concerns marketers continue to face this year. 51% consider decreasing access to consumer data and cookies a challenge while 33% cite ad placement alongside risky content as a problem.

Which of the following will be major digital media challenges for your organization?

Source: IAS

Experts believe social media will face some serious challenges this year in light of increasing privacy issues. The Metaverse is also considered a more challenging media type as it’s relatively new and therefore its limitations and possibilities aren’t well understood.

Social media remains an essential ad strategy

A whopping 91% of media experts plan to advertise on at least one social media platform this year. However, economic headwinds are dampening social media ad spend growth. It’s expected to grow 8% this year in the US, down from 37% in 2021. 

Overall, it seems marketers are keen to distribute their ad spend more evenly across different platforms including Facebook and YouTube, but also Twitter and instargarm. WhatsApp is the only platform that shows an intent for increasing usage this year. 

On which platforms will your organization buy advertising or monetize content?

Source: IAS

For 86% of marketers view ability is an important metric when assessing campaigns and 67% are satisfied that social media platforms deliver the necessary transparency on viewability metrics. However, a third are concerned about social media being more vulnerable to fraud and brand risk this year. 

Eroding consumer trust is another major issue in social advertising according to 77% of experts. As a consequence, Facebook will see the highest adjustment in spending as trust appears to be declining more sharply here. 

Key takeaways

• 51% of marketers find decreasing access to consumer data and cookies a challenge
• 91% of media experts plan to advertise on at least one social media platform this year
• 77% consider eroding consumer trust a major issue in social advertising

The post Trust in social media among the top app and mobile marketing concerns in 2023 appeared first on Business of Apps.

Empathy is the single most important human skill for the future of business.

Join us for a thought-provoking discussion on the impact of empathy on business success and the wider world. Featuring empathy in action from leaders, change-makers and doers. Register here.

What you will learn

Empathy creates life-changing experiences

A positive customer or app experience is driven by empathy. By understanding their needs, you can make them happy and feel great, which boosts business growth.

Empathy drives successful product innovation

Empathy is more than a feel-good technique; it is necessary for innovation. You must listen to customers to create products and apps that make their lives easier.

Empathy safeguards our planet’s future

Every successful business practices sustainability. Whether you’re in retail or not, a small or large business, you can help make the planet safer.

Live webinar on January 19, 3:30PM GMT, 10:30AM EST

Save your spot here and enter the draw to win brand-new Airpods.

The post Customer empathy and sustainability – The new growth hack for businesses and apps appeared first on Business of Apps.

One-fifth of mobile gamers focus on the game when playing and nothing else making them a highly alert audience for in-app marketing. That’s according to the latest research from brand advertising tech provider LoopMe, which examined the consumer preferences of in-app mobile gaming in the US, UK and Singapore. But what exactly are the opportunities for in-game marketers in 2023?

Majority of gamers play on mobile devices

According to the study, 62% of consumers play games on their mobile devices, with 76% playing almost an hour each day and 15% playing more than five hours per day. While gamers spend 50% more time playing than using their social apps, marketers are predicted to spend 7x more of their revenues on social ads. 

“As mobile gaming continues to grow in popularity and deliver the reach, engagement, and results that marketers are seeking in a brand-safe environment, we see in-app mobile gaming becoming an intentional and increasingly important part of mix in 2023, right alongside CTV and social,” said Rachel Conforti, SVP Marketing at LoopMe. “LoopMe is proud to be a category leader in in-app mobile gaming, helping connect brands and apps so that advertisers can lean into this massive market opportunity, address a highly engaged market segment and bring to light new opportunities that exist within this ecosystem.”

Do you play games on a mobile phone or tablet?

Source: LoopMe

The study also shows that 57% of consumers playing games on their mobile devices do so in their spare time while 43% watch TV on the side. This may open a complementary opportunity to reach audiences. 

The opportunities for in-app marketers

Creative formats in-app such as non-skippable ads and full-screen and sound-on video ad formats capture consumer attention. LoopMe also expects higher demand for gamification or rewarded video ads to boost intent and favourability. Its research found that in-app mobile game optimisation performance against brand lift is 2-4x higher than other industry norms. 

“Leveraging newer ad formats – for instance, playable and interactive ads – can translate into more momentum for brands’ ad content because users don’t have to be passive, which is, of course, how games work. The in-app mobile gaming creative market will get more interesting in 2023 as more big brands experiment with these more engaging ad types,” said Lewis Ward, Research Director, Gaming and VR/AR at IDC.

Key takeaways

• 62% of consumers play games on their mobiles 
• 76% play for almost an hour each day 
• 57% of consumers playing games on their mobile devices in their spare time 

The post A fifth of mobile gamers are deeply engaged when playing in-app appeared first on Business of Apps.

Last year, 450 app marketers joined us for an epic event featuring 4 rooms of app growth content and 50 speakers. Here are some highlights:

We are excited to be back this year, it is going to be better than ever…

Super Early Bird tickets are on sale until 20th January and we would love for you to join us.

Let us know if you’d like to participate as a speaker or join a panel.

If you would like to support the event as one of our partners, the team would love to hear from you.

The post Become a smarter app marketer – join us at APS London appeared first on Business of Apps.

In 2023 mobile marketers continue to face tracking issues in light of Apple’s privacy update and brand safety concerns have not been sufficiently addressed either. And yet, more advertisers plan to increase their ad spending on social channels (25%+) than other channels. Only video ads and eCommerce investments came close, according to Mediaocean’s 2022 Market Report and 2023 outlook. So what’s fuelling rising investment in social?

Social video may be where it’s at

Among the top consumer trends advertisers are watching this year is social video (63%). That’s hardly surprising given the phenomenal success of TikTok. But short-form video doesn’t come in a vacuum and is also a strong driver of eCommerce spending. Advertisers see social as a major opportunity with 49% saying they were excited about its potential for better creative and production tools while 40% cited better ad performance.

Social video is a top trend in 2023

Source: Mediaocean

Over half of them cited performance-driven paid media as a critical media investment, followed by measurement and attribution (41%). 

Measurement and privacy are key concerns

Technical hurdles have been a persistent issue for marketers to evaluate the true impact of their campaigns over the last few years and continue to be a challenge in 2023. When asked about the most impactful tech innovation for advertising, measurement improvement came out on top (27%) followed by improvements in the planning and execution of campaigns (21%). 

Which marketing technology innovation do you believe will be most impactful for your advertising in 2023?

Source: Mediaocean

However, marketers continue to feel unprepared for the upcoming privacy challenges in app and mobile marketing (37%) and are worried about the loss of third-party data (32%) and their inability to accurately measure campaigns (32%).

It seems marketers have become a bit passive when it comes to finding or helping to build measurement alternatives which preserve privacy making it a potentially major focus point for ad tech firms in 2023.

Key takeaways

• Advertisers are watching social video (63%) as a top consumer trend in 2023
• Measurement improvement is a top impactful tech innovation for advertising
• But marketers continue to feel unprepared for the upcoming privacy challenges in app and mobile marketing (37%) 

The post Mobile advertisers are eyeing social video despite persistent hurdles in ad measurement appeared first on Business of Apps.

Mastodon, the German microblogging service that rivals Twitter, used to be relatively unknown. But ever since Elon Musk acquired Twitter and plunged the company into chaos, more people have been installing Mastodon on their mobile devices. So what’s happening? 

Interest in Mastodon spikes as Musk takes over

Back in November 2022, Mastodon had some 35,000 users. The app, created by Rodti MacLeary in 2019 as a decentralised, open-source social media platform, reached momentum when Elon Musk took over Twitter which sparked criticism and led to Musk even banning private user accounts. 

By December 2022, Mastodon had gone from 300,000 monthly active users to 2.5 million as users abandoned Twitter in favour of a more democratised platform. But can Mastodon sustain growth?

Mastodon growth slows

AppstoreSpy, the app market intelligence toolset for Android and iOS, recently shared data that concludes the hype surrounding Mastodon may be over. While daily Play Store installs of the app peaked at 185,000 during November, they had dropped at the end of the month and fluctuated at around 3,000 ever since. 

Mastodon downloads and revenues

Source: AppstoreSpy

Peaks of Mastodon downloads were linked to Musk’s tweets and statements. The majority of downloads came from Germany (20.5% for Apple devices and 31.8% for Android devices). A third of the app’s new Android users came from Germany, while 25% came from the US, Spain, France and Brazil. On the App Store, half of the downloads came from Germany, the US and China. 

Mastodon downloads by countries

Source: AppstoreSpy

Key takeaways

• Mastodon installs reached momentum when Elon Musk took over Twitter but are linked to Musk’s statements and tweets.
• Daily Play Store installs of the app peaked at 185,000 during November, but dropped at the end of the month and have fluctuated at around 3,000 ever since.
• Majority of downloads came from Germany (20.5% of Apple devices and 31.8% for Android devices).

The post Mastodon growth slows after gaining millions of new users appeared first on Business of Apps.

During the fourth quarter of 2022, 58% of marketers boosted their spending on social media campaigns, despite concerns over brand safety and ad transparency. The findings from Advertiser Perceptions (via Marketing Dive) suggest that the outlook for social media marketing in 2023 could be much better than previously expected.

Social media budgets are on the rise

The latest data reveals that over half of advertisers have increased their social media spending compared to 15% who decided to pause spending on the channel during Q4 2022. That’s quite a leap from the 29% of advertisers who paused or reduced spending in the previous quarter. 

The reallocation of budgets also benefitted other channels including search (38%), connected TV (30%), mobile in-app (28%), and digital/streaming audio ads (24%).

Some of the top trends marketers are watching in 2023, included TikTok and social video (63%) according to data from Mediaocean.

Social leads for top consumer trends in 2023

Source: Mediaocean

Marketers expand their reach to new platforms

Advertisers aren’t just bolstering their budgets, they’re also diversifying the range of platforms they use. Among the 300 marketers surveyed, 49% said they were working with more platforms such as TikTok and Twitch. While Facebook and YouTube will remain the top platforms for monetising content in 2023, WhatsApp was the only platform with an increased usage intent for 2023 according to Integral Ad Science.

On which platforms will your organization buy advertising or monetize content?

Source: Integral Ad Science

BeReal is a strong contender for 2023 as Gen Z and Alpha are moving over to the platform which is known to encourage authenticity. However, establishing brand safety guidelines will be key in 2023, as 77% of media experts say consumer trust in social media platforms is declining which could negatively affect media spending. 

Key takeaways

• 58% of marketers boosted their spending on social media campaigns in Q4 2022
• Top trends marketers are watching in 2023, included TikTok and social video (63%)
• 49% are working with more platforms such as TikTok and Twitch

The post Over half of marketers increase spending on social media appeared first on Business of Apps.

This year we’ve all been eyeing the effects of the end of COVID lockdowns and Apple’s privacy changes on app development and marketing efforts. While in-app spending took a bit of a hit, users were spending more time in their top apps and downloads remained flat or increased slightly. So what’s in store for 2023? Here are some predictions from industry experts.

Zarnaz Arlia, CMO at Emplifi

Brands will tap into emerging social media platforms like BeReal

Remember the Clubhouse craze? Part of social media marketing is all about experimentation. If you don’t try new formats, new platforms, or new trends, you’re already out of the loop. Not every test will work, but that’s exactly why it’s a test. With the success of TikTok and overall Gen-Z online behaviours brands will become more confident in dipping their toe into emerging platforms. 

BeReal is a great example of an up-and-coming platform with a lot of promise. Similar to TikTok, when the app debuted brands were sceptical. But those that got onboard, and especially early saw the effort paid off. We’re already seeing creative strategies with brands like Chipotle who are using BeReal as a way to offer exclusive promos and discounts. This is just the start. More brands will look to apps like BeReal to grow their Gen-Z community with an authentic approach to marketing.

Video will (still) dominate 

Marketers have been hearing it for years, “video will become the number one content format brands need to leverage.” In 2023 this will still be the case – but luckily for brands, it will be the scrappy, unpolished clips that will be what audiences want more of. Ditch the high-budget campaigns featuring celebrities and pick up a cell phone to start recording and editing in-app. Not only are brands publishing more Reels, but it’s paying off. According to a recent study, the interaction count for Reels was almost 40% higher than for traditional videos. 

But the burden of video content creation doesn’t need to fall on brands. More and more content creators are turning to platforms like TikTok to showcase products. With hashtags like #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt growing to nearly 27 billion views, it’s clear this format has become a perfect fit for influencers and users to share their experiences in an engaging way. Brands will take this a step further in 2023 and get savvier about partnering with video-first influencers who can help amplify messages relevant to audiences while helping scale production.

Megan Gall, VP, Strategy, Social GTM at Mediaocean

BeReal and Tik Tok your way into 2023:

The usage of social channels and platforms is an essential and permanent component of any business’ marketing strategy. However, it’s important to remember that consumer activity on these platforms is extremely fluid. Marketers need to be aware of this and manage their activity accordingly. For example, many of the popular social media platforms from the early noughties, such as Friendster and Bebo, now cease to exist. Despite reaching a significant user base at the time, users moved towards newer platforms, including the likes of Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat in the 2010s. This churn certainly hasn’t slowed in recent years, with the rapid rise in popularity of platforms such as Tik Tok and BeReal.

These platforms are indicative of a new generation and a new way of thinking. Brands are having to work harder to retain their customers, who are increasingly demanding more from the businesses they engage with. Consumers increasingly want to see brands with purpose. Those who care about more than just their bottom line and which demonstrate a level of authenticity in their approach. In 2023 and beyond, we can expect to see marketers continue to utilise the established social platforms in their campaigns but also increase focus on TikTok and BeReal driving creative flex and the attention of the hard-to-reach Gen Z. One thing to watch out for will be BeReal’s next step to maturity and what monetization model it lands on.

Kevin McGuire, Chief Product Officer, Digital Turbine

Mobile app economy

The post What does 2023 hold for mobile and app marketing? appeared first on Business of Apps.

During the final of the FIFA World Cup app sessions spiked in Argentina and France, according to new data shared by app experts AppsFlyer. An analysis of mobile app usage in the countries identified some interesting trends. Mobile usage was highest during half-time and toward the end of the month. 

Sports betting and live scoring apps peaked

Each time there was a goal, the usage of sports betting and live sport scoring apps jumped, as viewers checked stats and monitored their sports bets. The data also shows that social and gaming apps peaked during half-time with many users making the most of their break to share their thoughts with friends and family and play games online. 

The findings are based on 40 million sessions from 16,000 mobile apps in Argentina and 90 million sessions and 28,000 apps in France. 

Effect of goals and half-time on app sessions in France and Argentina

Source: AppsFlyer

Mobile app sessions: France vs Argentina 

In France, app sessions at half-time rose to 132% (125% in gaming, 150% in social) while Argentina saw sessions jump a whopping 210% during half-time (120% in gaming, 282% in social).

There was also a 140% rise in session at the end of regulation in France versus 120% in Argentina. 

French app users got very excited about each goal and mobile sessions in the ‘Casino Real Money & Sports Betting’ category spiked 200% during the first two goals of Argentina and 300% during the first two goals of France. 

Key takeaways

• App sessions spiked with each goal in France and Argentina
• Social and gaming apps peaked during half time
• App sessions in France rose 132% and 210% in Argentina during half-time

The post App sessions rose during World Cup half-time in France and Argentina appeared first on Business of Apps.

Spending on apps is estimated to hit $129 billion in 2022 a slight drop of 2% from $131 billion in 2021. That’s according to the latest roundup by data intelligence company data.ai. Despite economic headwinds, app installs rose in 2022. Let’s dive into the data.

The competition among apps is ramping up

Gross revenues for the App Store and Google Play were down by 2% compared to 2021. Around $83 billion of total revenues were attributed to iOS while the remainder was generated by Android apps ($46 billion).

While Apple retained its lead over Android, it didn’t expand its position any further. Around 65% of dollars spent in-app during 2022 will come from iOS users. Spending on mobile games was very similar to last year’s despite the economic slump.

App adoption on the rise

App installs jumped 9% to around 151 billion in 2022, up from 140 billion in 2021. Google Play was a major driver of app downloads accounting for 73% while spending amounted to just 28% of the global total.

Global app downloads are growing

Source: data.ai

New downloads on Google Play were up 12% over the previous year reaching 117 billion. Apple installs grew a meagre 1% to 34 billion. 

Among the top apps for downloads in 2022 were social apps Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat. Shopping apps such as Shopsy and Meesho also ranked in the top 5. 

For consumer spending and monthly active users, TikTok ranked top. Video and dating apps saw some of the highest consumer spending. Monthly active usage was more broadly spread across utility, social and shopping apps.

Social apps scored top for downloads while video apps ranked highest for consumer spending

Source: data.ai

Interestingly, users are spending most of their time in the Global Search app. 

Gaming titles that performed exceptionally well include Stumble Guys (downloads), Honor of Kings (consumer spend) and ROBLOX (MAUs). 

Key takeaways

• Spending on apps to reach $129 billion in 2022
• Gross revenues for the App Store and Google Play were down by 2% compared to 2021
• App installs jumped 9% to around 151 billion in 2022

The post App adoption rose 9% in 2022 appeared first on Business of Apps.

App marketers are turning to short-form content more than before in an effort to gain users and boost downloads. That’s according to a new study from Gamesight based on an analysis of data from the company’s ad platform examining the frequency of individual ad platforms for engagement and player conversion. 

Short-form content is on the rise but conversions need to catch up

TikTok usage among app marketers was up 115% from 2021, which demonstrates the ability of short video to raise brand awareness. However, TikTok conversion rates dropped from 2.65% to 0.96% as a consequence of the fast-paced nature of the short-form video app.

TikTok app ad conversion and retention rates

Source: Gamesight

TikTok, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Snapchat retention rates were 40% higher than non-social platforms. While there are many factors driving retention, these ad platforms are aligning games with their target audiences.

Conversion on YouTube is higher

YouTube had a lower volume but higher conversions compared to TikTok. The two shared similar retention and audience reach but have different audience relationships. While TikTok introduces ads to a broader audience, people also swipe past posts more quickly. YouTube had fewer impressions overall but converted users at a higher rate.

Interestingly, conversions of gaming ads were 43% higher on desktop than on mobile. The exception here is TikTok where ads performed 9x better on mobile than on desktop. Adwords was the only balanced platform in the top 5 where PC conversion rates were just 13% higher than on mobile. 

Key takeaways

• TikTok usage among app marketers was up 115% from 2021
• TikTok conversion rates dropped from 2.65% to 0.96% 
• TikTok, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Snapchat retention rates were 40% higher than non-social platforms
• YouTube had a lower volume but higher conversions compared to TikTok

The post App marketers are eyeing short-form content opportunities appeared first on Business of Apps.

Mobile game installs grew a whopping 52% in Japan between 2020 and 2021, much higher than other verticals, e-commerce (13%), fintech (11%) or dating (4%) apps. That’s according to new research from Liftoff and Adjust, tracking Japan’s mobile app market. 

Session length jumps

The new Japan mobile trends report also found that sessions for all apps grew 23% with total sessions peaking at 33% above 2020 in August 2021.

App install growth by vertical 

Source: Adjust/Liftoff

During the first half of 2022, Japanese users spent an average of 26.5 minutes playing games on their mobile devices, exceeding the average 15-minute session length. Users embraced gaming during the pandemic which may not be all that surprising given that Japan is the third-biggest games market globally. Users spent 14.4 minutes in dating apps and over 10 minutes with eCommerce.

Hyper-casuals get more installs

In terms of gaming genre, hyper-casual titles saw 15% of total installs, while role-playing games ranked second at 13%. However, when it comes to sessions, role-playing and action games are still leading. iOS attacks around two-thirds of gaming apps, while Android accounted for just 33%. Retention rates for Japan games were slightly lower than global figures at 22% for day 1 and 3% for day 30 retention rates.

Game genres in installs and session

Source: Adjust/Liftoff

In terms of cost-per-install, the average was $5.46 for casual gaming apps in 2021.

eCommerce and fintech apps chart session growth

Over the past two years, eCommerce apps have grown significantly in Japan with sessions surging 20% in 2021 compared to 2020. In 2022, sessions in shopping apps rose another 8% compared to 2021.

Digital and cashless payments skyrocketed by 21% during the pandemic and mobile wastes accounted for 49% of eCommerce transactions globally. Sessions in fintech apps increased 47% from 2020 to 2021. During the first half of 2022, they were up 13% compared to 2021. 

Rise of eCommerce app sessions

Source: Adjust/Liftoff

While sessions for dating apps have grown steadily over the last two years, the cost of acquiring new users has gone up too. CPI for dating apps rose during the winter and hit a high of $6.60 per install in February 2022.

Key takeaways

• Mobile game installs rose 52% in Japan between 2020 and 2021
• Sessions for all apps grew 23%
• Installs of hyper casual games grew 15%

The post Game app installs jump 52% in Japan, sessions in eCommerce and fintech apps are up appeared first on Business of Apps.

After an extensive audit of the best app data providers in the market, Phiture is choosing to collaborate with AppTweak to unlock and support growth for the world’s biggest apps. AppTweak’s powerful data-driven solutions provide a high level of accuracy to analyze the mobile marketing industry.

Phiture and AppTweak strengthen their business relationship

The industry-leading mobile marketing consultancy, Phiture, is today strengthening its business relationship with AppTweak, the leading app store optimization (ASO) tool and app data provider. By combining AppTweak’s best-in-class data with Phiture’s industry-acclaimed thought leadership, the mobile growth consultancy will be able to provide more innovative growth solutions to its clients.

In a fast-paced industry facing ever-changing markets, AppTweak and Phiture continue to strengthen their partnership to deliver the most dynamic and innovative solutions to mobile leaders’ growth challenges. Accuracy and innovation are at the forefront of AppTweak’s data-driven approach, complementing Phiture’s own mission to deliver thought leadership and innovative solutions to its clients.

Improved collaboration and faster innovation

Phiture’s increased use of AppTweak’s app market intelligence data and API will therefore nurture:

• Improved collaboration: By automating reporting tasks and facilitating the creation of dashboards through AppTweak’s API, Phiture will be able to deliver outstanding productivity and performance to its clients.
• Faster innovation: Through increased data extraction flexibilities and thanks to AppTweak’s rapid release of cutting-edge features, Phiture strengthens innovation and creativity within its own solutions.
• Focus on systematic approach: Scalability, quality, and flexibility of data-driven solutions are values shared between both companies, ensuring solutions are tailored to every mobile leader’s needs.

“Phiture’s unique value proposition is to offer innovative solutions to our clients. By choosing AppTweak as our preferred data provider, we look to strengthen our position as the leading mobile growth consultancy in the market,” claims Moritz Daan, Partner & Co-Founder at Phiture. “Through this enhanced business relationship, we aim to further empower our clients with the right data tool to ensure their long-term success.”

“Our ASO and Market Intelligence solutions provide mobile leaders with powerful data and insights into their app’s performance and competitors’ marketing strategies,” explains Olivier Verdin, CEO at AppTweak. “Strengthening our business relationship with Phiture will help app marketers benefit from AppTweak’s innovative data-driven solutions and Phiture’s excellent mobile growth consultancy services.

The post Phiture chooses AppTweak as preferred app data provider appeared first on Business of Apps.

Social apps now need 30% fewer downloads to rank in the top app charts in Europe compared to 2019. That’s according to new data revealed by Sensor Tower. However, while adoption of social apps may be slowing, other trends have emerged that are boosting app engagement. 

If you want to be on top…

According to the data, social apps need 260,000 installs within a single day to chart at the top of the App Store or Google Play. That’s quite a drop from 366,000 in Q3 2019 and it’s even steeper when considering that social apps needed an average of 552,000 installs per day during the pandemic, a decline of 53%. Market concentration has also lowered with the top three apps accounting for 34% of the market in 2022 and 39% in 2019.

Installs needed to rank top in app stores

Source: Sensor Tower

Europeans are spending more on social apps

While downloads may be down, European app users spent $830 million on social apps during the first three quarters of 2022, a 86% rise from the previous year. TikTok, LinkedIn and Twitch were the top-grossing social apps in the region, accounting for 77% of all social in-app revenues. 

TikTok revenues however grew just 3% during Q3 2022 compared to Q2. But as the app continues to diversify its income streams, German users in particular are happy to keep spending. 

Gross social app revenues by month

Source: Sensor Tower

Key takeaways

• Social apps need 260,000 installs within a single day to chart at the top of the App Store of Google Play
• That’s a drop of 53% from 2020 
• European app users spent 86% more in-app

The post Social apps need 30% fewer downloads to rank top appeared first on Business of Apps.

Apple has changed the way developers are pricing their apps on the App Store. The company recently announced it would be expanding its App Store pricing system to enable developers access to more than 700 additional price points bringing them up to a total 900. So what will that mean for publishers?

Apple changes pricing on App Store

The changes mean that US developers can set their prices for apps, subscriptions and in-app pricing to as low as $0.29 or up to $10,000. Previously, the company has been much more restrictive when it comes to pricing. However, when Apple shifted to subscriptions, a growing number of app developers demanded more flexibility when it comes to pricing as it stifled special offers and deals. The changes may also be a result of Criticism from regulators over potentially anti-competitive pricing.

The changes to pricing became effective on December 6th for subscriptions and will be rolled out to paid apps and in-app content early next year. 

App Store pricing differences

Source: Apple

What the changes could mean for developers

The changes will provide more options for developers globally to set prices for apps and app content. Previously, Apple offered some 200 price points for subscriptions. These have now increased to 900 price points. 

App developers looking to add higher price points above $1,000 will need to write to Apple to justify their high pricing. In the lower tier, price points can increase in $0.10 increments. Setting prices as low as $0.29 may also lower the barrier among predominantly freemium app developers to start charging for their apps. 

Apple also announced new tools for developers to manage their currency and taxes more effectively. 

Key takeaways

• Developers can access over 700 additional price points bringing them up to a total 900.
• Prices for apps, subscriptions and in-app pricing set as low as $0.29 or up to $10,000
• Pricing in $0.10 increments

The post Apple makes app pricing more flexible on App Store appeared first on Business of Apps.

Around 75% of people aged 10 to 65 years in Germany and in the UK are mobile gaming enthusiasts, making these countries major hubs for game developers. That’s according to new data from Newzoo.

Top European hubs for game developers 

Germany and the UK will be the fifth and sixth top gaming markets globally when it comes to user revenues, generating $6.6 billion and $5.5 billion, respectively. Almost 50 million people in Germany are now plaything games compared to 39 million in the UK. And a third of users are also watching game-related content. 

Gamers are also happy to spend money on video games with 64% purchasing games, in-app features and other items. Top motivators for spending in-game included special offers or unlocking exclusive playable content. 

Game engagement in the UK versus Germany

Source: Newzoo

Gamer genders still skew a little male with 54% of players being male and 45% being female. 

Mobile is where it’s at

Mobile is the top platform for playing games in both countries, with 46% of UK gamers and 43% of German gamers playing on their mobile phones. A third of users said they preferred gaming on mobile devices over consoles while 43% of Brits prefer consoles. Adventure titles ranked top in the UK, while German gamers prefer shooter games.

Game platform preferences

Source: Newzoo

The data sheds light on local gaming preferences and the differences between the countries. 

Key takeaways

• 75% of people  in Germany and in the UK are mobile gaming enthusiasts
• Gamers are also happy to spend money on video games with 64% purchasing games, in-app features and other items
• Mobile is the top platform for playing games in both countries, with 46% of UK gamers and 43% of German gamers playing on their mobile phones

The post 64% of UK and German gamers happy to spend money in-app and mobile is top gaming platform appeared first on Business of Apps.

2020 was the year for food delivery apps as more people under lockdown restrictions turned to their mobile devices to order food online. However, as lockdowns lifted consumers have returned to in-person dining at restaurants and economic headwinds might mean customers are spending less. Despite this, global installs of food delivery apps in 2022 were higher than in 2020, according to new data from Adjust. 

Food delivery installs higher than expected

Installs of food delivery apps were 5% higher in 2022 compared to 2020 and up 34% over 2019. In the EMEA, food delivery app installs jumped 45% between 2020 and 2021 and dropped slightly in 2022. However, they’ve remained 26% above 2019 levels which shows that consumers have jumped on the food delivery trend. Installs in North America rose 29% over 2021 and have been 52% higher this year than in 2019.

Food delivery app installs 2020-2022

Source: Adjust

Users are spending more time in food delivery apps

Impressively, sessions in food delivery apps rose 58% year-on-year in 2021 and jumped another 3% in 2022. This means food apps have been largely able to retain their pandemic users. Global sessions grew a whopping 212% between 2019 to 2022. 

Regionally, North America saw the most impressive growth in food apps (77%) in 2021 and another 20% in 2022. In EMEA, food delivery app sessions jumped 48% from 2020 to 2021 and 3% in 2022, signalling that ordering meals in-app has become a major fixture in people’s lives. 

Food delivery app session growth by region

Source: Adjust

Session lengths were also up, jumping to 16.07 minutes in 2022, up from 12.7 minutes in 2020.

However, grocery delivery apps aren’t enjoying the same fate as consumers appear to be cutting costs due to skyrocketing inflation, delivery fees and service charges. Americans spent 26% less on grocery delivery in 2022 compared to 2020.

Key takeaways

• Installs of food delivery apps were 5% higher in 2022 compared to 2020 and up 34% over 2019
• Sessions in food delivery apps rose 58% year-on-year in 2021 and jumped another 3% in 2022
• Session lengths jumped to 16.07 minutes in 2022, up from 12.7 minutes in 2020

The post Food delivery app installs rose 34% compared to 2019 appeared first on Business of Apps.

Tis the season for next year predictions and the latest are just in, courtesy of data.ai. The mobile app and ad experts predict that mobile ad spend will reach $362 billion in 2023 driven by The World Cup and The Winter Olympics, down 7.5% from the previous year. So what’s happening to mobile ad spend and consumer spending in 2023?

Growth of mobile ad spend slows due to economy

Given economic headwinds, the mobile ad industry is predicted to grow more slowly next year. There’s some hope that the Winter Olympics and FIFA World Cup can sustain higher spending. 

Short video apps are expected to be a major driver of ad spending in 2022. 

“We are starting to see a levelling off in mobile spend following the surge seen during the pandemic, although still significantly higher than where we started off in 2019. Mobile will remain at the heart of consumers’ lives as demand for digital connection, self-expression, and deepening personalization of apps will fuel sustained growth in time spent,” says Lexi Sydow, Head of Insights at data.ai.

Mobile ad spend growth slows

Source: data.ai

In-game spending to drop

Consumer spending in mobile games faces a similar fate and is predicted to decline 5% in 2022 to $110 billion following the economic squeeze. For a long time, game spending used to be resilient to wider economic implications, but privacy changes by Apple and Google have made quite an impact on in-app purchases. 

Eleven out of 14 titles surpassing $2 billion in App Store consumer spending will be games. Apps like HBO Max and iQIYI will join Disney+, Netflix, Youtube and TikTok in the $3 billion consumer spend club for video streaming and short video apps. 

Mobile shopping hits a high

Mobile shopping hit an all-time high on Black Friday 2022 accounting for almost 50% of all sales among the top 100 internet retailers in the US. Shopify said mobile accounted for 73% of global sales for smaller merchants and direct-to-consumer brands. Travel, live events and sports are all capturing consumer attention and more screen time next year.

App categories predicted to grow consumer spending

Source: data.ai

Key takeaways

• Mobile ad spend will reach $362 billion in 2023 
• Consumer spending in mobile games to decline 5% in 2022 to $110 billion 
• Eleven out of 14 titles surpassing $2 billion in App Store consumer spending will be games

The post Mobile ad spend growth to slow to $362 billion in 2023 appeared first on Business of Apps.

Messaging app Telegram this week reported that it now has over one million paying subscribers for its Premium service. The user privacy-focused app only started monetising its service over a year ago which makes the results all the more impressive. 

Telegram Premium hits one million subscribers

Telegram launched Premium only five months ago, a time frame in which it quickly attracted a milestone subscriber base of one million. While subscribers represent just a small part of the app’s oral revenue, it’s an exciting milestone for Telegram. 

One reason for its phenomenal growth is the app’s strong user privacy focus. 

Following a change to its data sharing policy in 2021, many WhatsApp users sought alternative messenger apps. Telegram and Signal were quick to snap up some of these users. Telegram reached 63.5 million downloads in January 2021, up 283% from the previous year. Now, the company has over 700 million users globally. 

Global downloads of Telegram spike

Source: Sensor Tower

What’s Telegram Premium?

Telegram Premium is the app’s monthly subscription service that includes better features and chat download speeds. While many of the app’s previously free features continue to be available at no charge, the Premium option gives users more folders (20), 1,000 channels and four connected accounts. They can also send and download files up to 4GB in size faster. Premium cost between $4 to $6 depending on the country. 

Telegram plans to use revenues from its subscription feature to pay for its servers, traffic and staff wages as it continues to improve its app features. 

Key takeaways

• Telegram messenger app records one million paying subscribers for its Premium service
• Telegram downloads jumped 283% in 2021
• It now has over 700 million users worldwide

The post Telegram Premium hits one million subscribers appeared first on Business of Apps.

Social advertising and short-form video in particular are likely to capture more advertising spending in 2023 than any other channel. That’s according to the latest 2022 Market Report and 2023 Outlook from Mediaocean, the omnichannel advertising platform. Based on the answers of over 600 media agencies and experts, the report reveals some of the biggest opportunities in mobile and app advertising for 2023. Let’s dive in. 

Social platforms are attracting major ad spending

Among the top three media trends, advertisers said they were watching for 2023, 63% mentioned TikTok and social video. 54% cited CTV and streaming while 47% mentioned eCommerce. Interestingly, these trends tend to be connected with social video making more of an appearance in mCommerce.

Most important consumer trends being monitored

Source: MediaOcean

Social is attracting some of the biggest boosts to ad spending in 2023.

For each media channel below, do you expect to increase, decrease, or maintain your spend in 2023?

Source: MediaOcean

Better creative and production tools are widely considered one of the biggest opportunities to improve social channel execution (49%).

But advertisers are also increasingly aware that performance-driven paid media (52%), measurement and attribution (41%) and brand advertising (36%) are critical components of their strategies.

The challenges ahead

Though it looks like advertisers are enthusiastic about the future of mobile advertising in 2023, some major concerns remain. 37% cited the lack of preparedness for a cookieless future and other data deprecation relation to consumer privacy while 32% mentioned the decline in the ability to measure campaign effectiveness as a major worry. The loss of access to third-party data was also of growing concern (32%).

The largest areas of concern

Source: MediaOcean

Advertisers are torn when it comes to brand safety with 54% expecting their concerns on the matter of suitability ad placements to stay the same, while 40% expect concerns to increase. 

Key takeaways

• 63% said TikTok and social video were the top trends in advertising in 2023
• Creative and production tools are considered one of the biggest opportunities to improve social channel execution (49%)
• 37% said lack of preparedness for a cookieless future is a main challenge ahead

The post 63% of mobile advertisers consider social and short-form video a top trend for 2023 appeared first on Business of Apps.

The macroeconomic situation is having an effect on the app business as millions of consumers have less disposable income. App downloads fell 1% in Q2 2022 while consumer spending dropped 3% in H1 2022 compared to the previous year. However, downloads overall grew 13% during H1 2022, according to new data from data.ai.

Certain countries are defying global trends

Despite the economic situation, there were certain countries that defied expectations. App downloads jumped 35% in Uzbekistan and 30% in Venezuela while spending was up 23% in Kuwait and 19% in the UAE in H1 2022.

The app categories that were most resilient included travel apps which boomed due to seasonal travel trends. Mobile cleaner and anti-virus apps grew by 215 million during the period. Downloader and personalisation apps also saw higher downloads. Meanwhile, meeting and business app downloads fell as workers returned to the office.

The countries defying market expectations

Source: data.ai

In gaming, hypercasual titles remained in high demand. 

Video leads for app and time spent

In terms of consumer spending, short video, OTT and dating apps continued to attract user dollars. Nine of the top 10 apps for consumer spending were video streaming apps.

Users are spending more time and cash in short-video apps

Source: data.ai

Entertainment apps also scored highest for user time spent, followed by social apps and browser/search engines. 

Meanwhile, meeting and cryptocurrency apps were among the most adversely affected by users spending their time elsewhere. 

To motivate users to spend more time in apps, developers can focus on certain in-app features to unlock spending. The most prominent in-app features in food and drink apps for example include curated images, online order and delivery/pick up options and rewards and deals.

Key takeaways

• App downloads fell 1% in Q2 2022 while consumer spending dropped 3% in H1 2022 compared to the previous year
• App downloads jumped 35% in Uzbekistan and 30% in Venezuela while spending was up 23% in Kuwait and 19% in the UAE in H1 2022
• Short video, OTT and dating apps continued to attract user dollars

The post Short-video apps still going strong despite consumer spending falling 3% in H1 2022 appeared first on Business of Apps.

Back in December 2017 we at App Promotion Summit decided to launch the App Growth Awards to recognize companies and individuals that move the app industry forward and fuel app marketing, advertising and monetization with innovation and smart, bold ideas to solve the industry problems.

Last week, on December 1st we had the honor of hosting the fifth App Growth Awards ceremony to award teams and app industry professionals in multiple categories.

The panel of 15 independent judges decided to award the following companies.

App Advertising Platform
AppLovin

App Analytics Platform
Swaarm

App Data Platform
AppTweak

App Engagement Platform
OneSignal

App Revenue Platform
Qonversion

MMP of the Year
AppsFlyer

ASO Tool
SplitMetrics

ASO Agency 
Phiture

User Acquisition Company
AppAgent

App Marketing Agency of the Year
Geeklab

App Growth Innovation
SplashLearn

App Marketer of the Year
Alice Muir, Phiture

App Video
PhotoSì – App Video

Fastest Growing App
Sweatcoin

Growth Team of the Year
Yodel Mobile

Subscription App Campaign
Quit Social Media by Hannah Parvaz

Finance App Campaign
ConsultMyApp – Snoop

Shopping App Campaign
The Hut Group – Shopping Apps

Entertainment App Campaign
Smule – adidas Runtastic Challenge

Mobile Games Campaign
G5 Entertainment – Sherlock

App Store Marketing Campaign
Admiral Media – ImmoScout24

Retention Campaign
Shopmium – Cashback Boost Campaign

Influencer App Campaign
Tatam Digital – Blinkist Curious Minds

Paid Social App Campaign
Adquantum – Fitness App

Outstanding Contribution to the App Industry
Thomas Petit

Our sincere congratulations to all participants and especially the winners. Well done, guys! Keep. It. Up.

The post The 2022 App Growth Awards winners announced appeared first on Business of Apps.

Mobile gaming is very popular in Saudi Arabia and yet there are just a handful of game studios in the region (24) compared to Europe (5,000) and the US (3,084). That’s according to research from Nine66, a games ecosystem based in Saudi Arabi, which took a closer look at the state of mobile gaming in the region. 

Number of game development studios in Saudi Arabia on the rise

Saudi Arabia has been lagging behind major markets when it comes to mobile game development. That’s despite 83% of local studios finding the process of creating a startup straightforward. 

However, the latest report from Nine66 finds that the number of game development studios in the region almost doubled from 13 to 24 within the last year thanks to incubator programs such as GameChangers. The MENA region’s domestic market is one of the fastest growing ones globally with over 377 million estimated players. That’s similar to Europe (386 million). The increase in local studios highlights the region’s readiness to take the next step in the growth journey. 

Local developers are creating games spanning many different genres, but there is a noticeable preference towards action/adventure games, narrative-driven games and casual/hypercasual games.

Top game genres in development

Source: Nine66

Collaboration at the forefront

The study also found that 84% of interviewees had collaborated with other local developers before, either after meeting them at events or connecting on social media. 

The majority of respondents consider free-to-play the business model of the future despite the majority of developers building premium games right now. 

When asked which platforms developers are focusing on at the moment, two-thirds of said they were targeting PC (66%), twice as much as mobile at 32%. Developers in there region also believe they’re more likely to succeed on PC (51%) than mobile (33%).

Top platforms to succeed on

Source: Nine66

Funding has been a challenge for developers as investors do not yet fully understand the sector. Financial help and a drive to recruit more talent from outside the region are pressing needs for the sector.

Key takeaways

• 83% of local studios find the process of creating a startup straightforward
• Number of game development studios in Saudi Arabia almost doubled from 13 to 24 within the last year 
• 84% of interviewees collaborated with other local developers before

The post Number of mobile gaming development studios in Saudi Arabia almost doubles appeared first on Business of Apps.

Mobile game development isn’t all about a great idea, good characters or exciting worlds. The most successful mobile gaming apps feature several elements that elevate the gaming experience and keep users returning for more. But what exactly are they? 

The most popular in-game elements

Social clans and levels are among the most popular mobile game features, according to an analysis by Sensor Tower of the top 10 mobile games in September. The company recently launched a new meta feature filter within game taxonomy that lets users add context to their top performing games. 

Social clans are a meta feature where players can create or join a group of players to cooperate such as in games like Clash of Clans. Levels on the other hand present players with a longer path toward game completion. Levels are known from games such as Candy Crush or Knighthood. 

Mobile game revenues are down but usage is up

Mobile game revenues in September were $286.7 million among the top 10 mobile games Sensor Tower analysed, that’s 4% down from the previous month. The change is likely driven by weaker player spending due to economic uncertainty. 

Top 10 mobile games by revenue

Source: Sensor Tower

However, active users remained consistent with monthly active users rising 5% during September compared to January 2022. It shows that users are still hungry to play mobile games and might open opportunities for free game developers to boost their installs as users are reigning in spending.

Mobile gamers still keen to play

Source: Sensor Tower

Key takeaways

• Social clans and levels are among the most popular mobile game features
• Mobile game revenues in September were $286.7 million among the top 10 mobile games, 4% down from the previous month
• Monthly active users rose 5% during September compared to January 2022

The post Mobile game features can boost player retention appeared first on Business of Apps.

iOS 14 has changed the way app marketers and advertisers piece together data to measure their marketing efforts. Instead of a single source of truth, they now rely on SKAdNetwork and aggregated data streams to piece things together. But when looking at the results of these efforts, it’s becoming clear that non-SRN campaigns have significantly more SKAN installs that are duplicates. 

Why establishing a single source of truth is important

According to new insights from app marketing expert AppsFlyer, non-SRN campaigns saw around 62% of their SKAN installs were duplicates compared to 18% for primarily SRN campaigns. 

With duplicates removed, advertisers can more easily measure all incoming iOS data from various sources with every user represented only once. In other words, they can boost their attribution lift and lower costs. 

To solve this problem, AppsFlyer introduced The Single Source of Truth (SSOT) solution last year. SSOT solves the SKAN reporting issue by flagging existing non-organic install records attributed through SKAN. 

SSOT boosts non-organic installs and lowers eCPI

By enabling SSOT the average app gets a 29% non-organic install attribution lift, a 49% drop in eCPI and a 62% increase in revenue attributed to marketing. 

Lift in NOI attribution when using SSOT (average per app, by category)

Source: AppsFlyer

Marketers are able to recover the actual number of unattributed installs and can attribute more installs to ad networks. 

The average non-organic install attribution lift per app was 29% for SSOT. This varies by app category, but on average apps saw an extra third added to their number of installs from non-organic sources. 

Health and Fitness apps had some of the largest drop in eCPI at -61% while shopping and finance apps dropped over a third in eCPI. For advertisers, this means they can make better decisions when it comes to campaign spending. 

Drop in eCPI when using SSOT (average per app, by category)

Source: AppsFlyer

In-app purchase revenues rose 70% on shopping apps, while gaming apps grew their revenues from in-app purchases by around 45% with hardcore games seeing a 69% lift. 

Lift in in-app purchases revenue attributed to NOIs when using SSOT (average per app, by category)

Source: AppsFlyer

Adoption rates jumped from 5-10% to 16-56% between April 2022 and October 2022. Gaming and social casino led the chart with 41% adoption in October which is double the rate in May 2022. Higher adoption rates point to a unique value proposition for iOS apps using SSOT. 

Key takeaways

• Non-SRN campaigns see around 62% of their SKAN installs as duplicates compared to 18% for primarily SRN campaigns
• SSOT boosts non-organic install attributions by 29%
• SSOT results in 49% drop in eCPI 
• SSOT leads to 62% increase in revenue attributed to marketing

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A large number of shoppers will be using mobile apps to make purchases this holiday season. An analysis of 640 of the top shopping apps on the Google Play Store by data privacy company Incogni finds that two-thirds of them share permissions with an average 1.8 ad libraries. It means that any app requiring permission for recording audio, taking pictures or reading texts would automatically share the permissions with any ad network it is connected to. 

Majority of apps share permissions

Around 65% of the analysed shopping apps used ad libraries with the average app using 1.8 libraries. This means users are granting permission to around three companies instead of just one, i.e. the app they gave permission to in the first place. 

One of the problems here is that Android systems don’t distinguish between the host app and ad library permission use so that permissions aren’t intercepted from being shared. While the app may be harmless, an ad library could contain harmful code. 

The most popular ad networks which apps share permissions with include AdMob and AppsFlyer.

Popular ad networks apps share permissions with

Source: Incogni

In fact, research by Trend Micro in 2017 found that over 800 Google Play apps contained a Trojan that stole user data and shared malicious code with infected devices. 

Why do apps request permissions?

A whopping 83% of apps request permissions. Some of the more worrying reasons for permissions include:

• 22.3% request permission to record audio
• 48.3% request permission to access precise (GPS) location
• 15.8% request permission to read your contacts
• 6.1% request permission to read calendar events plus confidential information AND add or modify calendar events and send emails to guests without owners’ knowledge
• 1.6% request permission to read your text messages (SMS or MMS)
• 8.0% request permission to directly call phone numbers

Reasons for requesting permissions

Source: Incogni

The report also found that four out of five of the most popular apps use ad libraries compared to roughly half of the least popular ones. 

To stay safe this holiday season, consumers can deny permissions or alternately shop with local retailers. 

Key takeaways

• 65% of popular Android shopping apps use ad libraries with the average app using 1.8 libraries
• 83% of apps request permissions
• Four out of five of the most popular apps use ad library compared to roughly half of the least popular ones

The post Two-thirds of popular Android shopping apps share user permissions appeared first on Business of Apps.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — GRIN, the world’s leading Creator Management platform, introduced the industry’s first discovery-as-a-service tool, GRINup. GRIN customers can register for the free service, input information about their ideal creator partners, and receive a list of up to 50 vetted Instagram-based creators with verified email addresses per request. 

Want to get the inside scoop on how GRINup works? Click here to book a demo.

While on the surface, this may appear to be similar to the services offered by opt-in influencer marketplaces, in reality, it’s quite different. 

This innovative tool uses a unique approach to identify potential partners and allows influencer marketing managers to decide who to reach out to and how rather than facilitating the relationship on their behalf. While this may mean more effort on the end of the influencer marketer in regard to running outreach and managing partnerships, it allows for closer, more authentic relationships, and better content.

Why? Opt-in influencer marketplaces serve as middlemen and have creators sign up to be in their databases. From there, these marketplaces connect brands with creators in a way that is purely transactional and not built on genuine brand love and alignment. Brands that take this route are limited to the pool of creators who have actively signed up within these databases, which means other brands (maybe even direct competitors) are likely already partnering with them. 

When a creator partners with a large number of brands, their followers can get ad fatigue. And when a creator is promoting different products in quick succession, viewers are left to question whether they actually like the brand or are just in it for the paycheck. This downside is especially apparent among opt-in marketplaces that only allow brands to partner with creators who pitch to them first.

When customers participate in GRINup, they receive a list of up to 50 leads that the team discovers just for them. From there, customers can do a deep dive into their social media profiles, online presence, and more. As the influencer marketing managers get more info on each creator, they can decide whether that person is a good fit for their brand and send an outreach message to kick off the partnership. 

And unlike some opt-in marketplaces, GRINup leverages expert human touch rather than relying on AI or an algorithm to discover these creators, leading to more trustworthy results.

What about open-network creator search databases?

An open influencer network is one where brands can interact with creators directly without having creators opt-in first. An open network database would have to aggregate all existing creator profiles, but this is only possible with actionable third-party data. 

“Third-party data is any data that’s collected by a business or other entity that doesn’t have any direct link to the visitor or customer,” according to HubSpot.

And social networks, like Facebook and Instagram, are cracking down on the use of third-party data in favor of first-party data. With growing privacy concerns, Meta (which owns Facebook and Instagram) requires database platforms to receive individual creator consent to share their account information and metrics. So even if a platform has the ability to pull in data via Meta’s API, every creator still must grant permission before anyone can access their account in the database.

To summarize, there is no way for any platform to access first-party creator discovery data programmatically and at scale across all networks. However, it turns out filterable open-network databases aren’t as helpful as they seem.

Research suggests that a database-sourcing strategy does not deliver high-quality creator partnerships, no matter how large the database. In fact, GRIN’s data revealed that only 13% of successful brand/creator activations resulted from this method. 

“I don’t need an internal database to find creators. I know specifically what is best for my brand, and I have found 100% of my creators through Instagram, recommendations from creators I trust, and other social media channels,” said Jess Doherty, social media and influencer marketing manager at Osmo Salt. “The power of scrolling is real, and the relationships you create with your influencers matter.”

GRINup is changing the game

While still in its infancy, GRINup has already begun to earn rave reviews from influencer marketers in a variety of industries. 

“I just used [GRINup] last week, where they find influencers for you based on your demographic, niche, age, ER%, etc., etc.,” said Lauren Maxwell, influencer marketing manager at Dreamland Baby. “They ask you a series of questions to find potential influencers. I just got my list back and will have to say I was pretty happy with it. Just did an outreach, and more than half already responded. PLUS, they provide you with their email addresses as well! WOOP WOOP!”

Discovering great creators requires a multichannel approach

As beneficial as GRINup is for influencer marketers, the team at GRIN recommends using it in addition to other creator discovery methods rather than as the sole tactic. 

Other recruitment tactics include: 

• Analyzing inbound requests. It’s likely you have people sending you DMs or emails and asking to work with your brand. And since these people are genuinely interested in your business, you can be sure that the brand love is there. GRIN allows users to create Landing Pages, which are unique URLs that house creator applications, so you can gather inbound requests and all the data you need to make a decision in seconds. 

• Asking for referrals. If you already have some star influencers on your roster, ask them if they know of other creators who could be a good fit for your program. They often follow other influencers in their niche, so some quality candidates will likely come to mind. 

• Utilize your employees. No one knows your brand better than the people who help run it every day. Create fun incentives to encourage them to hype up your business and promote your products or services through their favorite channels. 

• Looking through existing fans. Scroll through your brand’s social media followers, and search for untagged mentions of your brand on various platforms. You’re sure to find some influential people who are already repping your brand organically. From a creator’s native account, you can then use GRIN’s free Web Extension to import them into your CRM.

• Check out social media marketplaces. Meta recently launched their Creator Marketplace, which is currently on an invite-only basis for brands in the U.S., while TikTok’s Creator Marketplace is open to all brands. You’ll find a valuable amount of first-party data from the social platforms for each creator, but the downside is that these marketplaces often require a minimum follower count and thus exclude smaller (and more affordable) creators from search. 

Free download: Click here to get GRIN’s How to Find Influencers Guidebook.

Win in the creator economy

Beyond helping you discover the highest-performing creators for your brand, GRIN helps streamline the entire creator management process, from scalable outreach to campaign analytics to payment processing. 

Visit grin.co to discover how GRIN can help you scale your creator program and drive massive brand love.

The post GRIN launches first-ever creator discovery-as-a-service tool for influencer marketers appeared first on Business of Apps.

Berlin-based mobile growth agency and consultancy Phiture has acquired ASO Giraffe, now re-launched as Replika.

Replika allows ASO professionals to test app or game concepts before investing in development, fulfilling a crucial market need. The tool is available in a self-service plan or as an integrated part of the managed ASO service for clients of Phiture. ASO professionals new to Phiture’s services can sign up and try out this testing environment for their own app. 

The launch of Replika comes as Phiture continues to develop its software toolkit. Phiture is using its unique position as a leading mobile growth agency and diverse portfolio of clients to improve the tools available to the wider mobile growth community. Under the Phiture umbrella, Replika joins in-app messaging creator tool B.Layerand the in-house developed  keyword optimization tool, Toaster.  

Phiture’s founder and partner Moritz Daan said, “Fede and the team have built a great product over the last years. The acquisition of ASO Giraffe, now Replika, is an exciting step for us, it complements our existing keyword tool Toaster and in-app messaging tool B.Layer. It connects well with our approach to ASO, enabling us to support companies to optimize their apps and games early on and relying on anonymized and aggregated user behavior data for optimization of app store assets and concept testing. ” 

Phiture’s Director of Acquisition, Wolfgang Peters said, “Replika is an incredibly useful ASO tool, and we’ve already received a large amount of interest in this product. It offers the functionalities we have been looking for, it caters to the needs of our clients with apps and games in development for concept or art-style testing. I’m looking forward to concepting tests, supporting our clients setting the right focus on the store assets that make a difference for the users, and developing the tool further with our teams.”

Fede Behrens, founder of ASO Giraffe said, “This acquisition is a testament to the amazing work the ASO Giraffe team has done building both a recognizable brand in the ASO space and a software tool that’s used by major app developers worldwide. After launching at the Phiture’s 2019 ASO conference, I’m happy to see things come full circle, and I’m excited to see the Phiture team take the tool to the next level.” 

How Replika works

Replika offers a powerful ASO testing environment for mobile growth experts to experiment within detailed reconstructions of the app stores. Phiture’s dedicated Design, ASO, and Localization Teams are on hand to help every step of the way. 

Step 1: Traffic source

A user clicks on an ad banner in their traffic source of choice. The most common traffic sources are Facebook, TikTok or Snap. However, other options are available across Replika including web and cross-promotion.

Ad campaigns can be managed by Phiture’s Performance Marketing Team, while Phiture’s Design Team deliver ad creatives to ensure eye-catching visuals optimized to encourage an increase in web traffic. 

Step 2:  Replika app page

Test users will land on a web-based ‘Replika’ of the app store product page. If required, Phiture’s ASO and Design teams can create product page variations based on years of experience and ASO best practices, from developing creative wins. The test user’s interactions with the product page are then measured, and behavioral data is shared with the app publisher.

Step 3: Surveys

For apps and games in the pre-launch phase, test users will be redirected to a survey or email form. This allows publishers to both capture interest and collect more information about the preferences of their users. Additionally, Phiture’s User Research Team can create and measure the results of the user survey to extract crucial additional insights.

Step 4: Reporting and iteration

Behavioral analytics, conversion rate data, and winning variants can also be seen in this powerful new testing platform. The data is then passed to the relevant Performance Marketing, ASO, and Product Teams for consideration. Phiture’s ASO Team will report on the test result and assist with creating the testing roadmap. This allows publishers to make the best use of the platform and ensure constant iteration.

How to use Replika effectively? 

Replika’s creative optimization capabilities fulfill a number of key needs for ASO Teams. Using Bayesian experimentation and super-fast page loading times ASO practitioners can generate real insights for a constantly improving ASO strategy. 

Pre-launch testing

One of the most powerful features of Replika, especially for game publishers, is the option to let users test different game concepts, styles, new characters, and features before devoting resources to development. 

By analyzing Click Rate and behavioral metrics, publishers using Replika will be able to:

• Eliminate guesswork.
• Test new game concepts, characters, and features on test users.
• Save development resources, while learning about game/app users before going live.

Live app testing

One of the most exciting features for app publishers is Live App Testing. Replika provides an additional layer of behavioral data that can be used for continued ASO or ongoing product development purposes.

ASO: Drive relevant traffic to the replica product page and measure the Conversion Rate impact of new creative assets. Every part of the replica product page is customizable.

Product: Test new features, major User Interface changes, and re-brandings before committing time and resources to further development.

User research: Find new audiences by analyzing how different test user segments engage with your product pages.

Research & Development: Run in-depth research on how creative assets, star ratings, and user reviews impact your conversion rate.

Find out more

• To find out more about Replika, do take a look at our website. You can also request a live demo from the contact form here. 
• If you have any specific questions about Replika, or the acquisition, you can reach us via replika@phiture.com.
• Replika is available as part of a self-service plan but also as an integrated part of the managed ASO service for clients of Phiture. If you have any further questions about the ASO, Design, or Performance Marketing services Phiture offices, you can contact us here.

The post Phiture acquires ASO Giraffe & relaunches the ASO tool as Replika appeared first on Business of Apps.

The majority of Southeast Asian users of the Grab app now consider food deliveries an integral feature of their lives. Users in Southeast Asia ordered around 1.48x more on GrabFood between 2019 and 2022, and 1.53x more on GrabMart between 2020 and 2022. It seems that on-demand food delivery and shopping are here to stay.

Consumers are ordering more often

The report based on over 60,000 food and grocery delivery users in SEA, found that GrabFood basket sizes grew by 18% while GrabMart baskets increased by 28%. Young families were the most avid delivery users ordering food more than 6x a month on average. They also put through grocery orders of more than 10x per month.

Customers are spending more in delivery and food apps

Source: Grab

Some of the main reasons for customers to order meals online include time savings, and specific food and treats. The main reasons for ordering groceries include promotions and ease of delivery as well as ordering for special occasions. 

Delivery apps are a great opportunity for brands

Grab also found that 88% of users across SEA said they got to know a new store because of delivery ads, while 90% tried at least one new store from a delivery app that they hadn’t tried in person. 

The average time users spent searching and browsing before they made an order on GrabFood was just 17 seconds.

Convenience is a major reason for using food/grocery apps

Source: Grab

Around 7 in 10 also browse delivery apps without a specific restaurant or store in mind which means there’s a real opportunity for marketers and brands to aid in discovery. 

Key takeaways

• Southeast Asian users of the Grab app ordered 1.53x more on GrabMart between 2020 and 2022
• GrabFood basket sizes grew by 18% while GrabMart baskets increased by 28%
• 88% of users across SEA said they got to know a new store because of delivery ads, while 90% tried at least one new store from a delivery app that they hadn’t tried in person

The post Southeast Asians are ordering more food and spending more on delivery apps appeared first on Business of Apps.

Global Android day 30 retention rates have fallen a whopping 10% while iOS rates remained unchanged in Q3 2022, according to a report from AppsFlyer. Retention rates are an important measurement for app loyalty and usage and help developers to optimise and monetise their apps. 

Android retention sees continued decline

Android day 1-30 retention rates continue to decline for the third year in a row, according to the report. The average day 14 rate was just 4.3% in Q3, down 6.5% from last year. 

The sharp rise to 10% for day 30 retention rates could be a result of the growing competition in the Android ecosystem which drives users to download and try new apps. 

Meanwhile, iOS retention rates have been more stable since 2020 with the average day 14 rate being 6.7% in Q3 2022, down just 1.5% from the previous year. 

Day to Day 30 retention rates on Android

Source: AppsFlyer

News and Business app retention rises

The app category with the highest growth in day 30 retention was News with 11.3% as users continue to return to these apps to follow global developments. Business retention jumped 10.9% while Health and Fitness rose 15.6%, Music grew 8.6%, and Education climbed 15.6% between Q3 2020 and 2022.

The categories with the most rapid declines included Photography (-31.8%), Finance (-23.3%), Gaming (-20%), Productivity (-20%), Entertainment (-16.7%), Social (-15.2%), Shopping (-12.3%) and Travel (-11.8%).

Changes in retention rates by app category

Source: AppsFlyer

The country with the highest day 30 retention rate was Japan at 5.1% while China lagged behind at 1.3%.

Key takeaways

• Android Day 30 retention rates fell 10% while iOS rates remained unchanged in Q3 2022
• The average day 14 rate was just 4.3% in Q3, down 6.5% from last year
• iOS retention rates were stable with the average day 14 rate being 6.7% in Q3 2022

The post Retention rates on Android drop 10% while iOS holds steady appeared first on Business of Apps.

Bigger does attract more attention. At least that’s true for mobile adverts. Data from Amplified Intelligence shows that mobile ads that cover almost all the screen received more attention from smartphone users. 

Size and format matter

Mobile adverts covering 80% of the screen received 6.6 seconds of attention, which was twice as much attention as ads covering 50% of the screen and eight times more attention than ads covering 10% of the screen. 

Larger ads deliver on attention

Source: eMarketer

Based on an analysis of 128,000 mobile ad responses, the study also found that video-based mobile formats captured more attention at 2.73 seconds. The target threshold is 2.5 seconds. When it comes to non-video formats, interscroller ads were the most effective regardless of the product or service advertised. The format delivered 3.3 seconds of active attention, which is 30% higher than the average 2.5-second minimum for active attention.

When it comes to the optimal video length, shorter video ads of 15 seconds resulted in longer active attention of 3.3 seconds compared to 30-second videos with 1.2 seconds.

Mobile ad formats and attention by seconds

Source: eMarketer

Attention increases with age

The study also noted that attention levels rose with age. Gen Z had significantly lower levels of active and passive attention compared to Boomers. Format preferences varied with Boomers responding better to interscroller ads while Gen Xers prefer video. 

Interestingly, there wasn’t a specific time of day when active attention was highest.

However, when examining surrounding content, Yahoo sports and finance content delivered the highest level of attention. 

Some categories boost active attention

Source: Amplified Intelligence

Key takeaways

• Mobile adverts covering 80% of the screen received 6.6 seconds of attention
• Video-based mobile formats captured more attention
• Interscroller ads were the most effective non-video format 
• Shorter video ads of 15 seconds resulted in longer active attention of 3.3 seconds 

The post Larger mobile ads, video and interscroller formats capture more viewer attention appeared first on Business of Apps.

Mobile apps are becoming increasingly popular among investors. Installs of wealth management apps are particularly popular among younger investors who cite higher overall satisfaction and strong brand advocacy. Now research by J.D. Power has identified some of the key trends in wealth management apps for 2022. 

Apps outperform websites

When it comes to user satisfaction US wealth management apps outperformed websites by 50 points. The gap was largely driven by a preference for apps among younger investors. 

Satisfaction was highest among Gen Y at an average score of 760 of 1,000, followed by Gen Z at a score of 720. 

“Wealth management firms that want to attract and retain younger investors need to focus on continuing to improve their apps,” said Michael Foy, senior director of wealth intelligence at J.D. Power. “The mobile app really is becoming the center of the modern wealth management client user experience, and that’s true not just for do-it-yourself investors but also for those who work with a financial advisor. App users are engaging much more frequently with their brand and, when they have a positive experience, are also much more likely to recommend that brand.”

Top-rated US wealth management apps 2022

Source: J.D. Power

Design and service are crucial

However, smooth functionality and good in-app service matter. Top-performing apps that saw some of the highest levels of customer satisfaction also had stronger brand advocacy. 

Meanwhile, customer satisfaction was higher among investors who were advised compared to those using DIY financial tools. It shows that personal service still matters when it comes to money. 

“Digital has become a key component of the overall wealth management customer experience,” said Amit Aggarwal, senior director of digital solutions at J.D. Power. “Firms that are delivering the best overall digital experience are recognizing that their apps and websites are an extension of the client relationship and can be leveraged to improve relationships with advisors, drive brand loyalty and differentiate from the competition.”

Key takeaways

• User satisfaction of US wealth management apps outperformed websites by 50 points
• Satisfaction was highest among Gen Y followed by Gen Z
• Top-performing apps that saw some of the highest levels of customer satisfaction also had stronger brand advocacy. 

The post Wealth management apps score highest satisfaction among younger users appeared first on Business of Apps.

A whopping 60% of financial services apps on the Google Play Store may be easy targets of application repackaging or cloning attacks. That’s according to new research from app security engine Promon. Given the rising consumer interest in using banking apps, the results may be a reason to worry. Let’s delve in.

What’s application repackaging? 

Application repackaging enables criminals to use existing software like mobile apps and add their own code to the source code. This lets them modify the app’s functions and effectively repackage it. They can then perform additional functions and potentially steal user login information. 

How is Google Play Store being affected?

Based on an examination of 384 financial services apps including banking, cryptocurrency and trading apps, Promon found that 236 were vulnerable to app repackaging. Some 154 of the vulnerable apps were banking apps. Of the 92 most downloaded financial services apps, 50% could be modified and repackaged. 

Interestingly, vulnerabilities were fairly similar across different regions. E.g. among the most popular apps in the US, 37 out of 54 could be repacked. In the UK, some 45 out of 74 were vulnerable and in India 47 out of 69 could be manipulated. 

So what did all the vulnerable apps have in common?

According to Promon, they all lacked features that could detect repackaging attacks. 

“The susceptibility of APK files to tampering should be of great concern to the billions of users within the Android ecosystem who simply want to manage their finances from their mobile,” said Benjamin Adolphi, a software engineer at Promon who led the study.

Key takeaways

• 60% of financial services apps on the Google Play Store may be easy targets of application repackaging or cloning attacks
• 236 of 384 tested apps were vulnerable to app repackaging
• Vulnerabilities were fairly similar across measurement regions

The post 60% of financial apps on Google Play Store can be targeted by repackaging attacks appeared first on Business of Apps.

The overwhelming majority (97%) of in-app revenue for hardcore and mid-core gaming apps comes from repeat purchases. That’s according to a new study released by media company Adikteev. App gaming audiences are undoubtedly some of the most engaged. So what’s driving app revenues and how can developers motivate players to make a repeat purchase?

From one purchase to another

Users who have already made a purchase are more likely to make a second one, according to the study. 64% of gamers are likely to make repeat purchases compared to 36% making a one-off purchase in-app. Developers can motivate players to make conversions through push notifications, email and retargeting. A strategy that combines multiple approaches was seen as the most effective one. 

Repeat purchases drive majority of in-app revenues

Source: Adikteev

But developers should also encourage first-time installers to make a purchase as user churn tends to be particularly high during day 1 and otherwise budgets will have been wasted. 

Target players early

Targeting gamers between days 1 and 14 results in a higher chance to repeat purchases. In fact, 51% of repeat purchases were made the same day and 25% within 7 days after app installation. Users who made a second purchase within 14 days were more likely to convert a third time. After 22 days, the likelihood of making a second purchase drops to 54% compared to 77% on days 1-7. 

Majority of repeat purchases are made within the first few days after app installation

Source: Adikteev

Adikteev also found lapsed players to be the most likely to produce a high return on ad spend (ROAS). Targeting these users through in-game events boosted revenues by 648% year-on-year while in-app purchases rose 465% and ROAS jumped 300%.

Key takeaways

• 97% of in-app revenue for hardcore and mid-core gaming apps comes from repeat purchases
• 64% of gamers are likely to make repeat purchases 
• 51% of repeat purchases are made the same day and 25% within 7 days after app installation

The post 97% of in-game revenues come from repeat purchases appeared first on Business of Apps.

Despite economic headwinds, mobile and digital ad spending rose 5% to $23 billion during Q3 2022, according to data from Pathmatics. Streaming apps such as Netflix, Hulu and Disney+ boosted their ad budgets. But which channels were driving the unprecedented rise in mobile advertising spending in Q3?

Social apps are taking the top spots

Social channels saw some of the highest mobile advertising spending in the last quarter. Particularly, TikTok recorded its ad spending rise by a whopping 29% quarter-on-quarter. Amazon is a top advertiser on the app, followed by Google, Disney and Hulu. The latter increased its ad budget by 667% over the past two quarters as the streaming wars intensified.

Top advertisers on TikTok in Q3 2022

Source: Sensor Tower

Streaming apps are targeting social platforms for advertising

Streaming brands are engaging more with social apps such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat these days. HBO Max increased its spending share on Facebook, while Disney+ and Netflix bolstered their TikTok ad strategies by eight and six percentage points, respectively. Disney+ ad spending on TikTok surpassed its investment in Instagram. 

Streaming apps are focusing on social apps

Source: Sensor Tower

Netflix is clearly targeting younger audiences by investing 16% of its ad budget on TikTok and doubling its share of Snapchat spending. 

Key takeaways

• Mobile and digital ad spending rose 5% to $23 billion during Q3 2022
• TikTok ad spending climbed 29% 
• Netflix targets younger audiences by investing 16% of its ad budget in TikTok

The post Streaming apps boost advertising spend to target younger users on social platforms appeared first on Business of Apps.

Mobile banking apps revolutionised how we bank today. Some 62% of consumers now conduct most of their regular banking activities on apps. But though users admit there are plenty of benefits to using banking apps, the majority remain concerned about security issues with mobile banking.

Banking app users rely on their apps daily

According to a survey of 2,000 US adults by NerdWallet, the personal finance company, 33% of respondents said they used their mobile banking apps now more than before the pandemic, highlighting the effect of lockdowns on our shifting consumer behaviours.

A majority of 73% of mobile banking app users said their bank’s app was user-friendly and around 62% conduct their regular banking activities via a mobile app. Almost half of users (41%) don’t even feel the need to seek out their physical bank branches. In the long run, mobile app banking apps could render physical bank branches obsolete. 

The shift toward mobile banking is being driven by several advantages such s 24/7 access to their accounts, no wait times, and easy movement of money between accounts. Other advantages include mobile banking apps offering higher interest rates due to their significantly lower overheads.

Security concerns prevail 

However, security issues are one of the main reasons for not using banking apps (42%) while 47% just don’t feel the need to use a banking app. 

Source: NerdWallet

And they’re not the only ones, even existing users are concerned about the security of their banking details (74%). The most troublesome issues include worries about an account being hacked (46%), someone accessing a user account if a phone is stolen (38%) and getting locked out from an account (33%). 

Source: NerdWallet

Key takeaways

• 62% of users say they now conduct most of their regular banking activities on apps
• 33% use their mobile banking apps now more than before the pandemic
• 74% are concerned about security issues with banking apps 

The post 62% of consumers now use banking apps regularly but security concerns prevail appeared first on Business of Apps.

More than half of app marketers have a generally optimistic outlook for the industry, despite turbulent times under COVID-19 and the macroeconomic climate making things harder for marketers. However, 42% of respondents to Liftoff’s 2022 App Marketer Survey are feeling pessimistic about the future. But what are the ongoing changes in the app marketing industry and how are advertisers planning to spend their budget next year?

Things to look forward to

While app marketers were somewhat down about the immediate outlook, 63% of respondents believe 2023 to be the same or better than 2022 while 88% expect to exceed their current mobile ad spend next year. Interestingly, non-gaming marketers are overall more upbeat (65%) about the future than gaming marketers. Roughly a third said they had increased their budgets over 2021 and reached their KPIs this year, while 56% said they had more aggressive KPI targets.

Half of app marketers feel upbeat or neutral about the current state of the industry

Source: Liftoff

The troubles ahead

One of the main issues cited is greater privacy protections for users with 43% of app marketers saying the shift toward privacy-first approaches would continue to be a big obstacle in 2023. Although over half (59%) admitted that App Tracking Transparency and related changes had been a boost for consumers, 64% said this had a negative impact on user acquisition campaigns. The lack of data and a rise in user acquisition costs were the biggest challenges here. 

ATT and co are major challenges ahead

Source: Liftoff

Which channels are app marketers turning to in 2023?

Roughly half (52%) of marketers said they plan to increase their overall budgets in 2023 and only 12% are looking to reduce it. To augment their mobile ad campaigns, respondents are turning to less trackable channels. This includes influencer marketing (53%), social media content (52%) and higher investment in building fan communities (30%). 

Key takeaways

• 63% of app marketers believe 2023 to be the same or better than 2022  
• 88% expect to exceed their current mobile ad spend in 2023 
• 64% say ATT and privacy changes had a negative impact on UA

The post 64% of app marketers say ATT and co had a negative impact on their UA campaigns appeared first on Business of Apps.

Livestream shopping kicked off during the pandemic as a way to make it easier to use mobile phones and apps to purchase goods online. By 2022, installs of the top 10 livestream shopping apps in the US had reached 2.3 million. YouTube, Instagram and co were quick to add features for creators and retailers to produce livestreams while TikTok produced results that said half of its users were interested in mCommerce livestreams. However, just 36% of US and 25% of UK mobile users have ever actually made a purchase during a livestream, according to a new study from The Influencer Marketing Factory.

Livestream shopping has a long way to go in the West

Based on a survey of 2,000 respondents, the report found that the majority of mobile app users had not made a purchase from a livestream. Livestream shopping was also not considered any more fun or entertaining than regular online shopping. Some 27% of US respondents spent between $20 and $50 on their Livestream purchases while UK respondents (31%) spent only up to $20. The main reasons for shoppers to take it to the livestream were product quality, free delivery and discounts. 

Have you ever purchased something during a livestream by age

Source: Influencer Marketing Factory

The top platform for US shoppers was Facebook (26%) while UK respondents prefer TikTok (30%). 

The preferred livestream platforms in the US and UK

Source: Influencer Marketing Factory

Livestream is a revolution in the Chinese market

The picture is vastly different in China where 700 million Chinese users watch livestreams and 460 million have purchased goods from them. Sales in China are expected to grow to $423 billion this year. By comparison, revenues from livestream shopping are expected to hit $20 billion in the US this year. 

Douyin livestream tools are popular, especially among younger consumers. Some 88% of its users said they had livestreamed in February 2022.

Among the top features used in livestreams were free gifts and events. For example, a Walmart TikTok event generated 7x more views and grew its TikTok following by 25%.

The majority of products users purchased during livestreams were clothing and beauty products.

Preferred products for livestreams

Source: Influencer Marketing Factory

Key takeaways

• 36% of US and 25% of UK mobile users made a purchase during a livestream
• US users spent between $20 and $50 on their Livestream purchases while UK respondents spent up to $20
• Livestream sales in China are expected to hit $423 billion in 2022

The post Underwhelmed – only a quarter of UK app users have previously purchased during a livestream appeared first on Business of Apps.

During the pandemic, education apps experienced a revival as a growing number of young and old users adopted mobile apps for school or learning purposes. As normality got restored, a notable dip in installs followed. But despite a slowdown in installs during the first half of 2022, education app downloads jumped 4% during Q3 2022 and monthly consumer spending exceeded previous years, according to the latest data from Sensor Tower.

European app users spent over $550 per minute in 2022

Education app revenues grew to $220 million in Europe, up 14% year-on-year, with users spending over $550 per minute on in-app purchases and subscriptions. Duolingo was the most downloaded app and accounted for one-third of spending. 

European app users spent $550 per minute on education apps

Source: Sensor Tower

Duolingo leads in session duration

The popular language app scored the highest session duration at 132% in part due to its efforts to boost gamification. Duolingo regularly sends encouraging notifications and lets users earn rewards for finished lessons. It was followed by Busuu which was up 11%. Time spent in Babbel and Rosetta Stone was down. 

Duolingo leads for time spent with gamification features

Source: Sensor Tower

Opportunity for Google Classroom

The report also revealed that European markets including France, Turkey and Germany opened up opportunities for Google Classroom to grow. The countries were top marketers for downloads for Google Meet and top markets for Google Drive installs. On Android, users of Google apps are more likely to use Classroom. Google Meet and Drive had a 23.5% and 4.2% chance of being used. 

Key takeaways

• Education app downloads jumped 4% during Q3 2022
• Education app revenues grew to $220 million in Europe, up 14% year-on-year,
• Users spent over $550 per minute on in-app purchases and subscriptions
• Duolingo had highest session duration at 132%

The post App users spent $550 per minute on language apps in 2022 appeared first on Business of Apps.

We are delighted to reveal the 2022 shortlisted finalists for the App Growth Awards, now in its sixth year of celebrating success in the global app industry.

Our expert panel of 15 independent judges whittled down over 340 submissions – more than we’ve ever before. The vast array of entries from a myriad of companies highlights the growing size of an increasingly sophisticated app growth ecosystem.

All of the shortlisted finalists will be celebrated and the winners announced at our ceremony on December 1st at Hotel Adlon in Berlin.

The shortlisted finalists, by category, are as follows:

App Advertising Platform

• AppLovin
• HUAWEI Ads
• Liftoff
• Skai

App Analytics Platform

• Adjust Datascape
• devtodev
• Adapty
• Swaarm

App Data Platform

• AppTweak
• App Radar
• Adapty
• Qonversion

App Engagement Platform

• CleverTap
• Iterable
• MoEngage
• OneSignal

App Revenue Platform

• Purchasely
• Qonversion
• wappier

MMP of the Year

• Airbridge
• AppsFlyer
• Adjust
• Branch

ASO Tool

• AppTweak
• Asodesk
• App Radar
• SplitMetrics

ASO Agency

• ConsultMyApp
• Gummicube
• Phiture
• RadASO

User Acquisition Company

• AppAgent
• Bango
• HUAWEI Ads
• Persona.ly

App Marketing Agency

• Apptamin
• Geeklab
• Phiture
• SplitMetrics

App Growth Innovation

• Phiture – Lifesum
• Purchasely
• Smadex
• SplashLearn

App Marketer of the Year

• Alice Muir, Phiture
• Hannah Parvaz
• Jess Hill, Apadmi
• Soner Sensoy, Storyly
• Yanina Velikova, Admiral Media

App Video

• Customlytics – Storytelling Birthday Campaign
• Photomyne – Video Loop for FilmBox App
• PhotoSì – App Video
• Phiture – The Trail to Success: Komoot

Fastest Growing App

• PickleJar Live
• Playsee
• SplashLearn
• Sweatcoin

Growth Team of the Year

• Yodel Mobile
• Entravision + tyba
• G5 Games Marketing Team
• Plarium Product Marketing Team

Subscription App Campaign

• PPC – Minimalist Phone Campaign
• Adapty – In-app Paywalls
• Quit Social Media
• Saga Sleep – Stella

Finance App Campaign

• Thing or Two – Banco Azteca
• Storyly – Kapital Bank
• Chip – ‘Save Smart, Not Hard’
• ConsultMyApp – Snoop

Shopping App Campaign

• Customlytics – Shop Apotheke
• Yodel Mobile – Quidco
• Storyly – Dolap
• The Hut Group – Shopping Apps

Entertainment App Campaign

• Smule – adidas Runtastic Challenge
• App Growth Network – Coin Splash
• Affle – Dil Filmy Toh Suno Filmy
• InMobi – Streaming Campaign

Mobile Games Campaign

• Smadex Creative Studio
• AppAgent – Game of Words
• Goodgame Studios – BitLife
• G5 Entertainment – Sherlock

App Store Marketing Campaign

• REPLUG – Fitness AI
• Admiral Media – ImmoScout24
• SplashLearn – Kids Learning App
• Wave – Wave The Rainbow

Retention Campaign

• Nasty Gal – Love Island
• PhotoSì – Retention Campaign
• REPLUG – SEEN
• Shopmium – Cashback Boost Campaign

Influencer App Campaign

• Sweatcoin – Promote Sweatcoin
• Tatam Digital – Blinkist Curious Minds
• Admiral Media – TikTok Campaign
• Customlytics – Micro Influencers

Paid Social App Campaign

• Customlytics – WeShare Campaign
• REPLUG – ODXClub
• Admiral Media – TikTok Campaign
• Adquantum – Fitness app

Outstanding Contribution to the App Industry

The winner will be announced on the night!

Congratulations to them all, and commiserations to the entries that didn’t make it through.

The post App Growth Awards 2022 – Finalists Announced appeared first on Business of Apps.

Social media platforms have proven themselves as useful tools for brand engagement. From Instagram to TikTok to Snapchat, these apps offer a wide range of suitable tools and features for marketers to reach a diverse audience. But when it comes to ad formats the choice can seem a little daunting. New research from customer experience platform Emplifi finds that engagement rates for Instagram Reels saw an uplift during Q3 2022 while median rates for other brands remained the same. 

Instagram Reels outperforming other post types

Reels engagement rates were 35% higher than other content types, followed by carousels, video and images. Some 80% of brands published at least one Reel on the popular app during the third quarter. That’s an increase of 41%. Reels were the most popular type of format within sports with 92% of sports organisations and event providers and 88% of sporting goods brands boosting engagement with Reels.

Instagram outperforms TikTok

Reels outperformed TikTok for median reach by a reasonably broad margin (63% to 37%). Brands said they also saw more interactions and views on Instagram while TikTok scored higher reach engagement, with a 57% to 43% advantage.

Median reach of Instagram Reels vs TikTok

Source: Emplifi

Follower growth for brands on TikTok continued to climb, up 200%.

“The biggest takeaway is that short-form video is a vital part of a brand’s marketing mix and is here to stay. This has only been reinforced throughout 2022, and social platforms have continued to increase their video capabilities this year,” said Zarnaz Arlia, CMO, Emplifi.

“Brands have increasingly added Instagram Reels to their content strategies, and just a few years ago, not many had heard of TikTok – now, it’s easily the fastest-growing channel out there. To maximize reach and engagement, brands need to invest their resources in the content formats and on the platforms which resonate with their audience.”

Key takeaway

• Instagram Reels engagement rates were 35% higher than other content types
• Reels outperformed TikTok for median reach (63% to 37%)

The post Instagram Reels dominates engagement with 35% increase in Q3 appeared first on Business of Apps.

Twitter spending climbed 66% following the company’s takeover by Elon Musk. And though some users decided to abandon the platform and join rivals like Mastodon, installs of Twitter jumped 21% to 6.3 million. 

Twitter installs on the rise

According to new data from Sensor Tower, Twitter adoption in the US grew 31% to 1.2 million, up from 916k. Meanwhile, consumer spending in the US jumped 65% to $442k. Daily usage was also up 2% during the 12 days since the acquisition. 

Twitter installs jumped following Musk’s takeover

Source: Sensor Tower

Alternatives are emerging

As some users decided to abandon the platform over controversy with its new owner, the two apps that stood out were Mastodon and Tumblr. They rose to the top US social networking charts in the week of October 31 with Mastodon taking the first spot and Tumblr in fourth position. 

Mastodon had some 322k installs from US app stores while globally the app grew 657% to one million. 

Tumblr climbed 96% to 92k from 47k.

Twitter alternatives have seen a massive hike in installs

Source: Sensor Tower

Other apps such as Metatext and Tootle also noticed a bump in installs. Smaller apps such as CounterSocial saw a massive bump of 2,300% to 24k installs across both app stores. 

It’s likely that controversy and shifts in users joining and abandoning Twitter are going to continue over the next few months. 

Key takeaways

• Twitter adoption in the US grew 31% to 1.2 million
• Mastodon installs jumped 657% to one million
• Tumblr climbed 96% to 92k

The post Twitter spending increases 66% following takeover appeared first on Business of Apps.

Most mobile users are well aware that app developers and companies collect their data. But given the greater focus on enhanced app privacy and security, how much data is being shared exactly? Data removal company Incogni took a closer look at Google Play Store’s data section and the results are shocking. More than half of apps openly share user data.

The Google apps sharing the most data

Incogni examined 500 free and 500 paid apps and found that 55.2% of apps admitted to sharing user data. After all, user data is gold and trading it has been common practice for many years. However, certain types of apps share data more freely than others. These include shopping, business and food and drinks apps. Social media and business apps shared the most data. 

Google Play apps collecting the most data points

Source: Incogni

Interestingly, free apps shared 7x more data than paid ones which means users are “paying” for their downloads after all. And apps with over 500k downloads shared data an average 6.15x more often than less popular apps. 

Some apps share sensitive information

While it’s common practice for app developers to share data such as crash logs and app interactions or even shopping histories to improve marketing, Incogni found that a small percentage apps shared far more sensitive user information including location history (13.4%), email address (6.7%), names (4.7%), addresses and precise locations (3.8%), photos (3.2%) and even in-app messages (1.8%). 

Most shared data points across all apps

Source: Incogni

But who is the data shared with? Typically, the anonymised data is shared with third parties such as marketers or data brokers, but in theory such data could be shared with anyone. What’s more worrying is that there are ways to re-identify even anonymised data.

Key takeaways

• 55.2% of apps admit to sharing user data.
• Free apps shared 7x more data than paid ones 
• Sensitive data isn’t safe from sharing: 13.4% of apps shared location history while 6.7% shared email addresses

The post 55% of apps admit to sharing user data appeared first on Business of Apps.

Downloads of Mastodon skyrocketed by over 6,000% globally after Elon Musk took over Twitter. In light of controversy, it seems users are turning away from Twitter and looking for alternative platforms. 

What’s happening on Mastodon?

Mastodon is a free, open-source app and online platform that touts itself as a Twitter alternative. It shares some features with Twitter, but there are many differences.s For example, on Mastodon, users can create their own networks and set and enforce their own regulations. Mastodon does also not serve content to users based on interest but chronologically. And the app doesn’t host ads. 

Downloads of Twitter alternative Mastodon skyrocket

Source: eMarketer

The app had one million monthly users as of November 6th, with 489k of them joining in October. Searches for it increased 283% during October and November. 

What’s driving the flux away from Twitter appears to be a user revolt over Musk’s plans to make verification a paid feature and other controversies.

Mastodon searches are up in November

Source: Financial World

Twitter is still going strong

However, Twitter is still the seventh most-downloaded app on app stores in the US with downloads at around 526k to 636k during early November. 

Compared to Mastodon’s one million monthly active users, Twitter boasts 368.1 million globally in 2022. eMarketer predicts Twitter’s user base to drop 0.5% to 57.5 million this year. 

Other alternatives

Mastodon faces several hurdles in becoming a viable competitor to Twitter. The platform is fairly unfamiliar in its user interface. And marketers are unlikely to support it since there’s no existing advertising infrastructure. 

But Mastodon isn’t the only viable alternative to Twitter. Social apps such as Substack, Discord, Gas and Geneva are all seeing user growth. Bluesky, an app to be launched by former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, saw searches increased by 207% and already has some 30k users on waitlists. 

Key takeaways

• Mastodon downloads increased over 6,000% globally after Elon Musk took over Twitter
• Monthly users rose by almost 500k in October/November 2022
• Searches of Mastodon up 283% 

The post Mastodon app downloads jump more than 6,000% after Musk takes over Twitter appeared first on Business of Apps.

Inflation and economic instability had a widespread effect on businesses including the mobile app market. Publishers of apps large and small have been affected by weaker consumer spending and higher ad prices, among others. But a new report from mobile experts data.ai reveals that some app categories have withstood the storm.

Not ready to let go of entertainment and dating

The report reveals that consumer spending in dating apps reached $17.8 million during H1 2022 compared to the same period the previous year. That’s a 16% increase in spending. Tinder, the biggest dating app in terms of market share, recently reported a 7% increase in subscription revenues, It shows that when it comes to dating, people aren’t ready to stop spending. A crisis is best managed together after all. 

Social app Be Real hit 2.8 million UK downloads during H1 2022 making it one of the breakout apps of the year. 

Who Are The Leaders by Spend on In-App Purchases and Subscriptions?

Source: data.ai

Short video apps such as TikTok performed the best in terms of consumer spending overall with users spending close to $606 million on these apps. OTT apps, utility and audio books also performed strongly. 

Top apps by consumer spending include TikTok, Audible, HBO Max, Google and LinkedIn

Source: data.ai

Shopping returns to the high street while gaming remains strong

On the other hand, UK eCommerce and food delivery app downloads were down 16% and 33% respectively. This is driven by a greater number of consumers returning to eating out and doing their shopping in-store. 

First-time downloads of game apps were led by hypercasual and puzzle titles. The largest growth was seen among Action and strategy games. Users are also spending more time in simulation games led by Roblox, but are spending less time in shooting games. 

Top-performing game genres

Source: data.ai

Signs for cautious optimism

While consumers may be squeezed for cash, it seems they’re still happy to spend time on their phones. Time spent in apps worldwide was up 11% year-on-year to an all-time high of over 2 trillion hours on Android phones.

Global downloads also reached an all-time high of 74.4 billion on iOS and Android, a rise of 13% year-on-year.

Key takeaways

• Consumer spending on dating app was up 16% in H1 2022 compared to the previous year (H1 2021)
• Short video app spending came close to $606 million
• eCommerce and food delivery app downloads were down
• Users spend 11% more time in apps

The post App trends: Users are spending 16% more on dating apps appeared first on Business of Apps.

Japan is moving toward a cashless future with 40% of all transactions predicted to go digital by 2025. A new report from mobile marketing analytics platform Adjust and mobile growth experts Liftoff finds that the fintech app saw some of the highest session growth in H1 2022, increasing 13% year-on-year.

Payment apps are on the rise

The report found that payment apps accounted for nearly 75% of total fintech sessions, followed by banking (15%) and crypto (12%). The volume of app sessions was 30% higher than in 2021 and 79% higher than in 2020. Japan also had higher retention rates in fintech apps compared to APAC in general. 

App sessions by vertical 2021 to 2022

Source: Adjust / Liftoff

Japan likes hyper-casual and role-playing games

Japan is one of the top mobile gaming markets. The report found that hyper-casual titles accounted for 15% of total gaming installs between 2020 and H1 2022. Role-playing games came second at 13%. 

The average game app session length was 26.5 minutes in H1 2022 compared to 15 minutes for the average session length across all verticals. 

Gaming app installs by game vertical

Source: Adjust / Liftoff

App shopping is (still) in

Ecommerce marketplace apps performed exceptionally well in Japan over the past two years. Between 2020 and H1 2022, marketplace app installs accounted for 75% followed by shopping app installs at 23%. January 2022 installs were up 8% compared to the 2021 average and 29% compared to 2020.

Ecommerce apps continue to grow

Source: Adjust / Liftoff

Android users eager to download dating apps

Sessions in dating apps have grown steadily over the past two years. They were up 13% in H1 2022 compared to 2020. However, with that app markers faced steeper costs to acquire users. 

CPIs for dating apps jumped to $6.60 in February 2020 with iOS users costing less per install while Android users converted more easily at $8.47 CPI. 

Dating apps CPIs

Source: Adjust / Liftoff

Key takeaways

• Fintech app sessions increased 13% in H1 2022
• Hyper-casual titles accounted for 15% of total gaming installs 
• Marketplace app installs account for 75% of installs followed by shopping app install at 23%

The post Big in Japan – fintech app sessions rise 13% appeared first on Business of Apps.

While consumers are reigning in spending on streaming and shopping in light of the cost of living crisis, they’re not quite as eager to pull back on their dating habits. According to Tinder, paid subscriptions on the dating app actually rose 7% over the summer until September. 

Still eager to find love

Match Group which owns popular dating apps such as Hinge and OKCupid reported sales of $810 million during the last quarter. However, the economic crisis was slowing in-app purchases in apps such as Plenty of Fish which caters for people with lower incomes. 

Tinder, on the other hand, saw a rise in sales. According to Statista, in-app revenues were up across APAC, EMEA and NALA, reaching higher levels than even before the pandemic. Revenues were highest during July and have been dipping slightly ever since. 

In-app sales of Tinder by region

Source: Statista

More people are ready to swipe

Tinder also reported a rise in user numbers between July and September. Earlier this year, Sensor Tower reported that Tinder’s monthly active users make up the lion’s share (73%) of users among the top dating apps. 

Share of global monthly active users of top dating apps

Source: Sensor Tower

However, both Hinge and Bumble reported higher growth in monthly usage during January 2022 compared to 2019. 

And while subscriptions on Tinder increased, users are reportedly shelling out less for one-off features such as “Super Likes” to boost their profiles. 

Match reported it had a total of 16.5 million paying customers during the last quarter up from 16.3 million in the previous quarter of 2022 with the majority of its growth coming from outside of the US and Europe. 

Key takeaways

• Paid subscriptions on Tinder rose 7% between July and September 2022
• Owner Match Group reported overall sales of $810 million across its dating app portfolio
• Total number of paying customers jumps to 16.5 million up from 16.3 million

The post Love-hungry Tinder users push paid subscription revenues up 7% appeared first on Business of Apps.

Economic instability after the pandemic and the war in Ukraine have undoubtedly had a knock-on effect on app revenues. Now data shows that in-app advertising is taking a hit as well. 

In-app advertising takes a hit

In-app advertising is predicted to grow by just 6% to $220.8 billion in 2022. That’s a fifth of last year’s growth rate. In-app purchase revenue growth also declined, growing just 10% to $205 billion compared to 23% in 2021.

Apps have taken a big hit following economic downturns at the end of the pandemic. 

Mobile games are still a top-grossing app category, generating 7% more in revenues in 2022 than in 2021 despite a 105 million drop in users. However, that’s far less than the 25% growth seen in 2021. 

Social networking apps were the second-highest-grossing app category and are expected to rise 9% to $43.4 billion this year. But compare that to last year, when segment revenues jumped 26% and it’s not looking as good. 

Slowdown in revenues and downloads

Based on data from Statista, revenue growth is estimated to be 8% year-on-year in 2022. This would mark the smallest increase the app market has seen in the last six years. App revenues rose an average 25% from 2017 to 2021. Meanwhile, consumer spending across the App Store and Google Play stalled, reaching $65 billion during H1 2022 which is 1% higher than in H1 2021.

App revenue growth prediction

Source: Statista

The decline in revenues goes hand in hand with app downloads. Last year, app downloads were 220.1 billion, which was 17% higher than in 2020. 

However, this year, downloads are expected to slow to a growth of 7% year-on-year. 

Mobile games are expected to account for half of all downloads, followed by photo and video apps and social networking apps. The three top app categories will account for 66% of the 235.2 billion predicted downloads. 

App download growth to stall

Source: Statista

Key takeaways

• In-app advertising growth rate in 2022 is predicted to be a fifth of that in 2021
• Mobile game revenue growth is estimated to be 7%, down from 25% in 2021
• 8% revenue growth of mobile apps marks the smallest increase in at least six years 

The post In-app advertising to increase at only a fifth of last year’s growth rate appeared first on Business of Apps.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned running Intellifluence, it is to always listen to your users. When we launched Influencer Offers last year at this time, we saw a very rapid increase in brands rushing to check it out. Since then, we’ve been collecting feedback on how to make the experience better for everyone involved.

Since most of the feedback we received over that period came from brands on the free subscription plan, it shouldn’t be too surprising that the changes they wanted the most was to be more like the paid plans. What does this mean?

At launch, the free plan brand users were only able to make purchases directly through Influencer Offers and were not able to coordinate with influencers via campaigns and Discover process. This was by design as we wanted to have a way to differentiate value amongst paid and non-paid plans. However, after analyzing usage data across plans, we believe we can accomplish both plan differentiation and satisfy the overwhelming feedback received.

Intellifluence plans

Source: Intellifluence

Who will see the most benefit?

Subscribers to our FREE plan will see the most obvious benefits. As of this writing, you’ll now be able to run an influencer campaign with 5 influencers – this is more significant than outsiders might realize as that number is based on active influencers within a campaign. The faster transactions are completed, the more overall influencers can be worked in such a campaign. FREE plan users will also be able to, on a limited basis, use our Discover engine to find specific influencers for their campaigns. We’ve calculated normal expected use of both Discover and typical campaign usage to come up with limitations while still allowing full use of the platform. This will be the ideal plan for those with low, sporadic influencer needs.

The other big winner will be those brands on our Starter plan without high usage needs. If you’re a brand that needed to run a single campaign of only a few influencers at a time, you can downgrade while still accomplishing your goals. When you find you need to work with more than 5 at a time, you can re-upgrade with our hassle-free process. Starter is a much more powerful plan than our FREE plan, so the majority will still benefit by remaining on it, but 10-15% may see enough benefit to downgrade and save on the subscription fee.

Influencers. While I’m pleased with our Influencer Offers usage on a transaction basis,  we have over 200,000 influencers and ~10,000 influencer offers, which means roughly 5% influencer visibility towards FREE plan users. Now that FREE plan users will be able to access all influencers, there’s a much higher likelihood of an influencer being selected than before. I still highly recommend creating buy-it-now influencer offers as a large number of brands prefer one-off activity to creating campaigns, but this will help to get more people more work through 2023. Given the state of the global economy, working to get as many people work as possible on an affordable basis for brands seems like a worthwhile goal – it’s something our competition cannot come close to offering.

If you represent a brand or agency and haven’t gotten a free plan yet, don’t hesitate. If you’re an aspiring influencer/creator, get on board and enjoy yourself working with those brands.

The post Announcing Intellifluence free plan improvements appeared first on Business of Apps.

TikTok is reportedly launching a dedicated gaming channel within its app, according to the Financial Times and people familiar with the matter. Earlier this year, the company had already touted its ambitions to break into gaming. 

What is TikTok gaming?

The popular social and video app plans to add a dedicated gaming tab to its app which lets users access various mobile games. Gaming would be ad-supported which could be a major boon for developers and advertisers. But users can also purchase additional content such as gaming lives etc. 

When is TikTok gaming coming to Europe?

Douyin, which is the Chinese version of TikTok, has offered hypercasual games since 2019 already. 

It’s not entirely clear when the new gaming tab is being rolled out in Europe, but there are rumours that TikTok may announce the new channel at TikTok Made Me Play It, the company’s first gaming event on November 2. Guest speakers include Electronic Arts and 2K Games. 

TikTok Announces First-Ever Global Gaming Event
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TikTok has announced its first-ever global gaming event, with ‘TikTok Made Me Play It’ live-stream showcase to be held on November 2nd.
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As explained by TikTok:

“The future of gaming is here – and it’s happening on Tik pic.twitter.com/x09So7TN3w

— Intuition Media Group (@BlissfulMediaGr) October 28, 2022

“The future of gaming is here—and it’s happening on TikTok. Leading publishers are launching games on our platform as culturally relevant entertainment properties, building communities, and inspiring broader entertainment audiences to discover and play their games,” the event website reads.

Could gaming be the next great thing for TikTok?

The short-form video app is not the first to try its hand at adding mobile games. Competitors such as Snapchat have previously launched games in 2019 which were shut down again in August 2022. Similarly, Facebook recently closed down its standalone gaming platform. 

Whether Tiktok can succeed where others haven’t remains to be seen. The mobile gaming market experienced a slowdown following a 6.3% drop in player spending in 2022. 

Key takeaways

• TikTok to launch dedicated gaming tab in-app outside of China
• The new tab could be launched at the company’s gaming event on November 2

The post TikTok plans to add gaming to its app appeared first on Business of Apps.

Around one in three gamers say adverts negatively impact their gaming experience. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Often the ad is not to blame but instead, it’s the ad type that disrupts gameplay.

Intrinsic or native in-game adverts are the least distracting types of ads, according to a brand new survey by mobile app ad specialist Frameplay. Based on the answers of 1,200 mobile gamers, the survey reveals user preferences for ads during gameplay. But why do intrinsic ads come out on top? 

Ads can negatively impact the gaming experience

Intrinsic in-game advertising, previously referred to as native advertising, has rapidly become one of the top choices among app marketers. Some 62% of gamers said they had previously experienced the ad type during gaming. 

Gamers prefer intrinsic ads

Source: Frameplay

However, it’s not yet the dominant type of ad. 45% of respondents said they had previously seen interstitial ads the most compared to 23% saying they saw more intrinsic in-game ads. 

Interstitial ads pause gameplay which may disrupt the gaming experience and leave users with a negative brand perception. 

Intrinsic in-game ads are effective and preferred

Users rated intrinsic ads as their preferred in-game ad type, followed by adjacent, interstitial and audio ads. Over a third of respondents (34%) said the ad type was the most effective and made them take action more than other ad types. 

Gamers take more action with intrinsic ads

Source: Frameplay

Intrinsic ads are also the least distracting (24%) compared to interstitial ads (54%), adjacent (43%) or audio ads (42%).

“Intrinsic ads are not only preferred, but an ad that doesn’t stop the gameplay and enhances it may lengthen sessions and support the retention of players, improving monetization,” said Cary Tilds, Chief Strategy and Operations Officer for Frameplay.

“The good news is that industry-wide viewability standards have finally been established for ads that appear within gameplay, validating these claims and helping brands and advertisers across all industries clearly understand why they should invest in reaching consumers within video games.”

Key takeaways

• 54% prefer intrinsic mobile in-game ads because they’re less disruptive
• Intrinsic ads are also the least distracting (24%)
• Intrinsic in-game ads are the most effective (34%)

The post Intrinsic in-game ads are least distracting app adverts appeared first on Business of Apps.

Since its inception in 2013 App Promotion Summit Berlin has become one of the global app industry’s premier events, where the most forward-thinking app growth leaders come together.

Here are the top 7 reasons you should join us on December 1st in Berlin:

1. Meet app marketers from brands including Babbel, Picsart, InnoGames, Zattoo, Tandem, OneFootball, Zalando, BILD (Axel Springer), Monese, ImmoScout24, Deezer, hagebau connect, Audible, PAYBACK, Mondly and Vinted
2. Enjoy a 5* experience at our outstanding venue with fantastic food, drink and refreshments
3. Mingle with the world’s top app marketers and product leaders in our legendary friendly atmosphere at our cocktail roundtables, evening drinks reception and afterparty
4. Connect and do business through our networking app and in our busy Exhibition and Marketplace area where you can meet with the world’s leading user acquisition and app engagement platforms and agencies
5. Gain practical insights at workshops that explore App Store Optimization, User Acquisition, App Product & Engagement, and Social & Influencer Marketing for Apps
6. Get inspired with talks like 3 Hacks to Boost your User Acquisition on TikTok and How to Supercharge your App Proposition with User Insights
   
7. Be a part of Europe’s biggest app conference with 500 attendees

Early Bird tickets end on 4th November and you can reserve your place here. 

The post 7 reasons to join us at APS Berlin appeared first on Business of Apps.

Sales in mobile games in China fell to their lowest since the start of the Covid pandemic, dropping 19% to $8.23 billion according to a report from video gaming intelligence experts CNG.

Sales of mobile games were down 12.6% from the previous quarter when revenues were $9.4 billion. The reduction was driven by weaker sales of mobile games as they slid 25% from last year to $5.7 billion due to the impact of the macroeconomy. The report noted that sales were some of the worst since Q1 2020. 

Large industry players aren’t immune

At the same time, a greater number of games were shut down (89%) compared to previous quarters. Interestingly, one in 10 titles that were cancelled belonged to Tencent Holdings. However, the company still dominates for the top-grossing games in the country with titles such as Honor of Kings.

Top mobile game titles in China in October 2022

Source: Sensor Tower

A pandemic and tighter regulations

The decline in sales is in part driven by new nationwide restrictions that aim to reduce the time and money young gamers can spend on online games. Last year, China issued regulation that limits the time gamers under the age of 18 years can play games from 8pm to 9pm on Fridays to Sundays and statutory holidays. 

The Chinese player base fell 3.7% to 706 million in 2021. The number of players is expected to grow again to 730 million by 2026. 

Number of Chinese mobile gamers down

Source: Niko Partners

At the same time, the country stalled granting licenses for eight months until April 2022 when it resumed approving just a handful of titles. This has further stalled the release of new titles.

Does the future of Chinese games lie outside of China?

Amid the slowing growth of the gaming market within China, some predict that Chinese developers could generate more demand for their mobile gaming titles in the US and Europe. 

The expansion of China’s video gaming market, which includes mobile games, is forecast to reach $14.9 billion over an unspecified time frame.

“While regulations are strict in the domestic market, the more established companies have set their sights and strategy [on expanding] overseas,” said Zeng Xiaofeng, VP of Niko Partners, a Shanghai market research and consulting firm.

“Acquisitions and investments in foreign development studios have provided Chinese developers a tremendous window to see what may be in demand outside the domestic market.”

Key takeaways

• Sales in mobile games in China fell 19% to $8.23 billion
• 89% of games were shut down
• 1 in 10 titles being cancelled belong to Tencent Holdings
• Chinese player base drops almost 4%

The post Chinese mobile game sales fall 19% as regulations tighten appeared first on Business of Apps.

Short-form video has quickly captured the attention of app users globally with TikTok regularly leading the download charts for iOS and Android app stores. Despite its undisputed potential for entertaining marketing initiatives, could the popular app actually be influencing consumer behaviour? 

TikTok impacts interest in dining experiences

According to an MGH survey of 1,139 TikTok users in the US, 53% of millennial users visited or ordered from a restaurant they had seen on TikTok. And while millennials appear to be particularly inspired by the app, 38% of TikTok users across all generations (or 51.8 million) have visited or ordered food from restaurants they previously saw on the app. 

Millennials TikTok users are fueling foodie interest

Source: MGH

What’s driving food orders?

TikTok has managed to establish a huge community of food lovers who share their culinary experiences. As the study shows, this translates to real dining visits. And foodies aren’t shy to go the extra mile either. Some 30% said they travelled longer than usual to visit a TikTok-recommended restaurant while 28% were willing to fork out slightly more to pay for their dining experiences. 

This presents food app marketers and restaurants with a unique opportunity to reach a highly committed foodie audience. A single review on a popular TikTok channel can boost restaurant visits. 

But the driving force behind restaurant visits is still the appetising-looking food for the majority (72%) of TikTok users. 

42% of users showed up to taste a unique menu item, while 42% went because the place looked fun. 

Reasons for TikTok users to check out a restaurant after seeing it on the app

Source: MGH

Key takeaways

• 53% of millennial users visited or ordered from a restaurant they had seen on TikTok
• Third of users are willing to travel longer and pay more for restaurants they saw on the app
• Short-form video offers opportunities for marketers to drive site visits

The post How TikTok influences restaurant visits of over 50% of millennials appeared first on Business of Apps.

While many app categories noted a jump in installs during the pandemic, there’s been a drop in interest during the years that followed when lockdowns came to an end and users returned to managing certain things like shopping in the real world. However, one category that has continued to see growth is financial apps. Money management apps gained 9 million new Android users in 2022 so far.

40% rise in installs of money apps in the UK

According to research from app experts App Radar, the rise in Android financial app downloads in the UK amounts to a whopping 40% compared to 2021. The top 10 money management apps were downloaded by a total 40 million people on Android by the end of August 2022. On Google Play, the top money management apps Revolut (5.86m), Monzo (968k), Chase UK (496k), Curve (481k), and Starling (395k). Revolut increased its user base by 25%, for example. 

Top ten money management apps on Google Play

Source: App Radar

The overall average user growth of apps in the space was 22%. Pension apps such as PensionBee increased their user base by 41%. 

Investment apps fall behind

However, investment apps haven’t performed quite as well with the top ten UK apps in that space seeing growth of 15%, which is down 36% from the previous year. Amidst economic turmoil it seems consumers are more interested in saving money in the short-term rather than long-term investment. However, 885k Android users downloaded UK investment apps for a total of 5.96 million. In contracts, research by Sensor Tower earlier this year found that the top 30 crypto-related investment apps saw downloads surpass 100 million – 2.8x that of 2020.

“As the cost of living crisis starts to bite, people are more conscious of where they spend and invest their money. This is starting to reflect on the investment app sector as growth is naturally decreasing, whereas apps with money management functionality are faring much better as they enable people with limited savings to try and make their money go further in the short term,” explained Silvio Peruci, Managing Director, App Radar.”

Top investment apps on Google Play

Source: App Radar

“The investment market will either slow completely as people save money, or these companies will find a new audience of non-investor savvy people who have savings and don’t want inflation to erode the value of their funds. This will be no easy feat and these companies will have to work hard to attract such an audience with a smart app marketing strategy that will combine targeting via app store ads and organic growth via app store optimisation.”

The company expects the money management sector to become even more competitive over the next few years with app makers bolstering functionalities and offers for consumers.

Key takeaways

• Money management app downloads in the UK jumped 40% compared to 2021
• Average user growth was 22%
• Investment app downloads grew 15%, down 36% from 2021

The post Money management app downloads jump 40% as consumers focus on saving in the short-term appeared first on Business of Apps.

The performance marketing agency AdQuantum has teamed up with the ad intelligence platform SocialPeta to create a joint Global report on app marketing for H1 2022 — The state of mobile game and app markets. This study reviews how the industry has changed and what marketing and product teams should expect in the future.

Here is a sneak peek at what you will learn from this report:

• How the number of mobile advertisers worldwide has changed and why
• Which ad campaign optimizations worked the best throughout H1 2022
• What the top-performing user acquisition strategies are for ad networks and paid social traffic sources

As a nice bonus, you get insights from the most prominent industry experts on the current state of mobile advertising, the main trends, and what to expect in the future.

Dive into this study to get insights and adjust your product’s marketing strategy!

The post Global report on app marketing for H1 2022 — The state of mobile game and app markets appeared first on Business of Apps.

With over 12 million installs in September alone, TikTok continues to be the most-downloaded app across Southeast Asia. That’s a near 18% rise year-on-year according to the latest data from Sensor Tower. But it’s not Bytedance’s only app dominating the top 10 downloads charts for the area. 

CapCut downloads jump 14%

CapCut, another app from TikTok maker Bytedance, was the second most installed app in Southeast Asia with 10.5 million downloads, which is a 14% rise over the previous year. Installs were highest Indonesia (46%) and Vietnam (21%). Indonesia also dominated for TikTok installs (37%), followed by Vietnam (27%). Facebook, Shopee and Messenger rounded out the top five. 

TikTok, Google and YouTube dominate revenue charts

TikTok also led the charts for top-grossing mobile apps in Southeast Asia at close to $10 million, which is a rise of 85% year-on-year. Some 32% of revenues came from Malaysia, followed by 22% from Indonesia and 17.5% from Vietnam. Google One was the second highest earner at close to $5 million in revenues, followed by YouTube. 

TikTok dominates app revenue charts in Southeast Asia

Source: Sensor Tower

Mobile Legends: Bang Bang scores top spot in games

Moonton’s game app Mobile Legends: Bang Bang secured $9 million in player spending during September 2022, a rise of almost 7% from the previous year. Garena Free Fire ranked second for revenues with over $8 million in gross revenues. The game is particularly popular in Thailand (39%) and Indonesia (29%) in terms of revenues.

Top game titles by revenue in Southeast Asia

Source: Sensor Tower

Key takeaways

• TikTok downloads jump 18% in September 2022 compared to 2021
• CapCut downloads grow 14% over previous year
• TikTok and Google dominate for revenues in Southeast Asia
• Mobile Legends: Bang Bang is a top game app by revenue

The post Bytedance apps at top of download charts in Southeast Asia appeared first on Business of Apps.

With the rise of the creator community, social platforms have been busy adding tools and monetisation features for their most creative users to boost not just their own profiles but collaborate with brands on in-app influencer marketing initiatives. This adds value by enabling creators to share what’s important to them while earning some money. Now a new report from Adobe reveals that almost half (48%) of all creators are making at least some cash from their social app activities. So how exactly are creators monetising content?

Revenue streams already represent over half of monthly income

Based on the answers of over 9,000 online professional creators, the study found that a growing number of people have tapped into monetisation opportunities since last year (77%) with the highest number of monetizers based in Brazil (59%), the US (53%), Germany (51%), UK (51%) and South Korea (51%). 

Monetising creators by country

Source: Adobe

And there’s plenty of money to be made within the influencer marketing space with four in 10 monetisers saying they make more money now than they did two years ago and eight in 10 anticipating they’ll earn even more in the next two years. Adobe expects the highest level of earnings to be happening in the US, Brazil, Spain and the UK in the next two years. 

Majority of creators monetising began doing so last year

Source: Adobe

Gen Z is driving the creator economy

Perhaps unsurprisingly the creator economy is thriving among Gen Z monetisers with half of them saying they’d prefer to start their own creative business rather than attend college. Gen Z is also averaging at slightly higher average hourly rates ($58) compared to other monetisers ($51 per hour). Over half of Gen Z monetisers expect to earn more over the next two years as they expect to create new content and gain more followers. 

The main issues and causes users create content for include photography, creative writing, painting, graphic design, videography, woodworking/metalworking/sculpture, fashion and design, apps and music creation. While the minority of monetisers are utilising opportunities in NFTs and virtual or augmented reality, many do consider these areas future opportunities.

The main sources of income are fairly evening split between promotional revenue such as ad revenues from online platforms (35%) and affiliate links (29%) but also selling work via online marketplaces (33%) and their own website (31%).

Creators are generating income from promotional revenues and sales

Source: Adobe

Is the metaverse key to the next big opportunities?

Over 68% of creators believe the metaverse will open up new job opportunities. Three-quarters of creators say they’ve already explored the metaverse at least once and 34% are participating weekly through gaming, socialising and shopping. Over half of creators who participate in the metaverse weekly say they want to own their own creative business. 

Key takeaways

• 48% of creators are generating revenues from their app activities
• Main sources of income include promotional revenues and sales via their own websites or apps
• Over half of Gen Z monetisers expect to earn more over the next two years
• 68% of creators see the metaverse as the next big opportunity

The post Over half of creators are already making money from their app activities appeared first on Business of Apps.

Popular photo-sharing app BeReal just closed a funding round of $60 million in a series B pushing its valuation to €600 million. It follows a $30 million Series A in June 2021. The latest valuation brings the app value to $100 per daily active user. So what’s the hype all about?

MAUs and DAUs on the rise 

BeReal has been popular with Gen Z in particular with monthly active users (MAUs) growing 315% between April 2021 and April 2022.  The app is simple to use sending users prompts to share photos once a day. The idea is that users connect via image and check in on one another regularly in this way rather than via text. Images disappear within 24 hours. 

BeReal installs continue to climb month-on-month

Source: Apptopia

A source told TechCrunch the app now had 20 million daily active users (DAUs). It had almost 8 million users as of July 2022. 

What’s behind BeReal’s success

While the app has been around for a couple of years, 65% of its lifetime downloads happened this year, according to Apptopia. France and US are the countries where installs are the highest at 20.5% and 19.7%, respectively. 

Much of the app’s growth has been attributed to word-of-mouth, the app’s college ambassador program and widgets and features. The college program is a paid marketing initiative that pays ambassadors for promoting the app by handing out vouchers for slices of pizza in return for downloads, for example. Rates per download are between $6 to $8. 

College ambassadors linked to BeReal’s success

Source: Apptopia

Installs drive calls for monetisation 

As installs grow, investors will likely turn to the app’s ambitions to generate revenues. For now, BeReal says it plans to avoid advertising and will focus on premium features to avoid becoming another Instagram. Paid-for features would not be launched until 2023. At the same time, it’s unlikely the app will rule out advertising.

“The best way for [BeReal] to monetize would be through ad placements and marketing challenges and competitions,” said Ashleigh Millar, production manager at MIDia Research. “It will have to stick to its unique selling point of authenticity and being a friends-first app when monetizing, so keeping ads to the discovery page and not interrupting the flow of the Friends page is very important.”

Key takeaways

• BeReal secures $60 million in a series B funding round
• Current valuation at €600 million
• Daily Active users are now 20 million 

The post BeReal secures $60 million in Series B funding round appeared first on Business of Apps.

We are excited to announce that the first-look agenda for App Promotion Summit Berlin 2022 is now live and it’s packed with app growth knowledge bombs.

Our in-person conference at Hotel Adlon in Berlin on Thursday 1st December will feature a main stage covering app growth across the funnel plus 4 workshop rooms focusing on App Store Optimization, User Acquisition, App Product & Engagement and Social & Influencer.

We have confirmed speakers from Podimo, Taxfix, Wooga, Ada Health, CoinStats, Clark, Jam City, and more.

Sessions include:

• How User Insight can Elevate your App Proposition – Lisa Kennelly, Growth & Marketing, Klarna
• Scaling Beyond a Million $ Campaign: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly – Luca Stefanutti, Director of Growth, adidas Runtastic
• See Beyond what you can Track: Boosting Volumes and Revenues Measuring Organic Uplift – Jessica Gotti, Performance Marketing Lead, Paired
• How to Create Features that Unlock Product Growth – Dmitry Yasinsky, Product Marketing Manager, Fishbrain
• Who Wore it Better? Best Practices on Multi-Platform Influencer Campaigns – Maria Boixareu Castillo & Berta Gonzalez Urpinas, Influencer Marketing Managers, Vinted

Grab your tickets here if you haven’t already. We can’t wait to welcome you to the event.

We look forward to seeing you there.

The post App Promotion Summit Berlin agenda is live appeared first on Business of Apps.

Mobile apps experienced a significant surge in adoption and consumer spending during the pandemic. As restrictions are levelling off and the world reopens, spending on mobile apps has dropped. According to the latest report from mobile and app experts data.ai consumers spent 5% less on mobile apps during Q3 2022 compared to the $34 billion they spent in 2021. But overall spending was still 40% higher compared to pre-pandemic levels.

Consumer spending is down but downloads are up

Mobile users spent 3% less on iOS ($21 billion) than the previous year. Google Play spending slipped 5% to $11.4 billion. However, the data also reveals that app installs have continued to rise. Downloads were up 8% to 38.7 billion during Q3 2022. 

Google Play downloads jumped 9% year-on-year to 30 billion, while iOS grew a more modest 6% to 8.7 billion. 

iOS still accounts for 65% of all app spending and commands an even higher share of 71% in non-gaming apps. 

Consumer spending is coming down following a pandemic high

Source: data.ai

However, recent estimates suggest there’s reason to remain positive as spending on apps is predicted to rise 77% by 2026 compared to 2021.

Drivers of growth

For downloads on Google Play India, Pakistan and Iraq were the biggest drivers of growth quarter-to-quarter.

In terms of category, Games, Tools and Entertainment drove the highest number of installs on Google Play. Tools, Finance and Entertainment apps showed the biggest growth overall between quarters. 

App consumer spending by platform and type of app

Source: data.ai

China and the US were the two largest markets for iOS downloads, but Brazil noted the highest percentage rise during the last quarter.

Games, Utilities and Entertainment were the largest iOS categories by installs, though Education registered significant jumps. 

Audible tops app charts

Traditionally, the top five apps by consumer spending tend to be dominated by the same repeat offenders including TikTok and Meta-owned social apps. However, there was some movement in the top 10 with the audiobook app Audible rising two spots to #9. This follows a more rigorous campaign from Amazon over the summer to drive installs.

Key takeaways

• Consumers spent 5% less on mobile apps during Q3 2022 
• App downloads rose 8% to almost 39 billion
• Audible climbs to top 10 app charts

The post App spending down 5% in third quarter 2022 appeared first on Business of Apps.

There are plenty of reasons why people download and use apps. But what exactly influences app downloads and why do some users delete apps? New research from Digital Turbine surveyed mobile gamers in the US aged 18-64 years to shed light on current mobile gaming habits and which apps gamers value the most. 

Players want better functions 

At least a quarter of mobile gamers prefer to download apps to play games due to improved functionality compared to websites. While 54% of users download apps for specific tasks, 53% do so for convenience, 46% say they use apps to pass the time.

37% of mobile gamers said they would also download an app to receive a promotion or discount. This presents a unique opportunity for developers to motivate users to install an app.

Convenience and a clear need dictate reasons for app downloads

Source: Digital Turbine

Top app categories among gamers

Gamers are regular users of many other app types including retail apps (82%), entertainment apps (75%) and finance (67%), among others. They’re unique as an audience because they value spending time in apps which makes them a good target for brand awareness.

Among the top gaming categories are Puzzle (63%), Word (52%), and Strategy (36%) apps. 

Gamers tend to download plenty of other apps

Source: Digital Turbine

Trust is key to boosting installs

Over half (52%) of mobile gamers will be influenced to download an app if it’s from a trusted developer. Having previously used an app (50%) influences trust as those overall brand reputation (48%) and app revenues (39%).

Some 65% of users will not install apps with poor or no reviews. However, just 15% of gamers said they would delete an app over privacy issues. In a boon for developers, some 33% of gamers are likely to agree to app tracking. 

Boosting reviews and app reputation increases trust among users

Source: Digital Turbine

Reasons to end it

Not every app lives to see the day and that’s particularly true of gaming apps which tend to have very high churn rates. But what’s driving users to regularly delete their apps? Over two-thirds said they delete apps which are no longer relevant. Another 44% delete apps because they get bored of them and 38% cited poor user experience. Another 28% abandon an app when they receive too many notifications. The findings present a need for developers to create apps for clear and consistent use. 

Relevance and boredom dictate app deletions

Source: Digital Turbine

Key takeaways

• Over half of users download apps for specific tasks and for convenience
• More than a third of gamers download apps to receive special offers
• Trust in a brand or developer influences whether users install an app
• 15% of gamers will delete an app over privacy issues
• Major reasons to delete apps include boredom, relevance and poor user experience 

The post Over 50% of gamers download mobile apps for convenience and specific tasks appeared first on Business of Apps.

With 52% of Indians already purchasing products through mobile apps and another 44% buying online after browsing in-store, there’s a considerable opportunity for app marketers and brands to reach consumers this holiday season. That’s according to the ‘An App Marketer’s Guide to the Indian Festive Shopper 2022’ report from InMobi in collaboration with Branch. 

Mobile app engagement and installs are up during the festive season

App installs and engagement are likely to trend upward during this year’s festive season in India if 2021 levels are anything to go by. App installs rose during the months of April and November last year and engagement also picked up, albeit with weaker momentum. Time spent using mobile apps rose 27% in 2021 compared to 2020 and Indians were engaging more frequently with social and communication apps. However, other categories such as finance, shopping and travel saw huge growth of 34% in 2020 as consumers adapted their habits in light of Covid lockdowns. 

App installs were up during the festive season 2021

Source: InMobi

Entertainment apps and fintech draw consumer attention

Engagement rates in entertainment apps jumped 30% last year with music apps seeing a bump of 14%. The festive season offers a great opportunity for developers and marketers to boost in-app engagement and referrals. 

Similarly, installs of fintech apps saw a massive spike at over 100% during 2021 as digital payments are making it easier than ever before for users to track their payments.

Fintech app installs rose during festive period 2021

Source: InMobi

Travel apps have also recovered post-Covid seeing a steady rise in installs following April 2021. 

The new mobile shopper

Mobile search ads are the dominant channel (31%) for consumers to discover festive season sales and offers. And shopping apps were the third highest installed but second highest used during the festive season. 63% of shoppers said they explored options on mobile devices after seeing them in-store and 72% made purchases on mobile devices. Part of what’s driving the move to mobile is the added convenience of shopping in-app or on a mobile device.

More people are utilising apps and online channels to make purchases

Source: InMobi

Growth strategies for app marketers this festive season

Among the top growth strategies, the report mentions paid media for driving a higher volume of app installs with 31% coming from social, 30% from affiliate and publisher networks and 39% in search. However, marketers are advised to experiment with differentiating their marketing mix to assess the impact of paid, direct and organic options.

Key takeaways

• Time spent using mobile apps rose 27% in 2021 compared to 2020
• Engagement rates in entertainment apps jumped 30% last year with music apps seeing a bump of 14%
• Installs of fintech apps saw a massive spike at over 100% during 2021 
• Mobile search ads dominate as channel for consumers to discover offers
• 72% of Indian shoppers made purchases on mobile devices

The post This festive season 52% of Indian shoppers are purchasing on mobile apps appeared first on Business of Apps.

Short video ads have taken the app marketing world by storm and there are plenty of good reasons for developers and brands to be optimistic. From platforms such as YouTube to Instagram and Pinterest – with so many platforms to choose from, which performs the best? Creatopy, the ad design automation experts, put them to the test, running the same short video ad creative at a budget of $3,000 across TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, and Pinterest at the same time. 

YouTube drives the most traffic

YouTube Shorts drove the most traffic, i.e. users, to Creatopy’s website. TikTok ranked second followed by Instagram Reels while Pinterest Idea ads scored lowest for traffic. 

Although the quality of traffic was highest for Instagram Reels with engagement rates of over 41%, YouTube Shorts ranked second with 22%, followed by Pinterest Idea (20%) and TikTok (16%) ads. 

This means that both Instagram and YouTube are doing a good job at showing ads to users who may be more interested in downloading an app or trialling a product.

The results of the test also unveiled that Instagram Reels ads skewed male than any other platform.

Traffic breakdown by gender on each platform

Source: Creatopy

CPM influences impressions

However, TikTok ads scored the highest number impressions at over 150k, followed by Pinterest at 91k and YouTube Shorts at over 56k. 

This is driven by the cost of ads with CPMs being the lowest on TikTok at $4.74. Instagram Reels had the highest CPM at $16.67, followed by YouTube Shorts at $13.50 and Pinterest Idea at $7.15. 

It’s an interesting finding that, in combination with Creatopy’s traffic and quality results, highlights that lower costs may not always lead to the desired outcomes for app marketers. 

Results breakdown of study

Source: Creatopy

Know the platform

No matter how creative your ads are, for the best results, it’s worth taking a closer look at individual ad platforms and typical outcomes. For example, TikTok offers considerably fewer targeting features than other platforms. It’s best for spontaneous, non-exclusive content. The report also noted that there was a strong correlation between landing page and ads as users expect to find similar elements of an ad on a landing page. YouTube Shorts are best when they capture viewer attention within the first few seconds. 

Key takeaways

• YouTube Shorts drive the highest traffic
• Instagram Reels have the highest engagement rates of over 41%
• TikTok ads score the highest number impressions at over 150k
• CPMs are lowest on TikTok at $4.74 and highest on Instagram Reels at $16.67

The post YouTube Shorts ads drive the most traffic appeared first on Business of Apps.

We are busy building a fantastic App Promotion Summit Berlin 2022 agenda that will be packed with Europe’s top app growth experts.   We’re back to full capacity at Hotel Adlon with 5 rooms of app growth content and 500 in-person attendees.

We’re delighted to announce a first-look line-up of speakers ready to share their insights on Thursday December 1st, including:

• Lisa Kennelly, Growth & Marketing at Klarna
• Dmitry Yasinsky, Product Marketing Manager at Fishbrain
• Luca Stefanutti, Director Of Growth at Adidas Runtastic
• Gessica Bicego, CMO at Paired
• Alexander Beresford, Chief Growth Officer at Taxfix
• Jeff Aksengor, Global Director of Growth at Podimo
• Patrick Hammer, CEO at BodyFast
• Maria Boixareu Castillo, Influencer Marketing Manager at Vinted
• Dora Trostanetsky, Growth Marketing Lead at Trade Republic
• Marion Balinoff, Influencer Marketing Manager at Wooga

Check out our website for more speakers and keep your eyes peeled for the agenda, which will be announced later this week.

Book your in-person or digital ticket here.

The post Speakers revealed for APS Berlin appeared first on Business of Apps.

Travel app downloads fell sharply during the coronavirus pandemic in light of tightening restrictions and lockdowns. By summer 2021 adoption returned to pre-pandemic levels and by Q2 2022 installs were up 56% compared to the previous year. 

Travel apps offer speed and convenience when it comes to booking accommodation, flights or renting cars, but despite positive install figures, a new study by app quality firm Applause finds that app users want more from their travel apps. 

Changing plans are difficult to manage in apps

Based on the answers of over 5,200 respondents, the survey found that 37% of users find apps unhelpful in managing travel challenges such as rebooking or cancelling flights or finding last-minute accommodation. Another 20% said they were somewhat or very dissatisfied with their overall travel app experiences. 

The majority of users tend to use just one or two travel apps while just 7% have installed six or more.

Most users installed 1 to 2 travel apps

Source: Applause

Can’t find what they’re looking for

Common bugs and friction points that hamper the app experience include being unable to find information (18%), a slow app response (13%), localisation problems (12%), issues using payment sources (11%) and seating or booking arrangement not being honoured on site (10%).

“In a time when a majority of travellers are facing travel disruptions, delays and other issues, it’s so important that brands are focused on the quality of their digital experiences,” said Luke Damian, chief growth officer for Applause. “Ensuring that apps are tested by users in local markets especially helps eliminate design flaws and friction points that can heighten a traveller’s frustration. Providing travellers with helpful tools and high-quality digital experiences can go a long way in protecting brand reputations and enhancing customer loyalty. It can be a differentiator in the market.”

When plans don’t change, satisfaction rises

The majority of users (67%) tended to be overall somewhat or extremely satisfied with their travel apps – s0 long as their plans don’t change. 

Travel apps are used to plan accommodation (23%), make flight reservations (21%), buy train, ferry or bus tickets (17%), rent a car (12%), make entertainment (12%) or meal reservations (10%).

Top reasons for using travel apps

Source: Applause

Key takeaways

• 37% of users say travel apps aren’t helpful in managing travel challenges 
• Users criticise the inability to find information (18%) and slow app responses (13%) among others
• 67% of users are satisfied with travel apps when plans don’t change

The post 37% say travel apps aren’t helpful to manage changing plans appeared first on Business of Apps.

Mobile app games are likely to introduce additional monetisation features over the coming months in light of Apple increasing prices on the App Store across Europe and Asia. For example, League of Legends: Wild Rift plans to add gachas to its store soon while Diablo Immortal launched Battle Pass season and new ways to get premium dacha tickets. That’s according to new data from Game Refinery which takes a closer at September gaming data.

Apps are ramping up their in-game monetisation tools

Driven by inflation woes and a deepening economic crisis, Apple announced price increases on its App Store back in September, effective as of October 5. The hike affects app developers who will see proceeds adjusted accordingly. Repeat subscriptions weren’t affected. In light of these hikes, several game makers have added new features to entice players to keep spending in-game. Events are another big part of this push. Candy Crush Saga, for example, organised a multi-week tournament while Rise of Kingdoms held a raffle. Games such as Roblox are also partnering more with music collaborators. 

Game revenues spike after version updates

In China, League of Legends: Wild Rift launched a 1v1 PvP mode and monetised gachas. The app also featured multiple store events and added a single-player competitive mode to boost the gaming experience. This led to a revenue spike of almost 10x. 

League of Legends: Wild Rift revenue spikes in China after update

Source: GameRefinery

In Japan, the rhythm game BanG Dream! Girls Band Party saw a massive revenue spike after collaborating with rock band Ling Tosite Sigure. Dragon Ball Z Dokkan Battle launched new missions and event levels which led to huge revenue spikes and more downloads that pushed the game to the top of the iOS Store’s top-grossing charts in Japan and the US.

Dragon Ball Z Dokkan Battle campaigns were a huge hit in China and the US

Source: GameRefinery

Developers must find creative solutions

The move to raise prices has been widely criticised for failing to consult with developers first. Consumers are already being hit hard by price hikes all around and developers rightly fear that it could affect how much money they’re going to be spending in apps. It seems, if Apple wants to increase prices, there’s not much developers can do. Adding in-game features may be a more subtle workaround to the issue, enticing consumers to spend a little more rather than simply hiking the price of the app.

Key takeaways

• Apple App Store price increases are beginning to affect developers
• To combat potential earnings losses, game developers are adding new monetisation features

The post Developers add paid game app features to combat App Store price hikes appeared first on Business of Apps.

Apple’s privacy changes sent shockwaves through the app and mobile industry when it was rolled out, impacting the performance ranking of iOS and Android. The move seems to have benefitted Apple Search Ads which tripled its market share in 2022 compared to H1 2020 and has become the number one media spruce on iOS. However, a look at AppsFlyer’s latest Performance Index reveals there’s still plenty of opportunity for growth elsewhere. 

Apple Search Ads lead in power and volume ranking

Source: AppsFlyer

Google Ads and Meta Ads lose ground but prevail on Android

Apple’s App Tracking Transparency (ATT) created major challenges for app marketers and Google Ads as well as Meta Ads both lost ground on iOS. Meta, in particular, took a significant hit and performance is still far from what it used to be. However, on Android, Google and Meta Ads still dominate in AppsFlyer’s power and volume ranking. 

On Android, Google Ads and Meta Ads still rank top for retention and remarketing

Source: AppsFlyer

Interestingly, TikTok ranked third in the global volume ranking for Android, hinting at the social company’s enormous scale. 

Google Ads maintains lead in gaming

While Google Ads may be losing some ground in non-gaming apps, it still ranked top for retention for Android due to its scale. Meta Ads dropped one spot which may be due to the higher cost of media and issues with ATT. ironSource and Mintegral gained the most significant ground in gaming app installs.

In a slowing economy, the pressure is on

App marketers are now facing additional challenges such as shortened budgets due to the economic slowdown. App install ad spend budgets fell 14% during the second quarter of 2022 after rising 2% in Q4 2021. The average app budget was down 12%. 

However, the use of owned media appears to be on the rise among non-gaming apps. Installs were up 18% on Android and a whopping 30% on iOS. While paid media rise just 3%, owned media jumped 25% on average.

Key takeaways

• Apple Search Ads tripled market share in 2022 compared to H1 2020 
• Google Ads and Meta Ads lost ground on iOS but dominate in AppsFlyer’s Android power and volume ranking
• TikTok ranks third in the global volume ranking for Android
• App install ad spend budgets fell 14% during Q2 2022 
• The average app budget was down 12%

The post Apple Search ads tripled market share as ATT leads to falling app install budgets appeared first on Business of Apps.

BeReal, the messaging app that has taken app stores by storm, just reached 53 million in global downloads across the App Store and Google Play. But that doesn’t mean users are engaging with it every day, according to new data from Sensor Tower. So what’s the gist?

BeReal adoption is on a roll

BeReal is a social app that touts itself as a simplified photo-sharing app, prompting users to share a photo a day. Users are supposed to focus on real moments during their life rather than taking the time to pose. That’s also why they’re being given just 2 minutes to snap and share a picture. 

The concept obviously speaks to an audience that’s become slightly weary of the glossy, perfect images on Instagram and over-produced videos on TikTok. BeReal was downloaded almost 15 million times in September 2022, up 20% from the previous month. 

BeReal downloads continue to increase

Source: Sensor Tower

The majority of installs are coming from the US, followed by Brazil. The country overtook the UK as the second-largest market for BeReal installs in September, accounting for over 1 million installs.

Installs don’t equal activity

While download stats are impressive, active opens are less so. According to the data, just 9% of BeReal Android users opened the app every day during the third quarter 2022. Granted, taking a picture within 2 minutes each and every day may get a bit tiring, but usage figures trail far behind apps such as Instagram (39%) and TikTok (29%). 

The increase in monthly active users could spell good news for BeReal

Source: Sensor Tower

All hope is not lost though. If monthly active users are any indication, BeReal could be seeing more opens soon. MAUs were up a whopping 2,254% during September 2022 and usage has been steadily climbing during the past few months.

Data by 42matters suggests that BeReal MAUs were up 633% instead, but that’s still pretty impressive. It remains to be seen whether that translates to higher daily active usage.

Where there are users, brands will follow

BeReal is still far from being flooded by big brands to the likes of Instagram and TikTok, but high-profile businesses such as Chipotle have been testing the app and sending out daily coupon codes. The app doesn’t have a clear marketing strategy in place – yet. But that hasn’t stopped brands from getting real and sharing photos. Chasing away apps in an effort to remain authentic could backfire if BeReal intends to monetise. At the same time, it could be a winning strategy and attract users tired of apps flooded by ads such as Instagram. 

Key Takeaways

• BeReal recorded 53 million in global downloads
• The app was downloaded 15 million times in September 2022, a rise of 20%
• But just 9% of BeReal Android users opened the app daily in Q3 2022 
• MAU estimates are between 633% to 2,254%

The post BeReal app downloads skyrocket but opens lag behind at 9% appeared first on Business of Apps.

Black Friday and the Christmas shopping season are just a few months away, a crucial period for retailers that can account for up to 40% of a company’s sales. With a growing number of retailers adopting mobile technologies and launching their own retail apps during the pandemic, the shopping landscape has changed. But what exactly does the holiday season mean for shopping apps this year?

Shopping app visits on the rise

According to the latest predictions from the app and mobile experts data.ai, mobile shopping app visits are going to increase 22% year-on-year to 450 billion. That’s not even including China yet, in which case sessions will rise to 850 billion. 

For the fourth quarter of the year, data.ai predicted that shopping app traffic to come closer to 28 billion sessions in the US alone on Android phones, up nearly 10% year-on-year. The findings highlight significant opportunities for retailers and brands to focus on the app marketing strategies that can help them to boost sales this season. 

Sessions in mobile shopping apps grow 22% globally

Source: data.ai

Higher app engagement drives retail sales

Arguably, the pandemic taught many of us how to shop in-app and the data shows we’ve made it a habit. Engagement in shopping apps grew twice as fast as downloads. 

Americans are expected to spend over 150 million hours on Android phone shopping apps during Black Friday and Cyber Monday, up 41% compared to pre-Covid years.

US shoppers are spending more time in shopping apps

Source: data.ai

What’s more, time spent in apps correlates with higher retail sales. How’s that for revisiting those loyalty programs and push notifications! For stationary retailers with a strong local presence, a mobile strategy could help them compete with mobile-first sellers.

Looking for ways to save

Given the threat of inflation, American shoppers will be looking for opportunities to save this winter. This becomes evident when taking a closer look at downloads of coupon and reward apps – up 31% during H1 2022 already. Coupon apps Upside and Fetch Rewards ranked five and six among the top shopping apps in the US.

Consumers are looking for ways to save by download coupon and rewards apps

Source: data.ai

Global downloads of rewards apps grew 24% during the same period. 

Apparel apps such as SHEIN and Nike are expected to perform well this shopping season and despite the dire economic situation, Americans are still spending their hard-earned dollars on luxury goods. 

Key takeaways

• Mobile shopping app visits to increase 22% year-on-year to 450 billion
• US shoppers to spend over 150 million hours on Android shopping apps this holiday season (+41% YOY)
• Coupon and reward app downloads jump 24% in H1 2022 globally

The post Mobile shopping app visits up 22% this holiday season appeared first on Business of Apps.

Harry Potter took the world by storm when it was first published leading The New York Times to create a separate bestseller list for children’s fiction in 2000. Since then, mobile games based on the popular characters created by J.K. Rowling have been added to the Apple App Store and Google Play regularly. 

New data reveals that Harry Potter-themed mobile games generated a combined $1 billion from player spending globally. 

Top-grossing Harry Potter titles

The game generating the single highest revenues was Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery created by Jam City. According to Sensor Tower, it has generated over $400 million in revenues since it first launched back in 2018. The second top earner was Harry Potter: Magic Awakened by NetEase with $358 million. It’s an impressive result given that the game is only available in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau. A whopping 91% of its revenue comes from China alone.

Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells from Zynga comes in third at $218 million, followed by Harry Potter: Wizards Unite from Niantic at $39.6 million.

Harry Potter mobile app titles attract over $1 billion in combined player spending

Source: Sensor Tower

Scoring in the top 50 intellectual property games

When measured against other intellectual property (IP) mobile game apps, Harry Potter: Magic Awakened ranked 31 for revenues globally in 2022. So far, the app has generated $85.4 million in revenues, ranking ahead of titles such as FIFA Online 4M and Game of Thrones: Conquest.

However, it ranks tops for titles based on books.

Players in the US and China are spending more

The US ranks top for Harry Potter games by player spending. The country accounts for almost 37% of total revenues. That’s $374.8 million. China follows closely at $324.3 million or 31.6% based on iOS data alone, and Germany comes third at $51.6 million or 5% of total player spending.

Player spending on Harry Potter has steadily increased. Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery was also a top-grossing mobile simulation game app in 2021.

Harry Potter was a top-grossing mobile simulation game app in 2021

Source: Sensor Tower

When factoring in China, the App Store accounts for the majority of revenues at 66.6% of revenues or $683 million, while Google Play accounted for 33.4% or $342.5 million. However, outside of China revenues were split more evenly between the stores with Google accounting for 49% and Apple for 51%.

Wizarding worlds attract 156 million downloads

To date, Harry Potter mobile games have reached over 156 million installs globally. The US ranks top for downloads at 31.8%, followed by China and Brazil. Google Play accounted for 54% of total installs while the App Store accounts for 46% or 72 million. 

Key takeaways

• Harry Potter mobile games reach $1 billion in global player spending 
• Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery generated over $400 million in revenues 
• US player spending accounts for 37% of total revenues followed by China at 32%
• App Store accounts for 66.6% of revenues (including China, 51% excluding China) while Google Play accounts for 33.4% (including China, 49% excluding China)

The post Harry Potter mobile game apps reach milestone $1 billion in player spending appeared first on Business of Apps.

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The post Fall contest: Get up to $7500 bonus! appeared first on Business of Apps.

The Apple App Store experienced its biggest drop in revenues last month as gaming installs and subscriptions stabilised following a surge during the pandemic. Revenues on the App Store dropped 5% year-on-year, representing the steepest drop the company noted since recording its data.

Revenues across top markets are decelerating

Gaming was the main reason for the decline, plunging 14% year-on-year. Net revenues across the top leading markets including China, Taiwan and South Korea were flat or increased. The top 10 markets make up 87% of App Store spending.

As previously reported by Sensor Tower, app revenues dropped 4.8% across the Apple App Store and Google Play following a drop in consumer spending on in-app purchases and subscriptions. Apple reported $6.9 billion in revenues for September, down from $7.2 billion in 2021.

Financial uncertainty to blame

“We believe the recent App Store results make clear that the global consumer has somewhat de-emphasized App Store spending in the near-term as discretionary income is reallocated to areas of pent-up demand,” Erik Woodring, an analyst at Morgan Stanley, wrote.

The analysts believe that the holiday season may lead to better results and an uptick in revenues again.

Apple increases prices

One way the company may be making up for losses is by increasing prices for app purchases, in-app purchases and subscriptions from the App Store. In light of rising inflation and currency fluctuations, Apple announced rising store prices in Chile, Egypt, Japan, Malaysia, Pakistan, Poland, South Korea, Sweden, Vietnam and all places that use the euro. This means an app costing €0.99 will cost €1.19 as of October.

The changes won’t affect subscription renewals, the company said.

Key takeaways

• App Store revenues fell 5% year-on-year
• Gaming revenues dropped 14% year-on-year
• Declines in App Store revenues are led by waning consumer interest

The post Apple App Store records biggest ever drop in revenues appeared first on Business of Apps.

Concerns over privacy and new regulations have made it more difficult to target consumers online. Increased awareness means that consumers are also taking more control over their own data and the expectations they have of branded ads. However, regardless three quarters of Brits will view mobile and digital adverts in exchange for free editorial content. Over half (58%) will chose a hybrid of ad-supported model instead of subscriptions or paying for an article signalling an opportunity for marketers to reach audiences.

Creative ads are still attention grabbers

According to research from Seedtag Contextual and market research firm YouGov based on the answers of 3,000 internet users in Spain, Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, and the UK, 53% felt that ads embedded in high quality content were more likely to grab their attention while half considered creativity and visual content their most important factors for brand recall.

Over half (64%) said they felt positive about brands with ads embedded in content that interested them.

UK most likely to support ad-funded models

The UK is more likely to support an ad-funded model for online content (76%) compared to Italy (56%), France (52%) and Spain (51%). This means that advertisers may need to adjust their strategy depending on the regions they are targeting.

Privacy matters and UK audiences are doing something about it

The majority of Europeans (82%) feel positive about brands ending the use of their personal data for targeting. UK consumers are taking matters into their own hands when it comes to matters of data privacy with 52% adjusting their cookie settings or denying cookies. Users also tend to adjust their cookie settings based on the website they are visiting.

“The research has demonstrated that consumers understand what they want and expect from brands and publishers. Different countries have dramatically different requirements and both brands and publishers need to understand this and tailor the approach depending on the region,” says Paul Thompson, UK country manager at Seedtag. “This is a huge opportunity, consumers seem to support the move to a cookieless environment, so as an industry we need to look for alternatives that don’t require the need for personal data.”

The post Three quarters of Brits choose to view ads for free content appeared first on Business of Apps.

Source: Snapchat

Augmented reality (AR) has continued to evolve over the last decade. From shopping to gaming, the technology has captured the attention of many mobile users and app marketers alike. And AR is far from over. In fact use of the technology is growing with over 72% or 250 million of Snapchat’s user base using at least some AR elements in the app each day.

Snapchat has made it simple for marketers to create basic AR experiences through its Lens Web Builder platform while also powering more advanced options via the Lens Studio.

And research shows that over two-thirds of AR shoppers intend to purchase products after using AR, and four out of five feel more confident in their purchase when using AR to make a decision.

But which is better for campaign success – simple or advanced AR?

Simple or sophisticated Lenses?

To find out which performed better Snap asked Kantar to survey 7,800 participants in the UK, US, France and Saudi Arabia to assess the performance of Lens creatives in Auto, Beauty, Food and Beverage, and Shoes categories.

The study found that simple Lenses are just as useful as sophisticated ones when driving brand metrics like awareness and purchase intent. However, higher tier brand metrics such as favourability and consideration intent were benefits of more sophisticated Lenses.

Simple Lenses drive awareness and purchase intent.

Source: Snapchat

Lens success shifts with category

Kantar also found that for certain categories such as Auto, both simple and sophisticated solutions drove awareness. However, purchase intent was achieved using only sophisticated Lenses.

Lens campaign success depends on ad category.

Source: Snapchat

In Beauty, for example, simple Lenses performed well for awareness and intent. Marketers can draw on many creative strategies such as application tutorial videos and single product Lenses.

Conclusion

The findings highlight that brands can adapt their AR advertising campaigns according to the metrics they wish to achieve. For bands to create effective AR experiences on Snapchat, they can draw on both simple and more sophisticated Lenses to drive improved outcomes.

The post Simple and sophisticated Lenses drive app brand metrics appeared first on Business of Apps.

Social media has made it easier than ever before to share private moments with family and friends. When users are gaining satisfaction out of sharing content on apps this in turn boosts engagement. Previously, research from Snapchat based on the answers of 19,000 users across 16 markets found that the overwhelming majority (93%) of them enjoy sharing and celebrating moments on the app. This level of engagement presents a huge opportunity for marketers and advertisers. But what exactly should brands look out for when utilising Snapchat and similar social apps?

Personal connections boost engagement

To find out how marketers can provide a less interruptive experience for Snapchat users, the app partnered with Neuro-Insights to measure how users respond to ads on Snapchat versus other platforms. 126 participants were connected to electrodes to measure brain activity to understand engagement, detail memory and emotional intensity of ads, among others. The results show that 75% of users are using the app to engage with friends and family which leads to 14% higher happiness than on other platforms.

However, on Snapchat engagement remains high for broader connections

Traditionally personal interactions in a social app lead to higher engagement scores. But what Neuro-Insight found was that on Snapchat engagement levels remained high for broader circle connections, compared to other apps. This could pave the way for brands to reach users more effectively in-app. Overall app usage scores were also higher compared to other apps.

Engagement scores remain high for broader circle on Snapchat

Source: Snapchat

Overall engagement scores are up to 62% higher than other apps

Source: Snapchat

Snapchat ads are relevant

Neuro-Insights then showed the same ad to users on different apps. It found that engagement was 1.6x higher than on other apps. Snapchatters are also 45% more likely to recommend a brand to friend after seeing an ad and 34% more likely to purchase the advertised product.

For brands to leverage these insights, they should focus on making use of creative tools such as Commercials, Story Ads, Filters and AR Shopping Lenses. However, data privacy remains a major concern among social media users with 52% saying that a platform’s privacy and data protection strategy makes a huge impact on users engaging with ads and sponsored content.

Key takeaways

• 75% of Snapchatters engage with friends and family in the app boosting engagement

• Engagement rates were just as high for close and broad circles on Snapchat

• Snapchatters are also 45% more likely to recommend brand to friends after seeing an ad

• They are 34% more likely to purchase an advertised product

The post Positive social media engagement leads to higher brand recall appeared first on Business of Apps.

In 2022, mobile marketing and campaign success on iOS comes down to the ability to work with SKAdNetwork (SKAN) and conversion values. Apple’s App Tracking Transparency (ATT) framework requires apps to request permission from users to access their IDFA, which was available by default before the rollout of iOS 14.5 in April 2021. What this means is that from iOS 14.5 onward, SKAN is necessary for holistic attribution and measurement on iOS—introducing significant complexity to mobile marketers and effectively turning long-held systems for user acquisition and measurement on their heads.

To understand user behavior and drive growth, developing a strategy that leverages all data available and contextualizes aggregated data within opted-in, user-level data is essential. This is exactly why Adjust has launched Conversion Hub, a smart, easy-to-use conversion value solution that empowers mobile marketers and developers to map and configure conversion value setups that make the most of SKAN.

Conversion Hub, which is built on machine learning and industry best practices, is an in-house SKAdNetwork expert for any and all marketing teams looking to map and configure conversion value setups tailored to their app, business model, and key KPIs.

Smart, easy conversion value mapping

To make the process as simple yet customized as possible, Conversion Hub has two models and two flows to choose from. As SKAN provides advertisers with one conversion value, Adjust’s system allows you to get the most information out of it possible.

Conversion value modes:

• 63 CVs: Makes use of all 63 possible conversion values by mapping a revenue range to each value.
• 6-bit: Provides maximum transparency on user engagements post-install and empowers user journey optimization by allowing up to six events to be mapped to the six bits available.

Setup flows:

• Smart setup: Designed for teams looking to get started with some inspiration and guidance on the model that will work best for their business. After receiving a few pieces of input, Smart setup leverages machine-learning to suggest mapped, ready-to-use conversion values or informs on when and how to set their own 6-bits.
• Advanced setup: Built for teams experienced with SKAN and conversion values that are looking for a very granular, technical approach to iOS campaigns. Clients can customize and set conditions and events.

A robust SKAN strategy and a smart conversion value solution are the keys to mobile marketing on iOS and driving meaningful, measurable campaigns. For more information on how this works and how you can get started, check out Conversion Hub here.

The post Adjust launches Conversion Hub: An all-in-one solution for conversion value mapping appeared first on Business of Apps.

Source: Sensor Tower

Consumers continue to spend less on in-app purchases, subscriptions as well as premium apps according to the latest data from Sensor Tower. Overall spending dropped 4.8% in Q3 2022 to $31.6 billion. The results are hardly surprising given the rising fears over inflation and economic worries as well as harsher privacy regulations.

App revenues take a hit on App Store and Google Play

Revenues on the App Store fell 2.3% to $21.2 billion but they were still twice as high as those on Google Play where revenues dropped a sharper 9.6% to $10.4 billion.

Global app downloads drop for game and non-game apps

Source: Sensor Tower

First-time downloads fell almost 1% on both app stores to 35.3 billion during the third quarter. However, this was driven by Google Play where installs fell 2.2% to 27 billion while adoption climbed 3.8% on the App Store. While it’s not entirely clear what’s driving the drop in Google installs, there’s still a lot of hunger for apps. Data from data.ai previously found that users are actually spending 20% more time in their apps. 

TikTok takes the lead for revenues and downloads

TikTok (and its Chinese counterpart Douyin) were the top-grossing non-game apps globally. Consumer spending on the app amounted to $914.4 million. TikTok ranked first for revenues on the App Store and second behind Google One for Google Play. It shows that the popular short-form video app’s success streak is far from over. 

Downloads of TikTok shot up to 196.5 million installs overtaking Instagram which previously held the top position. On Google Play, however, it ranked third behind Facebook and Instagram.

TikTok leads revenue charts

Source: Sensor Tower

Game revenues drop a whopping 13%

Consumers were even less confident about spending their cash in gaming apps. Revenues for game apps fell 12.7% to $19.3 billion during Q3 2022. Both marketplaces attracted fewer revenues. Mobile game spending on Apple fell 9.8% to $11.9 billion while Google was down 16.9% to $7.4 billion. 

Game revenues take a hit

Source: Sensor Tower

Game downloads were flat at 13.7 billion.

The top three games for revenue were Tencent’s Honor of King and PUBG Mobile as well as miHoYo’s Genshin Impact.

While consumers continue to use apps at increasing rates, it’s clear that the industry is facing some headwinds given the current economic situation. What’s interesting is that even though the pandemic shut down several industries, it benefitted apps. However, the same is not true for the current situation now that lockdowns are no longer in place and consumers are having to put on the brakes on spending. 

Key takeaways

• Consumers spent almost 5% less in apps during Q3 2022
• App Store and Google Play revenues fell while downloads increased on the App Store but not Google Play
• TikTok ranks top for revenue and downloads
• Game revenues fall 12.7% while installs remain flat

The post Consumer spending on apps drops almost 5% in Q3 2022 appeared first on Business of Apps.

Install trend by country and platform among eCommerce apps (Source: Appsflyer)

The Covid-19 pandemic heralded the era of online purchasing and app retail. However, as shoppers returned to normal life, mCommerce has slowed a little. 

Building on the mobile-first experience, a growing number of eCommerce marketers are looking to navigate a market that’s facing economic downturn, privacy changes and data restrictions. 

In 2022 eCommerce app marketers spent $61 billion to acquire new users, according to a report from AppsFlyer, representing 50% in spending.

What’s driving the drop in eCommerce ad spending?

While 2020 saw eCommerce shopping sales rise 25% followed by 17% in 2021, declines in growth were below 10% in 2022. In part to blame for this are the economic downturn and recession fears driven by the war in Ukraine. eCommerce apps are also not attracting the same number of users this year. Apps are increasingly focusing on remarking to retain users. 

Android eCommerce app installs fall 5%

Overall installs for Android eCommerce apps fell 5% year-on-year excluding India which gained new traffic. iOS installs dropped 4% during the same period after a rise in download during Covid. In the US, app installs fell 21% while iOS gained 4%. The APAC region continues to be the most promising market for eCommerce app installs. 

Global eCommerce app installs are falling (Source: Appsflyer)

110% rise in app installs in India

The APAC region continues to be the most promising market for eCommerce app installs. Installs jumped 110% on Android in India. Both owned media and in-app purchases continued to attract strong growth between 2021 and 2022 in India. Both India and Brazil benefitted from lower CPIs that drove non-organic installs to over 60% of total installs. Non-organic installs also represented the majority of installs in the US but have been dipping below 50% as of July 2022. 

Owned media and remarketing continue to grow in India (Source: Appsflyer)

Up to 8x jump in owned media reengagement conversions

Owned media jumped 360% over the year as marketers are working harder to get value from their budgets. This was particularly dominant in the APAC region. However, Android recently added opt-ins to push notifications which could lead to a drop of 30% in opt-in rates. Marketers are warned to update their apps accordingly and continuously optimising their settings.

13% drop in Android retention

As mobile users continue to explore new apps 30-day retention rates fell 13% on Android. Retention rates on iOS fell by 5% which is in line with previous trends. In India, iOS retention rates were more than double those of Android. 

“The likelihood of a  downward trend for eCommerce apps is not the end for marketers, as November is annually the best month for installs and sales across most markets with Black Friday and Singles Day,” said Shani Rosenfelder, Director of Market Insights, AppsFlyer.

“This year, especially, consumers might still have an appetite for spending in the holiday season thanks to the addition of the World Cup. For this reason, apps should focus on remarketing to retain the users they did pick up over the past few years and publishers need to make the most of their owned media channels.”

Key takeaways

• $6.1 billion spent in eCommerce apps between July 2021 and July 2022
• 5% drop in Android eCommerce app installs worldwide
• 110% rise in India Android eCommerce apps
• 13% drop in 30-day retention on Android 

The post eCommerce app marketers are spending more to acquire users while installs stall appeared first on Business of Apps.

HUAWEI kicked off its annual Apps UP competition on 24th June 2022, inviting developers from all over the world to put their skills to the test by leveraging HUAWEI Mobile Services (HMS) Core, a collection of open device and cloud capabilities for the development of innovative apps.

Held across five regions, including Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, the Middle East & Africa, and China, Apps UP provides a platform for all developers − from students to hobbyists and professionals − to realise their dreams on the global stage.

The contest boasts a prize pool of US$1 million overall and a substantial US$200,000 in Europe alone across 8 award categories.

Participating individually or as a team, app developers who publish their app on AppGallery will gain exposure to over 730 million monthly active HUAWEI device users, while those who make it to the finals will enjoy global media exposure and co-marketing opportunities with Huawei in the future.

HMS Core Kits – unleash your potential

By signing up to Apps UP, developers will access HMS Core, allowing them to pursue ground-breaking innovation, deliver next-level user experiences, and utilise premium content and services. These services include building blocks such as app services, media, graphics, smart devices, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and systems, allowing developers to enable, implement and operate services for better app experiences.

Developers will also be pleased to know that HMS Core’s open capabilities support multiple usage scenarios, helping users to stay connected effortlessly and seamlessly across a wide range of products. These span smart homes, sports and health, audio-visual entertainment, and smart travel products.

What the 2021 Apps UP winners had to say

Cristina Angelillo, CEO and Co-founder of Marshmallow Games, submitted Smart Tales for the competition last year. An educational app for children that teaches STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths), soft skills and positive values, it’s the only app at Apps UP 2021 to win in three separate award categories, taking home prizes for Best Game, Best Social Impact App, and the Tech Women’s Award.

Speaking of her experience, Cristina said: “We were committed in porting Smart Tales to AppGallery to take advantage of the fast-growing audience in the Huawei digital ecosystem. To achieve this goal, we decided to integrate the HMS capabilities that would allow us to have the full app functionality, like In-App Purchases and then Analytics Kit and Game Services in order to receive important information about app usage.”

Another app released during last year’s competition was Notebloc, a scanner and document organisation app used by the educational community. Notebloc was launched on AppGallery which enabled students to use it on the Huawei Matepad, providing them with an interactive medium to highlight, annotate, and draw on scanned documents.

Founders Bente Malmberg and Maria Trullàs integrated several HMS Core Kits to help them take their app to market: “We integrated HMS Core, Login with Huawei, and Drive Kit into our app, which we found very easy to integrate. We also had great support available if we needed it from the Huawei Developer team.”

Hear from the 2022 Judges

Innocenzo Sansone, Founder and Community Director of The Communities Bay, knows the importance and benefit of being in a developer community.

Speaking about what he hopes to see in the entries this year, Innocenzo said: “I am hoping to see apps that are innovative and push the boundaries of what is possible. There are a few things I look for in a new app: first, whether it is well-designed and user-friendly; second, whether it offers something unique or valuable that I can’t find in other apps; and third, whether it is regularly updated with new content.”

Meanwhile, Atıl Samancıoğlu, co-founder and CEO of the Academy Club Worldwide, said that “Easiness to use, accessibility, performance and outstanding user experience” are the top factors that he looks for when trying a new app. “When it comes to creating the app, the most important things for a developer to begin with are the UX, and then clean architecture for development.”

Atıl is most looking forward to seeing submissions for the Best Social Impact App, so if you have an app that fits, get your submission in today!

How to register and enter

To sign up for Apps UP, you’ll need a HUAWEI ID, which you can easily register for on the Huawei website. Once obtained, you can sign up for the contest individually or form a team of no more than four members.

All works must be submitted by October 9th, 2022, at 5pm UKT/UTC+8. Entries must have integrated at least one HMS open capability or service and run seamlessly on devices with HMS installed. The results will be announced in December 2022. Good luck!

If you want to get involved with the developer community, but are unsure where to start, Apps Up is a fantastic place to begin. There is still time to enter our Apps UP 2022 competition. Register now for a chance to win here!

Want to meet like-minded developers? Come join our Huawei Developer Discord community: https://discord.com/invite/n6DTutkHKh

Discover more about our HMS Core Kits here: https://developer.huawei.com/consumer/en/hms

The post Level up your app and reach over 730 million users through Apps UP 2022 appeared first on Business of Apps.

It’s been widely established that mobile apps have a huge potential to bring value to everyone involved. Today, all branches of the economy are deeply intertwined with mobile. For app developers getting a big volume of downloads for their apps to grow is nice but not even nearly enough. The real challenge is the long game. To be more specific, retention is the name of the game.

The leading app experience platform Airship has recently surveyed 200+ app developers to shed light on where the app industry stands with delivering great app experiences.

The result? Many brands are driving exceptional growth and profits with app-centric experiences, but others have barely started.

This webinar will explore 7 operational gaps across marketing, product, and engineering teams, in companies of all sizes, as they strive to deliver engaging mobile app experiences.

Attendees will learn how to overcome these challenges by marshaling internal resources and agile methods.

Register to learn the lessons from the 2022 Mobile App Experience Gap Survey.

The post Mobile App Experience Gaps: insights from the 200+ app developer survey [webinar] appeared first on Business of Apps.

Social media is now a crucial tool to connect people around the world and help families and friends stay in touch. During the summer of 2022, European advertisers spent around $1.5 billion a month on social channels, according to research from Sensor Tower.

Spotify advertises across more diverse range of social channels

Spotify and Amazon Music were the most downloaded music apps in the UK since 2019. Interestingly their advertising strategies have been very different. Amazon Music dedicated 88% of its ad budget to Facebook and 11% to Instagram while Spotify allocated the majority of its budget to Instagram (45%). Spotify’s ad strategy encompasses a much broader range of social channels, including Facebook (20%), Snapchat (18%) and TikTok (17%). The company tended to use the Story format, representing 50% of its total ads. 

The vast majority of Amazon Music ad types included a “get offer” style call to action while Spotify focuses on targeting different audiences and emphasising its sports genre.

Game publishers spend 53% of budgets on social channels

Social advertising has become an increasingly important channel for gaming advertisers too. In the UK alone, game developers spent 53% of their total ad spend on social channels during the measurement period. 

An analysis of Voodoo, the social app for teens to chat and collaborate on games, showed that ad spending peaked around the first and second week of June with downloads reaching over 400,000 during that period. The app maker focused on Snapchat and TikTok for its social strategy. Voodoo’s strong performance demonstrates that hypercasual developers may do well using Snapchat and TikTok as their social ad channels.

Despite the rise in social media advertising, overall growth is predicted to slow by 11% down from 18% according to MAGNA. In part, that’s due to Apple Search Ads eating into social’s pie. Apple’s ad business is expected to grow 36% to $6.9 billion in 2022. 

Key takeaways

• European advertisers spent around $1.5 billion a month on social channel
• Spotify and Amazon Music follow different creative strategies
• In the UK, game developers spent 53% of total ad spend on social channels

The post European app makers are spending $1.5 billion on social channels a month appeared first on Business of Apps.

If you punched a clock from nine to five, you would most likely get a paper check or direct deposit of some sort. However, as an affiliate, you don’t work regular hours with a typical boss. So, where does that leave you in terms of getting paid?

You know how this works: affiliate marketing involves a person promoting another’s product or service. Chances are good that this person has a vast audience interested in exactly what is for sale, boosting profits for the company. In turn, they get a nice commission for generating leads.

In 2022, the affiliate marketing industry is projected to hit $8.2 billion, according to Statista. That is almost double the record set in 2017 (at just $5.4 billion).

But nobody likes waiting around for payday, no matter what industry they work in. How do you receive your affiliate commission? If you aren’t in control of your payment, you might be with the wrong affiliate network.

You didn’t become an affiliate to collect pennies and count change. You know people who know people, and they will make purchases companies desire for the best bottom line. However, you want your fair cut, too. After all, you are the one generating leads to turn into sales. Some companies don’t want to offer fair commissions for affiliates or beat around the bush when it comes to payments. Get what you deserve with Olavivo.

Olavivo has numerous processing payment possibilities

Are you ready for exciting news? Our payment processing capabilities are soaring to new heights, just like our meta-loving niches, such as crypto, NFTs, and sweepstakes.

As an affiliate, you care about how you get paid. There is no need to wait on a paper check in the mail these days or really wait at all, for that matter. With Olavivo, you can reap the benefits of multiple payment processing options, such as:

• International Wire
• Local Wire
• PayPal
• Payoneer
• Crypto

That way, you can have access to your funds your way. Olavivo works with you to determine the best avenues for your success. In fact, when it comes to payment processing, Olavivo has global coverage. No matter where you work or live in the world, you can receive your money on time, every time. Olavivo has over 10k+ active publishers in 125 countries, so it only makes sense (and dollars) to use this top affiliate network.

Not only can you choose the payment platform that works best for you, but Olavivo has multiple payment schedules based on your needs, including:

• Weekly
• Bi-weekly
• Monthly

Keep in mind that Olavivo has a $250 minimum payment and offers a payment timeframe for Net7 only. You’ll always receive timely payments from earning top commissions when you work with Olavivo. Remember, there are 10k+ active publishers in over 125 countries, and you’ll be able to cash out in no time.

Work with the best account managers in the business

As valued media partners, all affiliates work with 24/7 dedicated account managers. Our professional managers are available around the clock to support partners and affiliates with invoicing and processing payments, so you never have to wait or worry about a thing. With a fully supportive team on your side, you can rest assured knowing everything works just as it should, including processing payments.

Since Olavivo works on a global scale, you can expect multilingual support in the language you prefer. They can help explain trending and top-converting international offers and the hottest payout rates so you can select what suits you best. With live and real-time reports, your helpful account manager will be able to explain issues and improvements for the best returns.

Our network is always secure!

Olavivo has a strict compliance and onboarding process for every affiliate and advertiser to ensure maximum security and benefits for everyone.

Each person who works with Olavivo is handpicked for greatness. Everyone has to provide proof of identity, address, and other factors. That way, you feel safe on the network and can easily connect with professionals. Expect only high-quality leads and traffic sources from certified media partners and advertisers.

Olavivo takes pride in being fully transparent and flexible so you can get the most out of this affiliate network. From creative tools and resources to top-convertive offers and campaigns, you’ll discover exclusive options you won’t find anywhere else.

Get ready for trending and top-converting global offers backed with on-time payments using various payment methods, including crypto.

Enjoy a lucrative referral program

You already know how easy it is to make streaming income as an affiliate. Instead of putting all of your time and effort into promoting other people’s products and services, you can quickly persuade others to join the world of affiliate marketing. Of course, you shouldn’t do it for free, and you can get paid when you refer your friends, family, or anyone else to Olavivo.

Not only can you invite newbies who can benefit from the simple streaming income, but you can help out seasoned pros. How? Because Olavivo is an industry-leading affiliate marketing network and probably ten times better than what they are dealing with now. When you refer other affiliates to the amazing Olavivo network, you will get a referral commission in return.

This awesome referral program makes it fast and easy for you to make even more of your affiliate marketing business. Get ready for peace of mind and good vibes only!

Want to get in on the affiliate marketing fun?

If you’re ready to go head over heels into the affiliate realm, you need to join a network that has a proven track record of success. Olavivo isn’t your everyday media agency. You’ll connect with the right people to achieve greatness.

With over a decade of experience, knowledgeable and reliable account managers and partners with Olavivo will be at your side as a reliable guide. They will respond to your needs immediately, with groundbreaking advertising and extraordinary services that make everyone prosper.

When you think of Olavivo, think of a dedicated team ready to help you succeed with a global, secure network and the best payment processing capabilities in the business. Read more about the benefits of joining Olavivo and contact them today to learn more information about converting traffic every single day.

The post Olavivo is a top affiliate network with numerous payment processing capabilities appeared first on Business of Apps.

Hypercasual games have been a rapidly expanding mobile app genre, experiencing stable growth over the last few years, accounting for approximately a third of downloads of the top 100 games globally in 2021. 

Hypercasual games feature simple play based on traditional arcade games. It’s precisely this minimalism that has made it easier for app developers and publishers to launch their own hypercasual titles. 

Now a new report from mobile gaming ad experts Tenjin shows that Android reached an all-time high 57% share of hypercasual advertising spending. 

Android vs iOS ad spending

The latest Hyper-Casual Benchmark Report for Q3 2022 reveals that Android gained 7 percentage points of ad spend share in Q3 2022 versus Q1. iOS ad spending was 43% for hypercasual titles. 

Median cost-per-install (CPI) was still higher on iOS than Android at a difference of $0.10. However, that’s down from an average of $0.15 over the last four years which signals that Android is becoming more competitive.

US and Japan lead for ad spending on Android

Taking a closer look at the regional breakdown of ad spending in hypercasuals, Tenjin found that the US, Japan and Brazil were the top three in Q3 2022 for Android with a median CPI of $0.56, $0.44 and $0.06, respectively. Brazil’s very low CPI makes it one of the top potential markets for Android developers and marketers. 

Brazil’s low CPI also opens opportunities for iOS marketers

The US ($0.71), Japan ($0.66) and UK ($0.39) were the top three countries by advertising spend in Q3 2022 for hypercasual games. Brazil’s median CPI of just $0.14 also makes it a top opportunity for iOS developers.

Mintegral has lowest CPI on Android

An overview of the top 10 ad networks by ad spend shows that Mintegral had the lowest CPI of just $0.08 for Android while Meta was the most expensive at $0.30. On iOS, Unity Ads was lowest for CPI at $0.15 followed by Mintegral at $0.19. Apple Search Ads are the most expensive on iOS ($0.62).

“This data comes from many thousands of hyper-casual mobile games, offering devs useful insights on where their user acquisition spend can be targeted for maximum impact,” said Roman Garbar, Marketing Director at Tenjin. “On a macro level, it also indicates increasing ad spend and CPIs on Android, continuing the recent trend of Android ascendancy, although retention remains considerably stronger on iOS.”

Retention is higher on iOS

Day 1 and day 7 retention rates are higher on iOS compared to Android. Day 1 retention of the top 2% of games was 51% on iOS and 42% on Android while day 7 retention on iOS was 22% and 16% on Android. Low retention at around the one week mark is a common issue among hypercasual titles. It’s also one of the reasons why developers are beginning to add more in-depth gaming content to keep users playing for longer.

Key takeaways

• Android jumps to 57% share of hypercasual advertising spending

• CPI is higher on iOS and Android

• Brazil provides opportunity with very low CPI relative to ad spend

• Mintegral has the lowest CPI on Android.

• Unity Ads has the lowest CPI on iOS.

• Day 1 and day 7 retention are higher on iOS than Android

The post Android’s share of hypercasual game ad spending climbs to record 57% appeared first on Business of Apps.

Whether you are new to affiliate marketing or a seasoned pro, you should check out the next big thing at Olavivo. As a leading affiliate network, you already know it’s going to be worth the wait. Drumroll, please, and without further ado…

Say hello to the hottest affiliate sweepstakes in the industry at Olavivo!

Why are sweepstakes popular at Olavivo? Well, you get multiple payment methods, an awesome referral program, and, of course, unlimited positive energy. If you are ready for good vibes and streaming income, keep reading to learn more about sweepstakes campaigns.

The gist of sweepstakes

You know how a sweepstakes works, right? A company gives away something of value for free. To win, you must enter your name and contact info. They pull a random name, and one lucky person gets the prize.

In the meantime, the company receives a bunch of data about potential customers. Even though they didn’t buy anything yet, chances are that these small leads can eventually generate customers and profit.

Sweepstakes are so popular because everyone wants to win something for free. The chance alone is enticing even if the prize isn’t that great. The better the prize, the more people want to win. It doesn’t really matter if the person is rich or not; free is free, and the bragging rights can last forever.

Where do you come in as an affiliate? The more people you get to sign up for the sweepstakes, the more commission you earn. It doesn’t matter if the person you brought in wins or not. They don’t have to purchase anything, either. They just have to sign up, and that’s it.

Types of affiliate sweepstakes

Olavivo offers top-converting sweepstakes, including SOI, DOI, and CC Submit options.

SOI Sweepstakes

An SOI sweepstakes campaign stands for Single Opt-In. This type of sweepstakes is the easiest way to get conversions because it requires only one action from the user. However, it also pays the least commission. As the name suggests, the user only has to enter minimal info to enter the sweepstakes. For example, it could be a name or email. You can select the information you want to collect, such as age, interests, etc.

DOI Sweepstakes

You can probably guess what DOI sweepstakes are all about now that you read about SOI. As you might assume, DOI stands for Double Opt-In. Besides just entering an email, there is a second step. It could be to confirm a link in the email. This type of sweepstakes is more difficult to convert than an SOI because of the additional action involved. However, affiliates earn higher payouts from DOI sweepstakes. When a company receives DOI leads, the data and interaction are more valuable than SOI ones.

CC Submit Sweepstakes

CC stands for credit card in this case, meaning the user must submit credit card info to enter the sweepstakes. This type is the hardest to convert but also pays the most commission. How does it work exactly? There is usually a landing page where people can enter sweepstakes (for, perhaps, a brand-new Apple product) by paying just a dollar (by submitting their credit card details).

Why are Olavivo sweepstakes the best?

Olavivo is an industry-leading affiliate network offering all three types of sweepstakes. We have top-converting campaigns that cover 90+ countries in 10 languages.

Plus, you can expect swift and secure payment because Olavivo has the ability to process payments using:

• International Wire
• Local Wire / Paypal
• Payoneer
• Crypto

We have global coverage regarding payment processing, so no matter where you work and live, Olavivo will send money your way. You can also choose how often you want to get paid! Olavivo offers weekly, bi-weekly, and monthly payouts. Plus, they have a payment timeline available for Net7. Keep in mind that the minimum payout is $250.

Of course, your country and GEO, along with the quality of traffic, will determine your commission and CPA rates. However, with Olavivo, you can reach up to $30 CPA (cost per acquisition/action) and $5 CPL (cost per lead).

Start a sweepstakes campaign today

How can you begin earning money with a sweepstakes campaign? There are a few simple things you can do. First, follow the calendar for holidays, current events, and other worthy opportunities for a big payday. For example, when you combine a brand-new Apple product with Black Friday, you can have amazing sweepstakes for an always-growing ROI.

Next, consider the type of sweepstakes you want to launch. You can support SOI, DOI, and CC Submit via Olavivo sweepstakes. Decide on the GEO as well as the traffic source. Email, push notifications, and Facebook are noteworthy traffic sources. You can show the products on social media to gain traction and encourage others to share them.

You’ll want to create a pre-lander or a spot where they can enter the info, whether it is just an email or a complete credit card. Some landing pages may appear dubious, with gimmicks like, “You are the 100th visitor. Enter your info to win something!” Although this is a legal way to summon data info, it can seem gimmicky.

To avoid looking phoney and turning off anyone who would actually sign up, you can make a legit landing age. Make sure it has visual appeals but nothing that seems like a scam. Include call-to-action (CTA) buttons, so people know how to enter and exactly what to do. Make sure everything loads fast, too.

Test and optimize various sweepstake campaigns to get the best results. That way, you can perfect your strategy and reap the benefits of streaming revenue with affiliate sweepstakes campaigns.

Join Olavivo to get the best sweepstake campaigns!

Newbies and pros alike can level up their affiliate marketing game thanks to Olavivo. We handpick all advertisers and affiliates, so you can rest assured knowing everything is secure, and everyone undergoes a strict compliance procedure for the highest security measures.

When you work with our industry-leading affiliate network, you’ll receive a dedicated account manager who is there to help 24/7 with online support, on-time payments, and anything else you request. With top-converting sweepstake campaigns for 90+ countries in 10 languages, you can expect the hottest payouts from Olavivo. Learn about the benefits of being an advertiser or affiliate with Olavivo.

The post Olavivo introduces the hottest affiliate sweepstakes in the industry appeared first on Business of Apps.

The pandemic has changed the way consumers are using their mobile apps and for which purposes.

European retail app usage grew 3% in 2021 driven by higher demand for a more seamless checkout experience. 

But as lockdowns have lifted, app installs of large eCommerce brands such as Amazon and AliExpress have continued to decline.

The problem is not that consumers are giving up on retail apps now that stationery stores are more accessible again. They simply demand more from their commerce apps and aren’t very forgiving of bad digital shopping experiences. 

The most in-demand retail app features

To keep consumers using their apps, retail app marketers and developers should focus on omnichannel interactions, according to research from eMarketer’s Insider Intelligence. 

Consumers want fast, frictionless shopping experiences. Apps provide an opportunity to this end, helping users to move seamlessly between the online to offline customer journey. 

Almost half of US retail app users demand app notifications when an order is ready for pickup (48%). Around a third would like to receive in-store rewards (37%) while 37% consider availability information on in-store products a valuable feature. Consumers are equally interested in scanning and adding gift cards and in-store coupon redemption options.

The need for smoother app features

The pandemic drove many consumers to adopt retail apps for their online purchases. But even as lockdowns have ended, a growing number of them are turning to mobile devices to communicate with retailers. 

What’s more, mobile users spent considerably more time in shopping apps in 2021 compared to 2020. 

However, the need for bug-free apps that deliver a smooth checkout experience and offer the retail features most in demand is still huge. 

Thirty-day eCommerce app retention rates have dropped since 2021. Retention rates fell 13% on Android devices and 5% on iOS according to AppsFlyer research. 

These developments aren’t solely due to post-pandemic app fatigue. The war in Ukraine and economic slowdown are partially to blame. Rising prices are also affecting marketing budgets. 

As we’re approaching the end of the year, marketers and app developers should be ready to deliver more focused tactics and the app features consumers are asking for to push through the holiday season. 

Key takeaways

• Growth of retail app installs hinges on improving app features
• Consumers are seeking omnichannel app experiences
• Marketers should refocus budgets towards retaining users

The post Consumers want more from their retail app experience appeared first on Business of Apps.

Education apps saw a rapid spike in installs during Covid-19 lockdowns. But now as more students return to schools and universities to continue their studies, new data finds that education app installs are slowing down. 

According to Sensor Tower, education app downloads in the US dropped 7% in 2022 compared to the previous year.

Installs are down but revenues are up

The latest State of Education Apps in the U.S. report finds that while downloads went down to 79 million, revenues from education apps in the US during Q2 2022 climbed to $274 million, a rise of 13%. 

App revenues were up a whopping 183% compared to 2019. What this shows is that consumers are happy to continue spending in education apps

Language apps like Duolingo see highest spending

Duolingo, the popular education app, dominated downloads and revenues in the US. It was responsible for the majority of revenue growth within the education category generating $36 million in revenues during Q2 2022 alone. The language app was responsible for 13% of total revenues within the education app sector.

Other popular categories in education included Kids Education and Studying Tools. However, growth of Kids Education apps, led by titles such as Kiddopia and Epic, has stalled since the end of lockdowns.

In 2019, Kids Education had a market share of 38% of total education apps making it the single largest category. This has dropped to 20% in 2022, with Language taking the lead at 23%.

ABCmouse.com boosts subscriptions with ads

ABCmouse.com, the now leading Kids Education app by revenue in the US, led an aggressive growth strategy by boosting its ad spend to $6 million in March 2022. It also offered free trials for parents and students and discounts for subscriptions. 

Where do we go from here?

While adoption of education apps in the US has declined with the end of lockdowns, subscriptions and in-app spending remain strong. Given the flexibility of learning apps and the opportunity for incorporating multimedia elements such as video and podcasts, there’s still plenty of room for growth.

Key takeaways

• US education app downloads fell 7% in Q2 2022
• Revenues rose 13% to $274 million
• Duolingo has a market share of 13% 
• Language apps are the most popular category followed by Kids Education

The post US education app revenues climb 13% while downloads fall appeared first on Business of Apps.

Almost two-thirds (65%) of app developers are looking for new ways to target users without IDFA, cookies or data privacy issues. 

That’s according to research from advertising tech company Bango which surveyed more than 300 app developers and marketers on the changing landscape of app user acquisition. 

Over half (59%) of marketers agree that it’s never been more difficult to acquire paying app users while 61% are having to reconsider their user acquisition plans due to privacy regulations.

Around 30% are very concerned about the issue and 61% of developers have lost sleep over the so-called app-ocalypse.

61% of developers and marketers consider purchase behaviour targeting an effective user acquisition strategy. This draws on purchase data from millions of transactions and allows app marketers to reach consumers through targeted ads for similar products.

“App marketing is in a state of flux. Users want more control over their privacy choices and less mass data collection by brands. At the same time, they still want to know about new apps and games. For app publishers this poses a real challenge. How do you acquire new high value users without clear data on how to find them?” said Brett Orlanski, SVP Bango Audiences.

The answer is to focus less on who people are, and more on what they buy. Where there’s a high purchase intent, users are happy for brands to show them ads, they just don’t want them collecting unnecessary information about them, especially personal profiling. For both revenue generation and new user acquisition, relevant targeting doesn’t have to be based on invasive personal information, it’s simply enough to know what users are in the market to download and buy.”

Lookalike audiences (59%), demographics (58%), psychographics (57%), first-party purchase behaviour targeting (56%) and third-party data (54%) are also popular strategies.

The post 65% of app marketers looking for new ways of audience targeting appeared first on Business of Apps.

Meta is shifting its focus to creators by adding ways for creators to build their audiences on Instagram and Facebook. 

The company just added a suite of creator elements to Facebook Pages including notifications to support fellow creators, templates for top fans and restricted posting for subscribers. 

Using Creator Endorsement, people who manage Pages can now recommend other creators to their followers. The addition is a neat option to highlight other creators and content to audiences.

The Rising Creator alert is similar but slots into Meta’s wider strategy to recommend similar content and profiles to its users on Facebook and Instagram feeds.

Facebook is also adding new Story and post templates which can be used by creators to show their appreciation for fans individually. This adds a personal touch and is likely to be appreciated by fans and followers.

At the same time, creators can now show exclusive posts to their top fans and subscribers. 

Lastly, the composer selector makes it easier to create new content in the app. 

While it remains to be seen whether these tools will see new creators flocking over to Facebook or Instagram, existing ones will be able to extend their subscriber numbers and audience loyalty.

The post Meta adds creator tools for Facebook and Instagram appeared first on Business of Apps.

Have you got an app growth game plan for next year?

2022 has been another year of constant change and evolution in the global app industry…

• Disruption in marketing channels from the loss of the IDFA
• Changing post-Covid consumer behaviour as verticals including travel roar back to life and others see declining usage from lockdown-induced highs
• Evolving monetization models with a growing subscriptions market

App Marketers and Growth Managers are developing new approaches and solutions to rebuild user acquisition in a post-IDFA era, including:

• Leveraging SKAdNetwork and other new approaches to measurement
• Doubling down on Apple Search Ads and ASO
• Exploring new channels including TikTok and influencer marketing
• Creative innovation

Mobile Product Managers and CRM Specialists are creating new ways of improving retention with:

• Personalisation
• Omnichannel messaging
• Onboarding optimization
• New engagement tactics

With the launch of iOS16 and iPhone 14, 2023 promises to be another year of growth and opportunity…

At App Promotion Summit Berlin on 1st December we’ll be setting the agenda for 2023 with talks, workshops and interactive sessions covering many of these topics and more.

Grab your tickets here to secure your place.

The post What’s your app growth strategy for 2023? appeared first on Business of Apps.

eCommerce app marketers spent a whopping $6.1 billion to acquire users while globally ad spending dropped more than 50% compared to the previous year in light of rising iOS media costs. 

That’s according to the latest State of eCommerce App Marketing report from app experts AppsFlyer. 

App install ad spending in eCommerce apps dropped 55% on Android and 53% on iOS between January 2021 and January 2022.

Android eCommerce app installs fell 5% globally with the exception of India which gained significant traffic. iOS installs dropped 4%.

Owned media conversions jumped 360% which shows that marketers are looking to squeeze more value out of tightening budgets. 

“The likelihood of a downward trend for eCommerce apps is not the end for marketers, as November is annually the best month for installs and sales across most markets with Black Friday and Singles Day,” said Shani Rosenfelder, Director of Market Insights, AppsFlyer. “This year, especially, consumers might still have an appetite for spending in the holiday season thanks to the addition of the World Cup. For this reason, apps should focus on remarketing to retain the users they did pick up over the past few years and publishers need to make the most of their owned media channels.”

The report also found that iOS cost-per-install climbed 60% to $4.2 per install while Android costs fell 15% during the same period. 

Interestingly, it appears mobile users are becoming less loyal and continue to explore more new apps and services. 30-day retention on Android declined 13%. iOS reported better retention at a drop of 5%.

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A growing number of consumers are downloading fintech apps as the economy tightens. According to data shared by mobile growth acceleration platform Liftoff, fintech apps continued to scale year-on-year. 

But while the average cost per install declined, average cost per registration and cost per activation of finance apps rose at the same time that install-to-action rates fell. 

One of the reasons why fintech apps have become so popular with consumers is because they provide a more innovative user experience.

Liftoff found it costs an average $17.96 to register fintech users which is rather steep. However, account activations are high at over 56%. 

Banking apps were the cheapest to acquire ($1.50) but registered at lower rates (10.2%). 

The latest finance app report also found that Android users were more cost-effective to acquire than iOS users ($2.09 CPI compared to $4.35) and twice as likely to activate. 

Mobile users in Latin America were cost-effective to acquire ($1.60) but registered at lower rates (18.3%) while EMEA users registered at higher rates (34.8%) but just 4.3% activated their accounts. Latin American users activated at the highest rate of 38.2%.

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Apple is hiking the prices on its App Store in multiple countries across Asia and Europe as of October 5.

Price increases will affect apps and in-app purchases inCChile, Egypt, Japan, Malaysia, Pakistan, Poland, South Korea, Sweden, Vietnam, and areas using the Euro.

The company said that in Vietnam, price changes were directly related to new regulations including a value added tax and corporate income tax rate of 5% each.

Developer proceeds will be re-calculated based on these prices and adjusted prices will be shown in the Pricing and Availability section of My Apps. 

Apple price increases may be a direct result of lower currencies against the dollar. 

But they also reflect a wider shift in the economic situation. 

Recently published data from Apptopia reveals that average in-app purchases on the App Store rose 40% since 2021 while Google Play prices rose a more modest 9% during the same time. 

These price adjustments are driven by the app developers and publishers in reaction to cost per install changes in light of Apple’s App Tracking Transparency. The latter has made it more difficult to acquire users. 

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TikTok just launched a new feature that prompts users to share a selfie at a random time each time using their front and back camera.

If that sounds a little familiar then that’s because it’s a rip-off of BeReal, which is a popular app that notifies users to share a photo in two minutes each day. 

Called TikTok Now, the function sits within its own tab and in some regions is available as a separate app altogether. 

TikTok describes the app as “making possible deeper connection and entertainment in a fun format […] TikTok Now invites you and your friends to capture what you’re doing in the moment using your device’s front and back camera. You’ll receive a daily prompt to capture a 10-second video or a static photo to easily share what you’re up to.”

What’s interesting about the addition is that it could potentially signal a shift in emphasis. For a long time, TikTok has been all about entertainment rather than social connection like competitors Facebook and Instagram. 

TikTok Now could prompt users and friends to connect more closely via the app to stay in contact. 

That said, it wouldn’t take away from the entertainment aspect of the app but rather add another dimension to it. 

The only question is whether users can adapt to it. Where apps have been established for a certain purpose, say WhatsApp being a messenger for friends and family to chat, users aren’t very welcoming of new features that may change the perspective of what an app is to be used for.

Whether that’s the case for TikTok Now remains to be seen.

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YouTube is apparently considering the next step for its Shorts, the TikTok rival short-form video format. 

According to reporting from