The mobile app analytics company Flurry recently gave a presentation at MobileBeat 2013. One clear message: mobile and tablet app growth isn’t slowing down one bit, not now, not any soon.
Flurry has recorded roughly 1.3 trillion in-app events worldwide, over approximately 300,000 apps published by 100,000 developers across a billion devices. These include actions taken inside apps that serve functions such as retail, logistics, travel, social networking, gaming, music, and more.
In short, people are playing, getting things done, and performing almost every type of activity they can through apps on their smartphones and tablets, and they’re doing it all in record-breaking numbers month after month.
Some of you are even reading this article on a smartphone or tablet right now! And why wouldn’t you? They are the most convenient devices we own in terms of accessing information.
And when you’re done, you might even type in a comment or share the post via a social media button. Only the very coolest readers will do this, of course. But, of course, we understand that not every reader can be that cool.
Who is using apps?
Apps are not limited to just techies. Publishers reach people of all ages through mobile and tablet apps, although usage profiles and device preferences can differ. As mobile and tablet devices become fully saturated throughout the population, they will create more and more apps to serve the interests and needs of each of these user populations. In Flurry’s words, “Mums are gamers, too.”
When do they tend to use it the most?
Usage is heavy throughout the day, peaking at night between 8:00 and 10:00 p.m. As many late-night smartphone and tablet app addicts attest, usage never drops to zero, not even in the dead of night. Usage activity is not heavily patterned, either. Users might launch any app at any time of day. People tend to check in on each kind throughout the day, taking little gaming and social media breaks where they can.
Where is the growth coming from?
According to Flurry, activities have a profound impact on various industries and lead to “Tremendous disruption,” according to Flurry. Growth is enormous in high-population countries like China and India. But despite the fantastic amount of total users, the percentage of the population using mobile devices is still comparatively low. Even though mobile apps have grown by leaps and bounds, the capacity to continue growing is still extraordinary. Australia is one of the standout countries, with 100% of mobile phone users expected to have smartphones by 2016
Who are the biggest winners?
As one might expect, the developers of the most popular apps are cleaning up. But there’s an often-overlooked segment that is also finding great ways to benefit from the popularity of apps: small businesses. For them, the publication of a mobile app is a high-growth strategy that can serve several objectives, from increasing revenue to raising customer satisfaction to improving internal operations. Moreover, those who explore it can enjoy an extraordinarily cost-effective boost to their business.