2017 was a very rewarding year for the mobile app economy, as it shattered download records and reached over 27 million downloads in Q4 alone!
The Growth of the App Economy
According to a recent App Annie report, global app downloads have grown by 60%! Consumers are spending twice as much money on app purchases and time spent in apps have increased by 30%. To put these findings into perspective, users are spending roughly 43 days per year in an app. All of these trends are very promising for affiliates who are looking to increase app ad expenditures and promote more app downloads as well as merchants who are wanting to increase their mobile app audience.
While downloads specifically have achieved a growth of 7% year-over year, the revenue earned from app downloads presents even more to get excited about. Download revenue earned on both, the iOS App Store and Google Play surpassed $17 billion globally in Q4 2017; signalling 20% growth from Q4 2016. Clearly as app quality increases and consumer trust strengthens, so too does the revenue that can be earned.
Google Play Downloads Surge
Over 19 billion new (not including updates or re-installs) downloads took place on Google Play in Q4 2017; setting a new record and further distancing itself from the iOS App Store by 145%. In terms of categories, games, finance and personalization apps were at the forefront.
Apple Spend Skyrockets
Although both Google and Apple achieved tremendous growth in actual app spend, the iOS App Store reigns supreme. Over $11 billion was earned through worldwide Apple app downloads, keeping the iOS App Store healthy at almost double its lead over Google Play. Ecommerce and finance were two of its leading categories.
Continued Growth
The four categories touched on above aren’t the only areas to consider pumping more ad spend into. Since 2015, entertainment app-spend has increased by over quadruple and productivity apps (particularly on Google Play) have also had tremendous growth year-over-year. The success in these two categories can be largely attributed to in-app subscriptions, which are prominent models for both.
With all of these revelations in the app realm, there really never has been a better time to dive in as an affiliate marketer. Consumers friction is low, conversion rates are high, and we have lots of offers where you can capitalize off of downloads. If you have any questions, contact your affiliate manager. Otherwise…enjoy taking advantage of this wonderful app-ortunity!