The Global App Market in 22 Stats

You wouldn’t buy a car without looking up some stats….and that’s just a couple tons of glass and metal. When it comes to the global app market, you’re going to be thinking in billions–of dollars, of people, of downloads. So you should probably have some numbers ready.

As you go about crafting your perfect global strategy, it’s helpful to be aware of the most up-to-date information about the mobile market. Luckily, we’ve gone ahead and collected that data for you. Here are some of the latest numbers for the global app market, from hot trends to marketing insights to usage data. Enjoy!

Mobile is still king…

TechCrunch found that four out of every five online adults now own a smartphone. Although wearables have been a hit, they aren’t going to usurp smartphones anytime soon–less than 10% of those same adults are using wearables. And, in the meantime, the popularity of mobile apps just keeps growing and growing:

• The three biggest app stores receive a combined 2,500 app submissions daily. (Source: VentureBeat) Tweet this stat!
• Number of mobile searches officially surpassed desktop searches in 10 countries, including the U.S. and Japan. (Source: Search Engine Land) Tweet this stat!
• Mobile commerce market in the U.S. is projected to grow 25.72% in the five-year period ending 2019. (Source: PR Newswire) Tweet this stat!
• Google Play Store added 300,000 apps last year and, in July 2015, reported a grand total of 1.6 million apps.(Source: Statista) Tweet this stat!
• Apple App Store reached 100 billion app downloads in June 2015  (Source: Apple) Tweet this stat!
• Apple App Store released its highest revenue results ever (33% growth rate in the fiscal 2015 3Q). (Source: Apple) Tweet this stat!

(Source: Statista)

…But the competition is getting tougher.

• Almost 70% of apps will generate fewer than 5,000 downloads–and 60% will never be updated. (Source: VentureBeat) Tweet this stat!

Mobile ads: the next big(ger) thing?

With such high mobile usage, it’s no surprise that mobile advertising is starting to see some serious growth.

• In-app ad spending has increased 42.6% over the past year, making the total investment $30 billion. (Source: Vungle) Tweet this stat!
• Clickthrough rates for mobile devices has a 27% year-over-year growth for tablets and 26% for smartphones. (Source: VentureBeat) Tweet this stat!
• 79% of marketers want to boost their mobile and digital marketing channels–if better ROI tracking is developed. (Source: Mobile Marketer) Tweet this stat!
• Over the next three years, companies will greatly increase their mobile marketing budgets, from 6% of the total marketing budget to 15.6%. (Source: Forbes) Tweet this stat!

Diverse overseas markets call for diverse engagement strategies.

AppAnnie and AdMob recently released a great set of data on overseas markets. From the report, it’s easy to see how important these markets are–and how important it is to think carefully about specific ways to target each of them. Here are some of the more interesting finds:

• North American app developers earn 50% of their revenue from outside North America. Tweet this stat!
• In the U.S., 92% of app users access at least one app (and up to 10!) daily. Tweet this stat!
• In Brazil, 31% of users have downloaded an app directly from another app. Tweet this stat!
• In Russia, 59% of app users say free trials are “very important” when choosing an app. Tweet this stat!
• In Japan, 43% of users interact with apps when they notice them. Tweet this stat!

And we’re using technology more than ever (but strategically!)

With so much information at our fingertips, we’re becoming choosier about what we’re willing to engage with. But, once we’ve chosen, we definitely engage with those things–a lot.

• Thirty-six percent of users say they watch videos that are five minutes or longer on their phones at least daily. (Source: Mobile Marketer) Tweet this stat!
• Only 15% of users would even consider buying apps with a two-star average rating. (Source: Marketing Land) Tweet this stat!
• People now spend 23.6% more time on apps than they did in 2014. Overall, the average person spends more time on electronic devices than sleeping. (Source: TechCrunch) Tweet this stat!
• App store ratings are huge: a single additional star can increase downloads by 340%  (Source: Marketing Land) Tweet this stat!

(Source: Apptentive)

The takeaway? Mobile apps are growing in popularity. Take advantage of it.

Billions of people, from over 190 countries, are downloading apps every day. And they’re choosing to spend more and more time on those apps. We don’t want to encourage any super-villains out there, but we have to say it: with the right app and the right strategy, you could take over the world. Or, at the very least, get millions of people to play your game. The opportunities are all there. It’s just up to you to use them well.

Want more?

Our report on BRIC mobile gaming report goes through the high-growth markets around the world, with in-depth country analysis and comprehensive prediction data. Download the eBook now!

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OneSky provides seamless end-to-end localization solutions for thousands of mobile apps, games, websites, and businesses worldwide. We offer professional translation services in 50+ languages and a translation management system (TMS) with API integrations and plugins to streamline your workflow. We hire and carefully screen our own translators to ensure the highest control over quality. Using OneSky’s powerful QA features, cross-functional teams collaborate efficiently to deliver faster release cycles and higher quality translations. See how you can go global at www.oneskyapp.com