There is some woe in the Android application ecosystem these days. Developers are searching for ways to increase monetization, engagement and time spent within apps so as to drive in-app purchases and advertisement click-through. Android currently has the lowest click-through rate of any of the major mobile OSes on the market. Many marketers look towards iOS users as the most loyal and engaged bunch of mobile app users.
Mobile marketing and engagement firm Fiksu would have you believe otherwise. In a new study, Fiksu claims that Android app users are actually more engaged than their iOS counterparts. Fiksu claims that Android users are more than twice as likely to open an app ten times or more. Creating loyal user bases is Fiksu’s company mission. Are they full of hot air when it comes to Android?
Fiksu has come to its conclusion on Android engagement by analyzing more than four billion app actions through its platform. Fiksu says, by virtue of Android’s dominant market share, that there is significant inventory for Android application marketing.
“Think about it. A global Android campaign is untapped inventory awaiting for you to see the returns on your app marketing investment,” wrote Craig Palli on Fiksu’s blog.
That is an interesting concept, especially for U.S. Android developers. If the money is not being made state side, perhaps developers should think of targeting their apps more heavily overseas.
Fiksu is partners with some significant app publishers like Nook and MocoSpace.
Some of Fiksu’s partners
Android’s Tricky Monetization Routes
The Android app ecosystem is a murky sea. It is beginning to look like the actual Android Market, the flagship of the entire environment, is a poor route for developers looking to make good money with their apps. There is significant opportunity in the third-party app store market though, with GetJar and Amazon both running “premium” app markets that have the potential to significantly raise developer bottom lines. To this point though, both Amazon and GetJar are outside the main stream mind share. Verizon is re-launching its app store and will be pre-loaded on all Verizon Android devices.
There are also app stores like Appia, which have a significant overseas presence but are relatively unheard of in the U.S. Appia teams with Opera for apps and historically was a ringtone/wallpaper purveyor. Yet, if domestic developers are casting eyes across the ocean, Appia may be a good target for attention. A developer mentioned recently that 40% of his traffic comes from the U.S. with the other 60% split evenly between the European Union and China.
Nielsen has pointed out that the top apps in the Android Market get the lion’s share of use. Developer who are locked out of the top 50 or 100 Android apps will need to look for ways to monetize outside of the current U.S. model.
Devs – What do you say? Are global marketing campaigns worth your time? Let us know in the comments.
