Access to social networks via mobile devices booming in US.
October 24, 2011 Mobile, Social Leave a comment
Latest Comscore data shows rapid growth of consumers accessing social networks via their mobile devices. This is important for companies that want to share offers or drive traffic to their mobile website utilizing Facebook, Yelp, Foursquare, Linked in, Google and a variety of other social networks popular on mobile devices. Reach out to ApolloBravo for a mobile readiness evaluation and creative solutions for integrating Mobile + Social.
via WARC NEW YORK: Over 70m consumers in the US now access social networking sites through their mobile phones, a study from comScore, the research firm, has revealed. According to the company’s estimates, 72.2m people – a third of the entire mobile audience – logged on to these platforms via a handset in August 2011, a 37% increase on an annual basis.
More specifically, 39.9m individuals engaged in this pastime “almost every day”, a total which had expanded by 58% during the last 12 months.
Facebook led the field in terms of usage, reflecting its dominant position in the market as a whole. Some 57.3m of its members signed in from a wireless handset in August, a 50% lift year on year.
Twitter was in second place having attracted 13.4m mobile subscribers across August 2010, equating to 75% growth on August 2010. LinkedIn attracted 5.5m visitors in the same way, a 69% surge.
At present, the most popular activities undertaken by the mobile social networking audience are viewing comments from their friends on 80.3%, and posting status updates, on 69.5%.
Elsewhere, 53.2% of people had followed links to websites, and 52.9% read posts from brands and organisations.
This was ahead of the 44.8% that looked at material from celebrities and other public figures. Another 34.8% of netizens posted links to websites.
Turning to more commercial matters, 33.3% of consumers had received coupons and offers on these web properties, and 27.7% clicked on ads.
When considering the means via which mobile subscribers access social networks, comScore reported 42.3m did so through a browser, up 24% year on year, and 38.5m utilised an app, a 126% annual improvement.
Some 60% of smartphone owners logged on to social networks on these gadgets, nearly double the overall average, Mark Donovan, comScore’s senior vice president for mobile, said.
“Knowing that fans and followers engage with branded content on mobile devices opens the door to a world of opportunity for location-based services,” he added.
Data sourced from comScore; additional content by Warc staff, 24 October 2011
Are apps replacing bookmarks?
October 10, 2011 Mobile Leave a comment
If you use an iPhone, iPad, or Android device you probably rely heavily on apps to get to some of the companies you used to visit via your web browser. Think about it, Facebook on your iPhone, banking app on your Android phone, Twitter app on your iPad. Consumers are beginning to expect companies to provide access via apps and mobile websites linked via web apps (ESPN On the iPhone combines both). That’s why the growth in Apps is looking more like growth of websites in general. In addition QR codes, and links to apps and web apps delivered via SMS in many cases make it easier than navigating to a companies traditional website and bookmarking it. Need more info,see research below or reach out to ApolloBravo for a mobile readiness evaluation.
Read More Via Warc
GOTHENBURG: App downloads are set to increase rapidly around the world in the next five years, fueling growth in the subscription and advertising revenues generated through this channel.
Berg Insight, the research firm, estimated the number of apps installed by consumers on wireless devices will grow by 56.6% annually between 2010 and 2015, reaching 98bn a year by the end of this period.
More specifically, the company reported the revenues resulting from individuals paying for these tools, alongside in-app purchases and related subscriptions, hit €1.6bn in 2010.
It predicted the amount delivered by these combined activities should stand at €8.8bn in 2015, equivalent to a compound annual growth rate of 40.7%.
Apple is currently the leading source of income where mobile applications are concerned, with the firm’s App Store supplying some €1.3bn last year, a total anticipated to come in at €4.4bn in 2015.
During the same period, Google’s Android platform contributed a relatively modest €80m, but is projected to yield €1.5bn by the end of the forecast period.
The Windows Phone operating system manufactured by Microsoft is likely to assume third position in this area by 2015, although the company still has work to do if it is to catch up with Apple and Google.
Elsewhere, Berg Insight reported that in-app advertising was worth €300m last year, or 16% of all application revenues. Ad sales through this channel should be €750m in 2011 and €3.5bn in 2015.
As advertising is expected to be more of a “volume game”, Google Android is anticipated to assume a leading role, as the number of handsets utilising this operating system may be more prevalent, while Apple’s subscribers remain of higher value.
Overall, Berg Insight argued that Android would provide €1.2bn in ad revenues by 2015, versus only €39m in 2010. Apple’s comparative returns are pegged to rise from €230m to €1bn in this period.
Johan Svanberg, a senior analyst at Berg Insight, said: “Most apps are free to download and app monetisation will be a challenge for developers. Free to download monetisation strategies such as in-app advertising and in-app purchasing will be increasingly important.”
Geographically, Asia Pacific, which houses the key mobile markets of India and China, is pegged to account for 40% of all app downloads by 2015.
Data sourced from Berg Insight; additional content by Warc staff, 10 October 2011
