As it currently stands, there are well over two million apps available for download in both the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store combined. It’s a number that grows daily, one of the reasons that app developers and publishers spend so much time trying to make their apps stand out.
And when you expand the focus of the app market beyond the borders of the U.S., the nature of the competition changes – since everything from whom an app developer targets, to when, why and how, varies according to specific cultural norms.
The latest State of Mobile App Downloads report from InMobi sheds light on some interesting app monetization trends around the world.
America’s app mania
The U.S. leads the world in terms of app mania – accounting for a full 18 percent of downloads worldwide, followed by China and Indonesia with 10 percent and 8 percent of all app downloads, respectively.
But what’s interesting here is that China dwarfs the U.S. in terms of overall smartphone users. There are currently more than 700 million smartphones in use in China vs. just over 170 million in the U.S., meaning that America’s app appetite is far more voracious per person.
How much will that cost me?
American app users are also among some of the most costly to obtain. France takes the top spot in terms of cost per install (CPI), followed by the U.S. and China.
Still, the most pertinent stat for app developers is what InMobi calls a CPI sweet spot – an ideal proportion of CPIs and high downloads – and China, Indonesia and Malaysia, with their large mobile populations occupy that sweet spot.
Indonesia and Malaysia in particular, also have more individual users downloading – around four apps per 100 users – vs. two apps per 100 users in the U.S.
Which apps and when?
The report also focused on app popularity by category.
It’s not such a surprise, but games dominate downloads, taking up some 64 percent of all installs worldwide. Communication apps and arts/entertainment apps round out the top categories with 15 percent and 6 percent of downloads, respectively.
Further, there are universally common times for users to download apps. If developers are looking to reach their audience when they’re most active, they should do so between Friday and Sunday, as the weekends show a clear spike in activity.
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