In this edition of Mobile Monday, we are sharing the best apps to celebrate Halloween and examining how a new industry report may give mobile publishers reason to celebrate.
Spooktacular Apps
One of the most popular Halloween apps you may not have heard of this year is Tricky Test 2: Halloween 2016. Currently featured on the App Store, the app is a special Halloween edition of an already popular franchise by Orangenose Studios. The app’s rise to popularity and pickup by Apple is a testament to the power of creating timely and relevant content for mobile users.
This tactic was not lost on Niantic, who released an app update to celebrate Halloween for Pokémon. The new Halloween event has been a boon to in-app purchases, helping Pokémon restore its place as the top grossing app on the App Store. It’s also gained ground on Android, claiming the #2 spot on the Play Store.
What’s perhaps most interesting about the Pokémon update is that it relied on existing app assets, making the promotion relatively easy to implement. Essentially, the frequency of particular in-app events — the appearance of a spooky Pokémon — was increased, rewards were increased, and messaging was used.
In this context, if the Pokémon app was constructed a bit differently, these changes could’ve been made relatively quickly through a messaging & events system instead of requiring users to update their app.
Despite this oddity, one thing cannot be argued: people love festive in-app events that incorporate holidays.
Spectacular IAP
While fast-acting publishers are enjoying bolstered in-app purchases over Halloween, the entire industry is poised to enjoy considerable growth in IAP through the next few years. In fact, in-app purchases are tracking to $24 billion USD this year, a 71% growth over 2015, and that figure is expected to nearly triple to $73 billion by 2020 according to a new report by App Annie.
About AdColony Mobile Mondays
Mobile Monday examines the latest news, trends, and developments in mobile apps, tech, and advertising. Do you have a story to share for the next Mobile Monday? Tweet it to @AdColony. For the latest AdColony mobile news and updates, follow @AdColony on Twitter, like us on Facebook, or connect on Linkedin.
- Rewarding to Engage: New Mobile User Survey Results Now Available - March 28, 2018
- Mobile Monday: Mixed Reality Promotion, Seriously Connected Fans, & FCC Acceleration - March 26, 2018
- Mobile Monday: GDC 2018 - March 19, 2018
