As billions of people continue to stay at home, they continue to use their smartphones at higher and higher rates. Users are not only spending more time on gaming apps but also spending more money. Appsflyer’s recent report says that revenue has been steadily rising since the end of March. Meanwhile, Adjust’s latest data says that installs and downloads had significant increases in Q1 2020. Learn all about it in this week’s Mobile Monday!
Downloads and Installs Surge for Gaming Apps
Adjust’s Mobile App Trends Report 2020 indicated that surges in app usage as the coronavirus pandemic disrupted industries and economies around the world. Mobile games had an uptick in installs during Q1 2020 with a 132% jump in the last week of March. This quarter had a 75% increase in downloads year-over-year. Additionally, gaming apps had a 47% increase in sessions as users turned to their smartphones for entertainment during the quarantine.
The report also showed increases in sessions and installs across many other verticals. Entertainment app installs have increased rapidly since people began staying home, trending 55% above where they were last year. Business apps got huge boosts in user sessions (105%) and installs (70%) in comparison to a year earlier as people shifted to working from home. With restaurants closed for dine-in meals, food and drink apps experienced a 73% jump in user sessions while installs rose 21%.
App Revenue on the Rise Since the Pandemic Started
Appsflyer’s report entitled The Coronavirus (COVID-19) Impact on App Installs and Marketing Budgets revealed that app revenue rose across the globe during the start of the pandemic. Almost two-thirds of app categories saw increases in revenue worldwide during the first week of April from mid-March as shelter-in-place orders boosted mobile usage. Forty percent of those app verticals saw revenue gains of more than 20% according to the report.
Casual games and social casino revenue rose 35% since the end of February and 12-16% since the first week of April. Hardcore gaming revenue was up 17% during the third week of April after a 14% drop, while midcore also saw a 9% rise after a 13% drop the previous week. In the United States specifically, all these gaming categories enjoyed increases in player spend during the same week.
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?
Join the Conversation
Do you think mobile games will continue to see upward trends? Tweet us at @AdColony. For the latest AdColony mobile news and updates, follow @AdColony on Twitter, like us on Facebook, or connect on Linkedin.
