26 June 2015
At SparkOptimus, we try to highlight the most important news and background stories in digital, e-commerce and retail. Here is our selection of last week’s news:
Some interesting statistics on mobile app usage were released in June. While the leading app stores in 2012 contained 1 million apps, the number of apps available in 2015 has tripled. Interestingly, the average number of apps used, 27, has however not increased throughout the years. This points to the existence of a defined limit for how many apps a consumer uses on a regular basis. But, those apps that make it into the favorites list of consumers are being used fairly heavily, with app usage increasing to an average of 37 hours and 28 minutes per month in Q4 last year, compared to 23 hours two years ago. Also, consumers seem to have a similar taste, with 70% of total usage coming from the top 200 apps.
With increased competition, app developers are looking for new ways to get the attention of users. The latest trend is pushing minor updates to create app awareness. A study revealed last week that updates stimulate downloads and are more likely to be released when the app is experiencing poor performance. This probably won’t work for all apps out there, as with the increasing number of apps more useless examples appear. Please meet Hold On!, a small timer that lets you test how long you can hold your finger to your smartphone. But nothing beats SimStapler, the “most accurate stapler simulator on the market”.