3. Consumers download many apps
Yes, but they spent most of their time in few apps, Husson argues.
On average, UK and US consumers use an average of 24 apps per month, but each person spends more than 80% of their time on just five apps.
In the US, the top five apps represent 28% of time spent on all apps.
“Time spent on mobile apps is concentrated among few apps, skewing massively toward messaging and social media apps - not gaming, as is commonly assumed,” Husson says.
“Marketers should borrow their way to their customers’ home screens by partnering with the few apps that command the majority of consumers’ mobile prime time.”
4. Mobile apps have replaced the mobile Web
“Yes, apps offer the best and most engaging experiences, but the mobile Web remains a fantastic acquisition tool and strong driver for m-commerce,” Husson adds.
“It’s a choice, not an ideological dispute. And it's likely you’ll have to deliver both.”
5. Mobile apps generate huge amounts of money
Yes, Apple’s App Store revenues were up 41% year-on-year, but Husson believes that make no mistake: Monetising apps is a challenge for the majority of developers
“And no, Apple’s business model is not about apps,” he argues. “The $10.7 billion Apple generated from app sales looks impressive, but bear in mind that this is a cumulative stat since 2008 and a small percentage of its total revenue.
Husson believes that if monetising apps is not marketers’ primary goal, they should learn from the most profitable app publishers by quantifying their marketing goals, exploring new app business models, and mastering acquisition costs to recruit loyal users.