Last year, 50% of all internet traffic went through mobile apps, and that’s before factoring in all the people viewing websites on their mobile phones. The fact that most businesses benefit from an online presence is no secret, whilst a site which performs well on a mobile is another tick in the box for SEO.
Should every business have an app?
Whilst a website can get away with being purely informative, the expectation for apps is higher. For a business to benefit from having an app, it either needs to be entertaining or add value to their service.
For example, a hair salon’s app which reproduces the website content doesn’t offer any extra convenience in the way that a retailer who also sells through an app might. But, if the hair salon app includes a booking function with visibility of which stylist is available and when, it’s suddenly much more useful.
The app developing community
By its tenth birthday in the summer of 2018, the Apple App Store was home to 2.21 million apps. Team Android were ahead by a whisker with 2.8 million apps available through Google Play. The Windows Store offers 800k, with Amazon supplying 432 through their Appstore.
Considering how many people actually have the sort of skills to design, build and test app software, that’s pretty impressive output. It certainly suggests that the studios have some serious competition from out-of-hours developers who are creating in their own time.
App stats to blow your mind
175 billion apps are downloaded every year. Even accounting for all the people re-downloading Just Eat when the health kick fails (can’t just be me?) that’s staggering.
Even accounting for apps launched and then downloaded by every member of the developer’s family, it’s a big number.
50% of active users are looking for new apps on a weekly basis, so the demand for apps which perform well is certainly there. Games are still the highest earners at the app store, but the potential to earn money with in-app purchases is certainly worth acknowledging; 21% of all ecommerce sales take place on an app.
90% of users are also using their phones whilst in the store as a way to hunt out deals and promotions. It means that thought the purchase might not come through the app itself, it’s a handy assist!
Does your business have an app in development, or is considering one? We’d love to hear your thoughts! Contact us today.
