New research out from the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) as part of the September 2010 U.S. Mobile Consumer Briefing indicates that one in three US consumers download mobile applications, and that a quarter of all apps downloaded are used on a daily basis.
The research stemmed from a monthly survey of U.S. adult consumers about their mobile marketing behaviors and opinions. Each month, the MMA and Luth Research collect answers from a demographically representative sample of more than 1,000 U.S. adult consumers. Conducted September 17-24, the current survey asked consumers a variety of questions about usage of their mobile phone and some of its features, including number of apps downloaded, frequencies of use, reasons for non-use of applications and so on.
The survey more or less confirms what brands already know, which is the fact that mobile applications provide a unique medium within the overall mobile channel. For example, 10 percent of mobile consumers who have downloaded apps described their most used app as one that can be used for ordering or purchasing products. This indicates that apps are fast becoming a consumer shopping and sales tool offering both mass-market reach and intensity of usage.
“With half of all mobile consumers downloading apps this year or next, MMA can officially mark the birth of a new mainstream advertising and marketing channel within the family of mobile media,” said Peter A. Johnson, vice president of market intelligence, MMA, and author of the study. “Marketers now have the opportunity to bundle fun and advertising, drama and customer service, utility and sales in a single, quarter-inch icon. To place an app on the mobile desk-top that commands consumer attention on a daily basis should be on every marketer’s “to do” list as they plan for 2011.”
Some other key findings from the survey include:
- Sixty percent of those surveyed said their “most used” app provides entertainment
- Twenty-two percent of respondents expect to download more apps next than they have this year, while 40 percent expect to download the same amount
- Over the next year, mobile users will seek new apps focusing on entertainment, restaurants, banking and travel
- As free apps supported by advertising represent about 31% of all downloaded apps, apps represent a significant advertising opportunity for brands
