How to increase app downloads
Whether you’re an app developer, you are responsible for commissioning app development or you’re simply tasked with promoting your organisation’s apps, the challenge of ensuring your app is found, downloaded and used has never been more difficult.
The rise of the app has been well documented. In the 10 years since the smartphone (and then the tablet) have become a ubiquitous part of our lives, the apps that fuel those devices have become an essential element of modern life.
So it’s no surprise the ‘app economy’ is large and getting larger all the time. In 2013, there were 82bn app downloads performed globally, but by the end of 2017 there will have been over 268bn, according to Gartner. 451 Research forecasts there will be 3.13bn active app users by end 2018, an 18 per cent year on year jump.
Whilst the app market is growing, search is struggling to keep pace. 43 per cent of developers highlight Marketing as the most challenging aspect of their work, and App Store Optimisation has grown into a sector of its own. Yet search is still the main driver for users to download apps, with 67 per cent searching for apps rather than accessing via direct links, according to Tune. Despite this, InMobi report that only 5 per cent of apps account for 92 per cent of downloads, clearly demonstrating a huge disparity in the market.
The combined problems of discovery, the explosion in app competition, and the ever increasing audience pool means that developers are turning away from the established leading App Stores; Apple and Google. The Alternative App Stores are becoming an attractive market strategy as they offer a variety of benefits, not least that they allow app developers to boost brand profile, reach new audiences and expand to new geographies.
Of course, expanding your app’s reach into these new areas isn’t easy. Firstly there are different registration procedures for each store. Next, there are the legal and financial hurdles of individual stores and local territories, which can get very complicated. All of this takes time, which is a drain on precious resources.
Which is why our revised and updated whitepaper, ‘More is Better – market and monetize your apps on a greater scale for greater reach and profit’, has been produced with these challenges in mind. It’s also been completely updated with brand new content and new styling.