The World’s Appetite for Apps
Odds are you’ve played a game on an app on either your phone or tablet. Many apps are free or under five dollars, so how do these companies make their money and why do they hold our attention?
Most app games create a virtual barrier after a certain number of levels or amount of time has passed. After this, the player has a mandatory “time-out” unless they purchase “coins” with real money. Your wallet might not mind dropping 99 cents on another level, only once. What do you do? According to Venturebeat.com “the average value of an in-app purchase is $5.94, while purchases between $1 and $5 represent a majority, or 67 percent of purchases. Items that cost more than $50 in a game account for 0.7 percent of all purchases and contribute 9 percent of total revenue.” This amount may not seem massive but worldwide the revenue from purchasing apps and in-app purchases falls into the hundreds of millions.
Types of apps available range from educational (constellation apps), to useful (flashlight apps), to convenience apps (mobile banking), to simply entertaining (candy crush). The creators of these apps can be entrepreneurs, companies and even students. While difficulty of app creation depends on the complexity of it, tutorial software exist (often in the form of other apps) to make the process intuitive.
Let’s talk about how apps can improve your company.
Convenience is an easy thing to sell; when you allow your website and the interface of it to be managed via app, it gives convenience to the user. Mobile banking, checking emails, and even scanning documents allow for people to manage aspects of their lives easier and with available access 24/7. Educational purposes allow for information to be shared in an interactive way. Museums can have an audio file attributed to their work for visitors to listen to and non-profits can use apps to collect donations, share events and educate about their cause.
Unlike standard computers, people are forced to interact closer to the material by using their hands to swipe and press in apps and with apps being limited by the imagination rather than boundaries, their are so many opportunities for individuals and companies to create and promote.
Happy Designing.
Takahashi, Dean. “Only 0.15 Percent of Mobile Gamers Account for 50 Percent of All In-game Revenue (exclusive).” Venture Beat. February 26, 2014. Accessed September 26, 2016. http://venturebeat.com/2014/02/26/only-0-15-of-mobile-gamers-account-for-50-percent-of-all-in-game-revenue-exclusive/.
