We usually hear about the staggering growth stats of major apps from Facebook (NASDAQ:FB) and Snapchat, but recently released data from Flurry indicates there's hope for developers who dream of amassing millions of monthly active users. Some of the findings:
- Independently-owned app developers who have a worldwide audience of over 20 million Monthly Active Users (MAUs) have jumped from 7 in Q1 2012 to 32 in Q3 2013.
- In the same period, the number of app developers with an audience over 1 million MAUs has risen from just under 400 to 875, or 121 percent growth.
- Flurry tracked a rise of more than 30,000 apps which were launched on its network in Q2 to more than 35,000 in Q3.
- In contrast, it took almost all of 2012 for the number of developers with 20 million MAUs to rise to more than 10.
 |
|
From Q1 2012 to Q3 2013, the number of app developers with an audience of over 1 million MAUs rose 121 percent. |
"These numbers are simply unprecedented, especially because most of these app developers have risen organically, and not as a result of consolidation or through mergers and acquisitions," Flurry said. "If anything, the market, its reach and the time spent on mobile is still with the 'middle class,' or the mid-tail developers and content owners. Among the 1.2 billion device owners, app developers are finding millions of people to enjoy their apps and the content behind it."
For all the concerns around discoverability and engagement, Flurry's data shows there is still plenty of room on consumers' smartphones for other apps. And these are apps they're not only willing to download but also want to use regularly. This should reinforce the need for developers to not only spend more time marketing their apps but also to pay attention to analytics that convert casual users into MAUs. Flurry calls all this a "mobile content explosion," but it may also indicate that app makers are getting more sophisticated about acquiring and retaining an audience. The next step will be better monetizing those MAUs and letting those developers who start off by moonlighting work on their apps full time.
For more:
- to see the complete post from Flurry, click here
Related articles:
Distimo, MEF report says free apps with in-app purchases generate 'majority of revenue'
InMobi: App interstitial ads converting for developers, publishers
Lifetime value of an app customer: Localytics, InMobi and others explain the calculations