Smartphone users are becoming app-crazy

Most people are now managing their lives with apps. A new global report has found that smartphone users in India tend to access over 30 apps per month on an average, almost 10 apps per day.

Another survey has pointed out that apps related to news, content and entertainment rule the day in India, with established brands increasingly leveraging app technology to extend their presence on the digital platform.

As the mobile landscape changes, so does the relationship between app and user. The growth of mobile internet penetration and smartphone usage has led to consumers preferring the usage of mobile apps over desktop platforms, leading the way for brands to board the app bandwagon.

Research by WatConsult, a digital and social media agency from Dentsu Aegis stable, found out that a majority of respondents surveyed (56 per cent) installed news apps on their mobile. While 52 per cent had OTT content (Over-the-top content refers to broadcasting and technology business reporting) apps, a way of consuming entertainment and video content, another 48 per cent had business or finance apps. Some 24 per cent had installed brand utility apps for menial tasks such as quick bill payments.

The main reason for people to use apps was for information as 60 per cent respondents said they followed certain apps for news and info, followed by 58 per cent downloading the app for financial and banking transaction related purposes.

In terms of frequency of usage, the research showed that almost all users accessed news apps on a daily basis. This was followed by the usage of sports, games, health and fitness and music or audio apps. Shopping, food and drink and travel apps were used less frequently than others, according to the report.

However, when a brand app finds a place into the ‘mobile real estate,’ of the consumer, there could be various reasons for a user to have granted that space to it, perhaps at the cost of another app. If the mobile gets too heavy, or if the consumer is uninterested in the content, there are chances that the app could be deleted.

The report added that one of the biggest barriers for using brand apps was the storage issue. Insufficient memory on smartphones due to the large size of apps and the constant updates lead to many of these apps being un-installed. Availability of a substitute app for a particular brand app was another reason for people to un-install an app. In India, however, iPhone users tend to use more apps per day than Android phone users, according to another study by App Annie, a business intelligence company. The company found that Indian users are app-crazy and tend to use 30 apps per month, and that the 30 apps work out to being roughly one-third to one-half of the apps users have installed on their smartphones.

Apps have worked their way into the dozens of the tasks that are performed each month. However, no one size fits all, and the survey found huge variability across categories in user behaviour. Though usage of the apps are a daily habit across the world, the report found that among the 10 apps used per day, there existed a wide range in terms of how frequently they were used across the globe.

The survey showed that despite WeChat’s dominant position in China, users still use 11 apps per day on an average in the neighbouring country. Gamers in South Korea and Japan tend to lead in time spent on game apps.

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