11.03.13
Making a success in the apps business is getting harder, especially for fledgling developers. But how difficult? A recent article in the Wall Street Journal, based on research by Distimo, laid out the stark reality facing app startups. From the 800,000 apps on Apple’s iTunes Store, only 80 generated more than $1 million in revenue during the fourth quarter. A couple of years ago a few hundred downloads would secure a place in the top 20 rankings – now you need several thousand – while only 2% of the top 250 publishers in the U.S. app store are first time app developers and they haven’t even touched on Android.
The problem for app startups is gaining visibility in a vast landscape dominated by more established, well known publishers. Getting as high up the rankings as possible is vital when you consider that more than half of iPhone users fail to look beyond the top 25 apps. And who can blame them – the thought of sifting through over 800,000 apps to find the exciting ones is a herculean task.
Of course app startups don’t possess the marketing clout of bigger companies, so making themselves heard in the App Store noise is a challenge. But there is an alternative way for developers to increase download traffic.
Over the years MagicSolver has developed an eco-system of apps that help promote developer’s apps to reach a wider audience. By recommending the best apps to download each day our flagship product, FreeAppMagic, and our range of seasonal apps, such as Halloween, Valentine’s Day and Christmas, offer a platform on both iOS and Android to hit the right people.
So although the Wall Street Journal article paints a dispiriting picture, with 10 million active users and over 50 million downloads generated for app developers, we provide another effective option for developers to get noticed in app stores and make a success of their business.
24.01.13
App developers and publishers look away now. According to new research 81 per cent of UK visitors to the Apple App Store do not browse past the first 50 apps – this is despite the store getting 52.2 million visits a week in the UK. Worse still, over half (57 per cent) of iPhone users fail to look beyond the top 25 apps.
This is deflating news for app developers starting out or established publishers trying to engage customer and attract download traffic. With over 700,000 apps on the App Store and a further 435,000 expected to land on iTunes in 2013 it is easy to see why smartphone and tablet users find discovering new apps a daunting task.
Judging from this study, it is critical for app developers/publishers to appear high up in the rankings to gain any sort of in-store visibility; they certainly cannot rely on Apple’s promotional policy to gain traction.
MagicSolver offers another route for developers/publishers to increasing app downloads through our own portfolio of apps. FreeAppMagic, our flagship app, offers three paid for apps for free every day while we have seasonal/event apps such as Valentine’s Day, Halloween and Christmas Advent.
Our apps have 10 million plus iOS and Android users in 100 countries, so app developers and publishers who sign up for our service will be privy to a large audience – we have delivered over 50 million downloads so far.
Another interesting outcome from the study is that 85 per cent of App Store visitors need some persuading before making a download: strong reviews, images, and a reasonable price are the main criteria they look to before pressing the buy button. MagicSolver has an editorial team that selects the best apps to promote on our apps. All the apps promoted are four of five star reviews and are, of course free for 24 hours; this tick the two main user reasons for downloading.
So although this news may seem like a depressing read for developer/publishers, all is not lost: talk to us to find new ways to rise up through the App Store rankings and gain exposure.
