The growing appetite for apps
Just 4% of mobile users and 15% of smartphone owners download apps at least once a month, according to a recent Forrester survey of more than 25,000 European adults.
However, the fact that one fifth of all European mobile users consider apps to be an important feature when choosing a new mobile handset highlights the large gap between today’s limited usage of apps and consumer awareness and interest, according to Forester analyst Thomas Husson.
“Apple reinvented the distribution of products and services on mobile phones, opening up direct-to-consumer opportunities for non-telecom companies,” says Husson. “A plethora of new stores will try to replicate this success, adding more fragmentation to the market in the next two to three years. However, in the longer run, few will be able to offer brands and publishers the reach that they want — nor the reporting and merchandising tools that they need.”
More on apps in Forrester’s The Future Of Application Stores.
