App Annie just released their annual State of Mobile report and the report’s findings have great significance for your brand protection strategy. App Annie found that 2021 broke every previous year’s record across all categories for mobile app usage and spending. Mobile apps are now an integral part of our everyday lives, with people spending over 4.8 hours per day in the top mobile-first markets or roughly one-third of our daily waking hours.
Average Hours Spent on Mobile Per Day Per User
Of that time spent online, the majority of it was spent in social and photo and video apps, making up seven of every ten minutes.
In addition, time and money spent in app for physical goods also saw a huge increase. M-commerce exploded in 2021, with time spent on shopping apps reaching over 100 billion hours globally.
Food and drink apps were also big winners in 2021, with sessions in food and drink apps reaching 62 billion, a 49% increase over 2021.
To keep up, developers are releasing more apps than ever before. Publishers released more than two million new apps and games in 2021, helping drive a record-breaking 230 billion new app downloads.
Money being spent in-app stores rose by 19% year-over-year, with consumers spending more than $320,000 every minute in 2021 for a total of $170 billion globally.
Advertisers have been quick to follow, spending over $295 billion on mobile ads in 2021, an increase of 23% year-over-year. That number is expected to reach $350 billion by the end of 2022.
This increased reliance on mobile apps in our everyday lives means it’s more important than ever for brands to have a robust and proactive mobile component in their overall brand protection strategy.
While app platforms employ precautions to reduce uploads of malicious apps, bad actors continue to find new and innovative ways to lure in unsuspecting consumers.
One bad app in a mobile app store hiding behind your company’s branded IP and trademarks is all it takes to damage your brand. Trust is paramount in the digital world and brands need to ensure their customers have a safe and authentic experience when interacting with their branded mobile apps.
For more information on how to plan an effective mobile app brand protection program, we’ve published an informative guide that you can download here.
