APP-BASED MARKETING
African marketers can benefit from boom in app uptake A study in three key African markets shows that app installs have increased 41% in a year, emphasising their relevance to marketers.
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FRICA’S MOBILE APP MARKET is booming, fuelled by the Covid-19 pandemic, a rise of so-called ‘superapps, and the growing need for apps as online banking increases in popularity. This is according to a recent study released by Google in conjunction with AppsFlyer, an international mobile marketing analytics firm. This is important news for the continent’s marketers, who are increasingly incorporating apps into their strategy. Doing so can help drive e-commerce, enhance brand loyalty and customer convenience, and promote in-store and other offline activity – through, for example, exclusive special offers to regular clients. The study analysed more than 6 000 apps and two-billion app installs across South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya, and found that overall installs increased by 41%. The research took place over a year: between Q1 2020 and Q1 2021. Nigeria showed the highest growth, with a 43% overall increase in installs. This was followed by South Africa with 37% and Kenya with 29%.
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IN-APP PURCHASING REVENUE INCREASED Perhaps driven by the pandemic and its associated lockdowns, inapp purchasing revenue increased significantly between July and September 2020, with an average 136% increase compared to the previous three months. This emphasised how much African consumers were spending within apps, from retail purchases to buying gaming upgrades. In South Africa, in-app purchasing revenue surged by 213%. Nigeria showed a rise of 141% and Kenya’s in-app purchasing revenue was up by 74% over the same period. As lockdowns took hold during the second quarter of 2020, installs of mobile apps increased by an overall 20% compared to the first quarter of the year. Most of this activity was in SA, where stay-at-home restrictions were the toughest. But Kenya also showed a significant uptick and there was a smaller rise in Nigeria.
Issue 1 2021
Other key findings from the study included: • South Africa and Nigeria saw year-onyear growth in finance app installs by 116% and 60% respectively, as the need to reduce social contact has led to even more users adopting digital solutions for their financial needs. • Android’s larger market share within sub-Saharan Africa has seen advertisers spend more budget on the platform. Non-organic installs increased by 54%, compared to 19% for iOS. The cost per install on iOS also increased by 21% between Q2 and Q3 2020, which meant iOS app
