According to new statistics released by Bango Inc, the mobile analytics and payment specialist, the volume of mobile web browsing from Android phones in the USA grew by 400% between Q1 and Q2 2010. In comparison the volume of growth from Apple devices was just 13% over the same period, representing an actual percentage market share decline of 16%.

HTC and Sony Ericsson smartphones showed the largest volume growth of mobile web visits in the US during this period with an increase of 162% and 148% respectively. This represented a growth in market share between quarters of 94% and 84%. In the same period the percentage market share of LG, Motorola and Samsung grew by 48%, 45% and 26% respectively.

BlackBerry smartphones continued to retain the highest volume of mobile web visits during Q2 2010, accounting for 37% of visits to mobile websites in the US. This represents a 20% volume increase over Q1. In comparison 26% of mobile visits were from Apple devices, while phones from HTC, Sony Ericsson, Samsung, LG and Motorola accounted for a total of 27% of the mobile web visits in the US during Q2.

Percentage US mobile visits and page views by top ten handset manufacturer during Q1 and Q2 2010

“Even with the advent of Apples new iAd platform and Google’s acquisition of AdMob, BlackBerry still represents the best volume opportunity for mobile advertising in the USA”, said Ray Anderson, CEO of Bango. “Apple appears to be losing ground to the latest Android handsets from HTC, Sony Ericsson, Motorola and Samsung, showing the slowest quarterly growth in web browsing.”

Bango measured the number of mobile visits made in the US across a sample of websites during Q1 and Q2 of 2010. The survey focuses on browsing activity from phones and did not measure mobile application use. The data excludes popular mobile sites such as Facebook and Twitter. This data follows on from a report Bango released earlier this year showing 600% growth in worldwide mobile web usage during 2009. (http://news.bango.com/2010/02/16/600-percent-growth-in-mobile-web-usage/).

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An increasing number of smartphone users and rising demand for mobile apps are some of the key factors driving the mobile apps market. This is good news for developers, but for them to succeed in this overcrowded market; they need to get a better understanding of how to capitalize on this opportunity. Here we look at the key factors impacting success in more detail:

Multiple platforms and fragmentation

Having to support multiple platforms is one of the challenges that continues to be a major headache for developers. Unfortunately, it is not as simple as developing for a small set of platforms. Each platform has a number of versions. Apple will soon launch iPhone OS 4.0 and there have been many minor versions to go with the 3 previous major revisions. Current Android phones are using version 2.1 (Éclair) and version 2.2 (FroYo) is due imminently. All of these versions add new functionality and fixes a number of earlier issues, but unfortunately it also introduces platform fragmentation making things more complex for app developers. But as web browser capabilities continue to improve, developing a website to replace the need for an app is increasingly becoming more appealing for developers.

Show me the money – Revenue models for apps

Ad-funded, app store sales and selling from within a free app are some of the revenue generating models available for developers.

The Ad-funded model relies on the ad-networks, they promise a lot but can they actually deliver on their promise? Developers will only earn money if their app gets run and the ad is clear and compelling, so with any ad-funded driven business model the crucial factor is, measurement. Using an independent mobile analytics tool is key, this enables developers to independently measure who is visiting their app and what they are doing. Only this way they will get an understanding of the true value of their app.

App stores sales are one of the most popular revenue models for developers, but unfortunately they are not always the most efficient place to collect money. Developers need to be aware that the payment experience that many of them offer, can be confusing for customers. Many of the app stores offer multiple steps until the customer can make the purchase – i.e registration for Google Checkout or PayPal accounts, which can deter customers from purchasing the app.

Selling from within the app, an increasing number of successful apps are available for free but then sell upgrades, add-ons or virtual goods. If using a reliable in-app billing solution, this works very well for developers. Developers can distribute a free app with limited functionality then use in-app billing to charge users to get the pro version. This is an effective way to get users familiar with the app so when they are ready they can pay to get more. Unlike with the app store model, it focuses the payment on the place and time the customer is most likely to upgrade, avoiding loss of sales that are sure to occur when passing customers back to an app store to download the premium version.

Promotion is key

Promoting your apps via mobile advertising networks with banner and text ads or through search marketing providers are just a couple of ways you can get your app out there.

Your campaigns can point back to the app store for download or to your own website if delivering to open platforms (i.e. not Apple iPhones). Take as much control of promotions as possible, don’t rely on the overloaded app stores.

Measure, measure and measure

As mentioned above using an independent mobile analytic tool is key for the success when developing an app. Whether developers want to measure how visitors are interacting with their app or to measure their app’s marketing campaigns, developers need to make sure they use a reliable mobile analytics solution that gives them a complete, independent and real-time picture of both their marketing and apps. This way they are able to quickly adjust their marketing spend and it shows them clearly what networks and messages are working best.

There are many factors that developers need to consider if they want their app to be successful and more importantly if they want to make money and maximize their app revenue.

To help application developers get a better understanding and effectively make money from their mobile apps, Bango has published a new white paper titled “Make money from you mobile apps”. This free white paper can be downloaded here – Mobile apps white paper.

According to statistics released by Bango Inc, the mobile analytics and payment specialist, BlackBerry users in the US now browse the internet more outside of main business hours. The stats show that, 6am to 8am and 6pm to 8pm EST are the busiest times for mobile web access.

BlackBerry users browse outside working hours

Contrary to the traditional view that BlackBerry owners use the device primarily for email and core business activities, the Bango analysis indicates a strong appetite for web browsing, which is happening more frequently outside normal business hours. Bango’s analysis also reveals that the BlackBerry user is as likely as any other phone user to browse non-business related sites, with games, media and entertainment among the most popular sites visited.

Bango collected the data from millions of BlackBerry users in the US, during March 2010, through its mobile payments and analytics platform. In addition to the browsing activity extending beyond workplace hours and activities, the data reveals that weekends are also popular days for BlackBerry users to browse the internet, further supporting the view that it is as widely used as other smartphones for general web browsing.

In September 2009, Bango reported that BlackBerry was the third most popular mobile phone for browsing the web in the USA, when measured by number of users browsing. More users browse the web from BlackBerries than iPhones – BlackBerry placed fifth worldwide. This new report reveals the extent to which the BlackBerry has become a dependable browsing device for all activities at all times of the day. BlackBerry users turn to their phones for browsing 7 days of the week, with Saturday and Sunday browsing starting about 2 hours later.

“Bango’s data shows that the BlackBerry is being widely used to browse all kinds of web content, breaking the ‘business only’ stereotype”, said Anil Malhotra, SVP Marketing & Alliances of Bango. “Our time-of-day analysis reveals that BlackBerry web browsing is just as commonplace on the morning commute, during cocktail hour or at the weekend.”

Recent changes to the Apple developer license agreement state that “Device Data may not be provided or disclosed to a third party without Apple’s prior written consent. Accordingly, the use of third party software in Your Application to collect and send Device Data to a third party for processing or analysis is expressly prohibited”. This makes it very hard for developers to deploy crucial analytics solutions and get the valuable insight they need to drive the success of their iPhone applications. Most analytics solutions need to extract and disclose detailed device data to the analytics vendor in addition to the developer. They require this data to function, but in doing so are in breach of the Apple rules. Their dependency on platform specific code also conceals what information is being disclosed making it impossible to know whether you are in breach, right up until Apple rejects your app.

 Developers using Bango Analytics do not need to provide or disclose any device data to Bango in order to get precise measurement of app success and customer engagement. Bango uses an anonymous, server side “Identifier” technology that protects consumer and device information while delivering levels of accuracy not found in traditional analytics solutions. Applications, campaigns and websites are all measured using consistent web standard techniques, rather than complex platform specific code, which gives the app developer confidence and total control over the level of information they wish to record and ensures all data being disclosed is completely transparent.

“Developers are currently paralyzed by the new Apple rules and don’t know how to proceed,” said Ray Anderson, CEO of Bango. “Bango’s unique approach using server based Identifier technology gives them a way to retain the detailed measurements they need for success, while remaining compliant with Apples constantly changing rules”.

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Bango, the leading mobile payment and analytics company, today launched a complete in-app billing solution that works across all mobile platforms, including Nokia / Symbian, Google Android, BlackBerry, Windows Mobile and iPhone.

For the first time there is a simple, unified way to monetize all mobile applications internationally. Developers can collect one-time payments or start ongoing subscriptions within their app, using operator billing, credit cards or PayPal. With Bango’s new in-app billing solution consumers get a simple and consistent application payment experience on operator networks and Wi-Fi. Bango’s open solution gives the app developer full control over when and how to charge the consumer, along with pricing and currency. Moreover, developers can sell content, virtual goods and add-ons from within their app, opening up a wide range of commercial opportunities.

In addition, the new Bango solution makes it easy for developers to distribute trial versions of apps and later charge for an upgrade to the full version. Developers can use the new Bango Payment solution to sell directly to their customers, without having to rely completely on app stores as their channel to market – A recent study by Bango found that 45% of developers plan to monetize their apps directly, in other words outside the app store.

A number of popular mobile applications are already being monetized using Bango Payment, including Shazam mobile music discovery, Touchnote mobile postcards and the licensing of fonts using the FlipFont™ app from Monotype Imaging.

“By using the Bango Payment new technology we provide our customers with a slick and consistent payment experience that delivers higher conversion rates ”, said Raam Thakrar, CEO of Touchnote. “A quick and simple integration has allowed us to give our Touchnote customers the speed and convenience of familiar operator billing.”

“Operator billing gives our FlipFont customers a quick and easy payment experience on mobile,” said Satoshi Asari, Director of Product Marketing at Monotype Imaging Inc. “Bango has been an integral partner in helping us gain customers in many parts of the world looking to enhance their mobile experience with fonts. We welcome Bango’s new in-app billing solution.”

“Converting browsers into buyers is the fundamental challenge for vendors trying to capture customers within app stores,” said Ray Anderson, CEO of Bango. “Bango’s new in-app billing solution overcomes these issues by giving developers full control over the pricing and promotion of their applications.”

The popularity of mobile applications is driving more developers and content providers to commit more resources to developing mobile applications, as another channel to engage with consumers and generate revenue. According to recent stats by Juniper research mobile application revenues will be worth £25 billion in 2014.

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