Mobile App Discovery Targeting Gamers With Word Of Mouth

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The 20,000 Foot View: App discovery has come a long way since the rise of mobile app stores. What were once relatively simple app marketplaces are evolving into more carefully curated experiences, in a bid to showcase effectively a greater amount of the two million strong app ecosystem, rather than just the top        Simultaneously, publishers have significantly stepped up their discovery game –predominantly in the form of App Store Optimization (ASO). While app stores and charts have become much stronger contenders to the traditionally respected word of mouth recommendations, currently they mostly appeal to the high-spending highly engaged gamers. Though Game Aficionados have little difficulty with discovery, the challenge is now how to drive discovery more effectively for the remaining gamer segments.

Key Findings

       of mobile gamers mostly discover apps through word of mouth recommendations, compared to        % of overall consumers        of mobile gamers discover through charts and app stores, compared to        % of overall consumers
• More Japanese mobile gamers discover through app stores and charts        than through word of mouth       
• An equal share of UK mobile gamers discover apps through app stores and ads, while for other countries, ad-based discovery is less popular
• Unlike other gamer segments, Game Aficionados discover more via app stores        than by word of mouth recommendations       
• Collectors        rely on word of mouth recommendations more than any other gamer segment
• App store discovery tactics specifically targeted at Aficionados can drive their word of mouth recommendations 
• There is an opportunity for cross-format games companies to start acquiring Forgotten Fans on mobile at a relatively cheap cost

Companies and brands mentioned : Android, Apple, Google, iOS