Domestic Smartphone Users' App Spending Hits $5 Billion... 2 Billion Downloads
High Growth of Health and Fitness Apps Including 'Cashwalk'
[Asia Economy Reporter Jin-gyu Lee] It has been revealed that South Korean smartphone users downloaded 2 billion apps and spent 5 billion dollars last year. Health and fitness apps, such as the pedometer-type reward app 'Cashwalk', showed strong growth domestically.
Mobile data analytics platform App Annie released the "2020 Mobile Status Report" on the 16th, analyzing the global mobile app ecosystem and trends in 2019. The total number of app downloads worldwide last year increased by 6% from the previous year to 204 billion, a 45% increase compared to 2016. Consumer spending surpassed 120 billion dollars, growing 2.1 times compared to 2016. Game apps accounted for 72% of total consumer spending, while non-game apps made up the remaining 28%.
Domestic smartphone users downloaded 2 billion apps and spent 5 billion dollars on mobile last year. Consumer spending doubled compared to 2016. The category showing the most remarkable growth rate was health and fitness. Cashwalk, whose usage time increased by 175% compared to the previous year, led this growth.
South Korean consumers' average daily mobile usage time last year was 3 hours and 40 minutes, a 15% increase from 2017. The top non-game apps by monthly active users (MAU) domestically last year were 1st 'KakaoTalk', 2nd 'Naver', and 3rd 'Band', while the top game apps were 1st 'PUBG Mobile', 2nd 'Brawl Stars', and 3rd 'Clash Royale'.
Looking at the download rankings, the top non-game apps were 1st 'NH Smart Banking', 2nd 'Soda', and 3rd 'Toss', while the top game apps were 1st 'Brawl Stars', 2nd 'Archero', and 3rd 'Battleground'. In terms of consumer spending, 'KakaoTalk' ranked first among non-game apps, followed by 'Kakao Page' in second and 'YouTube' in third. For game apps, the order was 'Lineage M', 'Blade & Soul Revolution', and 'Lineage 2 Revolution'.
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App Annie predicted that this year will be the biggest year for mobile advertising. Brands are expected to spend 240 billion dollars, a 26% increase from last year. An App Annie representative stated, "As the streaming wars intensify, consumers will decide where to spend their time on mobile, and mobile advertising worldwide will reach 380 billion dollars this year, leading to unprecedented growth in the mobile market."
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