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| Searches for Hurricane and Earthquake Mobile Apps Dramatically Increase in August
Chomp Monthly App Search Report Also Shows Game Searches Up on Android, Down on iOS; Monetization Decreases on Android; Increases on iOS
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SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Chomp today released its monthly app search data reflecting the most significant consumer search trends for Android and Apple iOS apps during the month of August. Chomp’s most recent report shows that mobile phone users turned to mobile apps in significantly larger numbers during the period of time around natural disasters. Search traffic for hurricane apps spiked more than 2000% above trend during Hurricane Irene’s formation, warning, and landfall. Earlier in the month, a 250% spike was seen during the formation of Tropical Storm Emily. Search traffic for earthquake apps was up 2000% immediately after the 5.8 magnitude event in Virginia.
On Android, game queries increased from 21.7% to 25.7%, and utility queries increased from 11.5% to 15.8%. Several of the smaller categories – news, business, finance, sports, and education – saw their query shares decrease by more than 1%. Games dropped slightly from 31.1% to 27.7%. Its share was distributed to several smaller categories. Queries for iOS games dropped slightly from 31.1% to 27.7%, while its share was distributed among several smaller categories.
App monetization declined on the Android platform in August. Paid app downloads decreased by 4% on Android and increased by 1% on iOS. The Android decrease broke a string of three consecutive increases. The decrease was seen across lower and premium price points; 4% of all Android Downloads were paid, a 4% decrease over July. This is the first drop in paid downloads after three consecutive months of increases. On iOS, the $.99 price point saw a small drop in share, which was redistributed to higher price points. Developers offering paid iOS apps saw downloads increase by 1%, from July. The growth was primarily at premium price points. The $.99 price point decreased from 12.8% to 12.3%, also contributing to gains for higher price points.
The top Android search queries were “free,” “games,” “entertainment,” “music” and “utilities.” The top five Android app searches were for Angry Birds Rio, Sound Hound, Angry Birds, IMDB Movies & TV, and Advanced Task Killer. The top iOS queries were for “games,” “entertainment,” “puzzle games,” “adventure games” and “lifestyle.” The top iOS app searches were for Dropbox, Cut The Rope, Plants vs. Zombies, Tap Pet Hotel, and Instagram.
Chomp’s detailed report, including statistics and infographics, can be found at http://chomp.com/etc/chomp-charts/aug-2011
Over 1 billion apps are being downloaded each month and the number of available Android and iOS apps has surged to almost 1 million. As the number of apps increase, so does the need for effective app search. On the Android platform, 79% of searches are made by app function (e.g. “restaurant guides,” “flying games,” etc.) and only 21% by the actual app name. On the iOS platform 76% of searches are made by app function and only 24% by the app name.
About Chomp, Inc.
Founded in 2009 by Ben Keighran and Cathy Edwards, Chomp, Inc. is the only company to enable app search based on what an app actually does. One billion apps are being downloaded every month. As the number of apps explodes, it’s become difficult for users to find the perfect app for what they want to do. Chomp’s patent-pending algorithm is able to understand what an app does and what a user wants and then makes the best match. Chomp also allows developers to effectively integrate app search into their content. Chomp powers search for a range of companies, including Verizon, Carphone Warehouse, Blekko, 148Apps.com and @aplusk. The company is funded by leading Silicon Valley investors, including Ron Conway, BlueRun Ventures as well as a number of ex-Google angel investors. The company is based in San Francisco, CA and can be found at www.chomp.com. |
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