Programmatic, monetisation top priority for app developers in 2015
App developers and publishers are planning to take their apps further: designing for multiple operating systems and devices, making inventory available on programmatic channels, and increasing their development of tablet apps.
Eighty-five per cent of app developers and publishers monetise their apps and sites in some way, up 12 percentage points from the previous year. Of these respondents, 82 per cent use advertising, compared to 73 per cent last year. This was highlighted in the State of the Apps 2015 Industry Snapshot report by Millennial Media.
The report highlighted that 69 per cent of app developers and publishers make their inventory available programmatically, resulting in an increase in revenue for most.
According to the report, 33 per cent of app developers and publishers allow video ads to run in their apps, an increase of five percentage points from the previous year. Sixteen per cent enable native ads.
“From new app creation to new hires, developers and publishers around the world are citing ‘more’ as their 2015 goal,” said Matt Gillis, President of Platform at Millennial Media.
“Our developer and publisher partners are recognising the vast opportunities in supporting additional ad formats – such as video and native – and making inventory available through programmatic channels. This growing and healthy state of the app economy means significant benefits for advertisers. Brand advertisers are enjoying the availability of more high-quality inventory, and Direct Response advertisers have the opportunity to bridge messages across channels while obtaining high-value users,” Mr Gillis adds.
The report highlights that the most popular app category is games (86 per cent), followed by productivity & tools (35 per cent) and music & entertainment (19 per cent). The largest growth in 2015 is expected to come from role play/character/adventure/strategy Games (up 12 percentage points from last year) and health & fitness (up 7 percentage points).
