There’s over 2.2 million apps in the Google Play store and another 2 million in the App store. This means more competition for users, and keeping those users engaged and happy while monetizing is no easy feat. We asked developers from around the globe about their biggest pain points, and learned more about which obstacles app developers
are confronting in today’s mobile market.
3. ironSource November 2016
The app developer
community is growing
There’s over 2.2 million apps in the Google Play
store and another 2 million in the App store.
4. ironSource November 2016
The app developer
community is growing
This means more competition for users, and
keeping those users engaged and happy while
monetizing is no easy feat.
5. ironSource November 2016
We asked developers from around the globe
about their biggest pain points, and learned
more about which obstacles app developers
are confronting in today’s mobile market.
15. ironSource November 2016
No matter the size of the team, our data shows
the biggest challenge for app developers is
connecting to users and getting their app found.
19. ironSource November 2016
When it comes to development, using data to
segment user behaviour was a key concern,
with LTV calculation as the clear pain point.
21. ironSource November 2016
That is a big opportunity to miss out on.
12% of daily active users search for apps
everyday, 50% search every week.
App developers looking to grow their user base
should be dedicating time and resources to
optimising for app stores.
24. ironSource November 2016
Three issues dominate in the
monetization conversation:
● Balancing subscription models
● Setting IAP prices
● In-app ads damaging user experience
25. ironSource November 2016
Balancing
freemium, pay,
or subscription
models
32.3%
Setting the right
IAP prices
32.3%
In-app ads
damaging user
experience
22.6%
I don’t have any pain
points, my monetization
is working fine
6.5%
Other
6.5%
26. ironSource November 2016
Setting the right IAP prices and choosing the right
subscription model are major issues for app
developers.
And quite rightly, there’s everything to play for.
27. ironSource November 2016
In-app advertising is going to generate the
majority of revenue for apps going forward
(according to App Annie), with annual revenue
reaching $120 billion in 2020, up from 2017’s
$50 billion.
28. ironSource November 2016
IAPs still matter, but for smaller apps who may
benefit from ads, finding the balance between
monetization models should be a major focus.
30. ironSource November 2016
Perfecting the
soft launch
12.1%
Finding the right
UA channels
21.2%
Low quality users
18.2%
Targeting not
sufficiently strong
enough
9.0%
Other
9.1%
I don’t have a paid
UA strategy
15.2%
Cost of UA doesn’t
justify LTV
15.2%
33. ironSource November 2016
Developers can choose to buy users on many
different channels - through other apps like
Facebook, or Google, or through an ad network.
The challenge is choosing the channel to fit your
user base and KPIs. For example, Facebook has
brilliant scale.
34. ironSource November 2016
Some channels might be great for gaming
apps, whereas another would be best for a
social app’s UA.
Ad networks that combine the different
capabilities are a useful tool for developers.
37. ironSource November 2016
◼ Building the data flow ◼ Beta testing ◼ Integrating SDKs
◼ QA ◼ Developing For ◼ Other
Multiple Platforms
38. ironSource November 2016
Asia grapples most with developing for multiple
platforms, whilst North America and Europe are
more concerned with QA.
39. ironSource November 2016
Beta Testing isn’t seen as an issue for developers
in Europe or North America, although is a challenge
for 6% of Asian developers.
41. ironSource November 2016
◼ Building the data flow ◼ Beta testing ◼ Integrating SDKs
◼ QA ◼ Developing For ◼ Other
Multiple Platforms
42. ironSource November 2016
Game apps have greater concerns around
integrating multiple SDKs. This is probably because
seamless gameplay and app performance is a key
issue for them.
Developers concerned with managing multiple
advertising SDKs to maximise their revenue can
use an ad mediation platform to overcome this
challenge.
43. ironSource November 2016
More SDKs are deployed in gaming apps than
non-gaming due to the number of users playing
the game each day, and the ad inventory needing
to be filled.
44. ironSource November 2016
For game developers, finding the right SDK
provider specialising in ads for games and then
integrating this according to their monetization
strategy will be a worthwhile investment.
46. ironSource November 2016
◼ Balancing freemium, ◼ In-app ads damaging ◼ Other
pay, or subscription models user experience
◼ Setting the right IAP prices ◼ I don’t have any pain points,
my monetization is working fine
47. ironSource November 2016
Developers in Asia are less worried about setting
the right IAP prices compared to European
developers.
As disposable income grows in Asia, this issue is
likely to become more prevalent for Asian
developers.
48. ironSource November 2016
For Asian developers, worrying about how ads
damage the user experience was more of a
concern than for European developers.
This might be due to the wider adoption of more
rewarded ads that give users a positive, valuable
experience in return for watching an ad, by
European developers.
50. ironSource November 2016
◼ Balancing freemium, ◼ In-app ads damaging ◼ Other
pay, or subscription models user experience
◼ Setting the right IAP prices ◼ I don’t have any pain points,
my monetization is working fine
52. ironSource November 2016
Balancing payment models is a standout issue for
gaming apps.
Non-game apps are concerned with in-app ads
damaging user experience and balancing
monetization models .
53. ironSource November 2016
A higher proportion of non-gaming apps said that
their monetization strategy is working fine:
54. ironSource November 2016
More non-gaming apps feel that their monetization
strategy is working fine:
15.4% 7.1%
of non-gaming compared to of gaming
Apps apps
56. ironSource November 2016
◼ I don’t have a paid ◼ Finding the right ◼ Low quality users ◼ Other
UA strategy UA channels
◼ Perfecting the ◼ Cost of UA doesn’t ◼ Targeting not strong
soft launch justify LTV enough
58. ironSource November 2016
While bigger companies with 101 to 500+
employees are focused on issues with low quality
users.
59. ironSource November 2016
This is likely due to the fact that as UA budget
increases with the size of the company, so too do
concerns about the quality of UA campaigns.
61. ironSource November 2016
Join 20K other happy developers
and contact us here to learn more
about how we can help you
maximize your app marketing and
monetization.
62. About ironSource
ironSource’s platform is designed to give you everything you need for your
app to succeed. We’ll take care of the heavy lifting so that you can focus on
building great apps.
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Each Month Every Minute with date
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Platform