Not All Doom and Gloom: COVID-19 and Mobile Brands (Part I)

The COVID-19 pandemic and the related lockdown of 2.9 billion people, one-third of the global population, have certainly caused an unprecedented turmoil worldwide. How are mobile brands affected and is it all negative – or just the opposite?

We were thrilled to go through an insightful report outlining mobile trends January – June 2020 to help marketers understand what kind of growth to expect in the context of COVID-19. Here is the first part of the key highlights:

• Apps increased their install ad spend by 20% by early May to meet heightened demand.
• In-app revenue remains strong: consumer spend in non-gaming apps is particularly impressive, growing almost every week and nearly 50% since mid-March, and gaming revenue surged 42% by early May.
• Some app industries like Content and Media, Entertainment, Health & Fitness, Education, Gaming, Grocery, Medical & Medicine Delivery, are thriving and seeing a surge in user engagement – some as high as a 177% average increase in daily active users (DAUs).
• For struggling industries like Business and Finance, Deals & Coupons, Event Ticketing, Hospitality, Sports Games, Travel, etc., app launches fell as much as 60-80%. 

Although the sheer scale of disruption is difficult to quantify, and the effects of the pandemic, both immediate and long-term, are still playing out, it’s even more vital for marketers to stay vigilant and have the right data backup for their strategic decisions. Watch this space and follow our Marketing Bites for Part II of this valuable analysis.