One in five regularly delete apps within just three months of downloading them
Businesses rushing to create apps for the smartphone market might be wasting their time, according to a new study.
Many Brits are deleting apps from their mobile phones at an alarming rate, with two in five admitting they do so often.
New research from web hosting company and domain name registrar 34SP.com into the mobile habits of 1,000 Brits found that although a third said their phone is the main device they use to access the internet, one in five stated that they regularly delete apps within just three months of downloading them.
Daniel Foster, technical director and co-founder at 34SP.com, said: “Increasingly businesses are investing a lot of resource into creating innovative apps for their customers, in the hope to attract them in an extremely saturated market. So it’s disappointing to find that for a lot of consumers it isn’t long before they actually delete an app from their device.”
He noted there could be a number of reasons why a consumer might delete an app, adding: “It’s not uncommon for users to hit storage capacity on their phones, for example, and apps are often the first thing to go before music, videos, or photos.
“The latest mobile update from Google may have had an impact too, as businesses have been pushed to create mobile websites that are more mobile-friendly,” he continued. “This means consumers no longer need to download an app that takes up precious storage to get a decent experience on mobile. Offering regular perks to those that download an app might be the only way to keep a consumer that isn’t necessarily loyal to a brand engaged, to prevent them from deleting the app.”
The research also revealed that one in four of those surveyed said their mobile is the main device they use to read the news, while 25% said they use their mobile phone to complete a number of everyday tasks, including grocery shopping, bank transactions, and booking holidays and restaurants.
In addition, 22% admitted to owning more than one mobile device.
