Year on year metrics for all Indexes point upwards even as July shows minimal changes
Despite month to month ebbs and flows, an analysis of mobile app marketing competition and costs from 2012 to 2014 by mobile app, marketing and advertising firm, Fiksu, shows relentless increases.
Instead of expected summer slowdowns, the Fiksu Cost Per Loyal User (CPLU) Index came in at $1.97 for July, its second-highest point in the four year history of the Fiksu Indexes, representing an increase of 9% year on year.
Along with CPLU, the Cost Per Install (CPI) Indexes also rose, surging up 44% year on year on Android (although down 9% from June), and up 16% over 2013 and 24% from last month on iOS. At the same time, Fiksu's July App Store Competitive Index, which measures aggregate daily download volume among the top 200 ranked iOS apps, increased from June's 6.1 million to 6.2 million, representing a 2% increase from June and 7% growth year on year.
The Cost Per Launch Index, which tracks the costs of driving engagement from mobile users, showed a 16% year on year increase on iOS and a 13% increase on Android. Increased app usage, potentially from users with more time and inclination to engage with apps during vacations or other downtime, may have helped keep those numbers from increasing even further.
Significantly, between 2012 and 2014, the CPLU has risen steadily, hitting an all-time high last month of $2.23, making June the most expensive month ever for loyal user acquisition with July following on its heels.
July also marked the first month of the full availability of Twitter's Mobile App Promotion products. While early results indicate Twitter is on the path to be a major player for app install ads, it is too early to conclusively report data, said Fiksu. However, key metrics are in the same ballpark, and in some cases better, than Facebook mobile app ads.
'The July Fiksu Indexes reflected the typical slowdown of summer behaviour but confirmed that underlying app marketing costs are still rising consistently year over year,' said Micah Adler, CEO of Fiksu. 'However, marketers need to be sharpening their strategies in readiness for the next few months. In addition to powerful new channels like Twitter, a new iPhone and iOS always shake up the app marketing landscape.'
August and September Index data will likely deliver an influx of findings from new devices and app installs ripe for marketers to analyse and get an early start on test ad efforts, in advance of the holiday rush. In addition, major movement is likely in the iOS ecosystem with debuts of new iPhones and iOS 8 expected in the coming months, potentially similar to last year's iPhone 5/iOS 7 unveiling, predicted Fiksu.
