Market research firm Sensor Tower has released new data on how local apps, including streaming services, dominate Australian mobile devices among the most downloaded apps in the first quarter of this year.
Government apps top the list, with myGovID, Express Plus Medicare and ServiceWA taking the top three spots out of 20.
The usual social media suspects of Tik Tok, Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and Whatsapp followed.
Sensor Tower Regional Director Eugene Du Plessis said Australia is one of the top 10 mobile app markets in the world by revenue and is off to a flying start in 2022.
“What is clear is that the app economy is increasingly tied to global events and trends,” she says.
“For example, government apps that offer identity verification and vaccination features have become staples in our country’s app stores amid the ongoing pandemic, as has the adoption of code reading. QR.”
However, as life continues to return to normal, Du Plessis expects the popularity of government apps to decline.
“I expect government apps to follow the same trend as entertainment and social media apps like Disney+ and Facebook,” she says.
“These have seen their rankings drop year on year as the Covid-fueled wave of adoption that was sustaining them gradually waned. TikTok has successfully bucked this trend, rising from seventh place in Q1 2021 to fourth place in Q1 2022 – a testament to its growing popularity in Australia.
Sensor Tower says the most interesting thing is that two Australian streaming services, Binge and 9Now, made it to the top 20 apps list.
Binge has overtaken Netflix, arriving at 11 and 13 respectively. Sensor Tower says this is perhaps unsurprising, given Netflix’s recent revenue announcement, which saw a 19% drop in users.
Binge also invested $10 million in digital ads in the first quarter of this year. That’s more than their entire digital advertising budget for 2021.
“This correlates with the huge increase in app downloads, demonstrating the power of digital advertising on consumer behavior,” says Du Plessis.
“Most of Binge’s downloads can be attributed to its sports offering – Kayo and I believe more streaming service providers will seek to implement similar offerings in order to stay competitive and increase user retention.”
Eugene Du Plessis also claims that apps that quickly adapt to trends will be the ones that will be successful.
“As Australia’s mobile economy continues to grow, look for apps that react to the latest trends – they will be the ones that lead the way and define the market in our mobile-centric economy.”
The detection tower market information was used by Nestlé, Twitter, HBO and Target.
