Acquiring mobile users is expensive, but here's why they're worth the cost

Even as cost-per-install rates soar, the cost of loyal users is going down. Here's what businesses building mobile apps should know.

Image: iStockphoto/Nongkran_ch

Apple's App Store may have created 1.9 million jobs, but it's unclear how many of those jobs pay a living wage. After all, VisionMobile's survey data has long revealed that most developers live below the app poverty line, making less than $500 per app per month.

There are signs, however, that life is getting better for mobile app developers.

SEE: Mobile device computing policy (Tech Pro Research)

App Annie, for example, is forecasting that the App Store will generate $101 billion by 2020. More importantly, however, the cost for acquiring a loyal app user, and not simply someone who installs an app, is in decline. With roughly 30% of all mobile advertising currently focused on getting people to download apps, everyone benefits if those billions of dollars start to create real brand loyalty, and not simply app churn.

Loyalty comes at a price

The cause for hope comes from recent Fiksu data. Fiksu, which specializes in helping brands build and run app acquisition and re-engagement campaigns, issues a monthly index that tracks the cost of generating app downloads and app loyalty, defined as a user that opens an app three times. Those numbers show though the cost per install (CPI) keeps going up, the cost per loyal user (CPLU) has declined a bit over the past year.

On iOS, CPI rose 12% to $1.64, a 28% increase over January 2015. On Android, CPI went the opposite direction, declining 44% to $1.91 from December 2015 while rising 25% since January 2016:

Now, compare this to the cost of acquiring a loyal user (CPLU), which plunged 34% since last month to $2.78, and experienced a year-over-year decline of 4%:

In short, the cost of corralling new users into your apps keeps going up, but the cost of generating loyal users seemingly paradoxically has been going down.

What gives?

Are we there yet?

The Verge's Casey Newton writes that "the App Store's middle class is small and shrinking. And the easy money is gone," which is correct, but doesn't tell the whole story.

For one thing, more and more companies aren't even trying to sell apps. Either they offer in-app purchases or, if they're a big brand like a hotel chain, they generate revenue through their app. For these companies, it doesn't matter whether the App Store economy is $101 billion or $1.01, because the revenue they generate is facilitated by apps but not counted as part of the "app economy."

Selling apps, in other words, is old school.

This is implied by the Fiksu data. When I asked Fiksu co-founder Micah Adler why CPLU has declined even as CPI has gone up, he made it clear that it has a lot to do with "higher quality" of installs.And yet, big brands still need to find ways to get users to download and engage with their apps, and so should be concerned by CPI inflation. The good news is that mobile marketers appear to be getting better at generating app loyalty, and not merely app installs.

"This is because the average install this year has a higher likelihood of turning into a loyal user, compared to last year," Adler said. "So, even though it is more expensive to get a download, this is more than made up for by the higher quality."

By higher quality Adler really means better use of data, or "the ability to extract the right audiences from that data," as he told me. "By getting the right people to download the app, they are more likely to be long term users of the app."

Spending on engagement

Adler's response is understandably focused on optimization of ad spend, given that's what Fiksu does. But, lost in that analysis are the myriad other things that app developers are doing to foster loyalty in their user base.

While companies have increasingly focused on app engagement for years, it's only been in the last year that mobile marketing automation and related technologies have become more science than art. What used to be "dumb pipes" has become real-time, data-driven orchestration of notifications that nudge a user along a desired purchasing path.

SEE: On the cusp of the next wave of mobile monetization (TechRepublic)

Between optimized app user acquisition campaigns and ongoing improvements in engagement strategies, marketers are finally starting to get real value for their mobile marketing spend. That's good news for the app economy, but it's great news for every business that depends on mobile...which is every business.

Reference & Courtesy: http://www.techrepublic.com/article/acquiring-mobile-users-is-expensive-but-heres-why-theyre-worth-the-cost/

Apple begins recall of first-gen iPod nanos after battery problems

Apple has begun its recall program to replace the first generation iPod nano, after determining that there is a problem with the battery. Any iPod nano that was sold between September 2005 and December 2006 could “overheat and pose a safety risk”.

The company has said that it traced it to a single battery supplier, and says that the likelihood of the battery overheating increases as the battery ages. Because of that, you should stop using your old iPod nano NOW and replace it.

Apple will give you a replacement unit, free of charge. However, most likely, you’re going to get one of the later generations of the iPod nano. We’re not expecting Apple to just give you another first-generation iPod nano, because its five-to-six years old and most likely doesn’t have any more stock. I do have a first-generation iPod nano that is eligible for this, so we’ll see what Apple gives in return since they are keeping it all hush-hush.

Apple’s recall program includes Australia, Austria, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States. You’ll also need to make sure your serial number matches between the dates of manufacturer, which you can find on this handy image below:

If you do use the online form, then you have ten business days to get the product sent to Apple. For Australians, print out the dispatch label and go to the nearest Australia Post. You should not include the power or USB cord, or manuals, as they will not be returned to you. Please also note that it could take five business days for your package to sent to Apple, depending on your region.Then you will have to wait up to six weeks from when Apple receives your iPod nano to ship out a replacement unit.

If you don’t want to use the online form, you can head over to the Apple Store or an Apple Authorised Service Provider to help you send the product over to Apple for validation and trade it in.

The new iPod nano, whatever it is, is “warranted to be free from defects for 90 days from the date of service.”

Short URL: http://bit.ly/vpGaic

Article from:

http://techgeek.com.au/2011/11/13/apple-begins-recall-of-first-gen-ipod-nanos-after-battery-problems/

Skype iPhone, iPod Touch App Has Security Hole

Skype is working to fix a security hole in its iOS app for the iPhone and iPod Touch that allows a hacker to steal a person’s entire address book. The vulnerability, located in the app’s chat message window, can be exploited with JavaScript code. It was pointed out by security researcher Phil Purviance of AppSec.

"Skype uses a locally stored HTML file to display chat messages from other Skype users, but it fails to properly encode the incoming user’s ‘Full Name,’ allowing an attacker to craft malicious JavaScript code that runs when the victim views the message," Purviance wrote on his blog.

The heart of the problem, according to Purviance, is an improper definition within the Skype app that allows access to a user's local file system. He says the threat is partially mitigated by protections within iOS itself, but the address book remains vulnerable.

Skype appears to be in no hurry to fix the problem. In a tweet, Purviance said he notified Skype of the vulnerability on August 24, and was told that an update addressing the issue would be released in early September.

A statement from Skype confirms that the company is aware of the issue and will fix it "in our next planned release, which we hope to roll out imminently."

You can watch a demonstration of exactly how the exploit works in this video, created by Purviance: