Christmas Mobile Advertising Rush Caused App Downloads and Costs to Peak, Report Fiksu Indexes

BOSTON, Jan. 31, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Fiksu, Inc. (www.fiksu.com), the industry's first mobile app user acquisition platform spanning the entire mobile ecosystem, reported all-time highs for mobile marketing costs and iOS app downloads in December, as brands participated in advertising bidding wars to lock-in top rankings before the Apple App Store froze between December 25 – 28.

The Fiksu Cost per Loyal User Index closed the year at a record $1.81, up 26.5 percent from $1.43 in November.

The Fiksu App Store Competitive Index (which measures the average aggregate daily download volume of the top 200 free U.S. iPhone apps) peaked at 6.04 million daily downloads, up almost seven percent from November's 5.65 million, its previous high.

The Fiksu Indexes reveal the extreme marketing that took place during the month as advertisers spent heavily to drive up their app store rankings and lock-in a "pole position" before the App Store four-day ranking freeze which began on Christmas Day. According to Fiksu's research, the last half of December was the most competitive for mobile marketers: traffic and dollars spent in the final week of December increased 100 percent over prior weeks, presenting advertisers with sufficient budgets the opportunity to acquire twice as many loyal users.

"For so many app brands, December is a strategically critical month for app discovery," said Micah Adler, Fiksu's CEO. "What we witnessed during the month was a 'land rush' in which advertisers earnestly spent marketing dollars in order to achieve ranking before the traditional App Store freeze which then would generate substantial organic downloads through increased visibility."

The Fiksu Indexes measure monthly fluctuations in competition for rank in the app stores, and the cost to acquire loyal users(1), helping mobile app marketers benchmark their performance against industry averages.

For Fiksu's full analysis, visit http://www.fiksu.com/resources/fiksu-indexes#analysis.

Data for the Fiksu Indexes was sourced from more than 11 billion mobile app actions – such as app launches, registrations and in-app purchases – and more than 200 million downloads recorded by apps marketed via the Fiksu for Mobile Apps user acquisition platform.

About Fiksu
Fiksu, Inc. helps leading brands boost iOS and Android mobile app ranking and secure large volumes of loyal users. The Fiksu® for Mobile Apps platform spans the entire mobile ecosystem providing the most cost-effective, predictable and intelligent mobile advertising solution, slashing user acquisition costs and ensuring sustained user engagement. Based in Boston, Mass., Fiksu is venture-backed by Charles River Ventures. More at www.fiksu.com, @Fiksu and on the Fiksu blog.

(1) For the specific purpose of the Fiksu Indexes, a loyal user is defined as someone who opens an app three or more times.

SOURCE Fiksu, Inc.