Mobile App Downloads Hit a Record High with iPhone 4S Launch, Report October Fiksu Indexes

BOSTON, Nov. 30, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Fiksu, Inc. (www.fiksu.com), the industry's first mobile app user acquisition platform spanning the entire mobile ecosystem, today reported that the iPhone 4S launch caused a large spike in mobile app downloads.

The Index experienced as much as a 70 percent increase in download volume during the iPhone 4S launch weekend and 40 percent increase in download volume during post-launch, when compared to the pre-launch time frame of the new iPhone's availability during October. Fiksu also observed a notable increase in organic downloads: up 75 percent during the launch and settling in at 54 percent post-launch.

"As predicted, October was a frenzied month; the availability of the iPhone 4S weekend launch caused an unprecedented surge in app downloads, providing great opportunity in volume for mobile advertisers," said Micah Adler, CEO, Fiksu. "For mobile marketers seeking a window of extreme growth regardless of cost, the iPhone 4S launch presented a bonanza to secure large volumes of new users. But for those seeking to maximize value and ROI, the best bet was to resist the temptation to join the initial rush. Our advice to cost conscious marketers was to wait it out for a week and then take advantage of the efficiencies in heightened volumes at significantly lower costs."  

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

The Fiksu App Store Competitive Index (which measures the average aggregate daily download volume of the Top 200 free U.S. iPhone apps) increased overall by 29 percent from 3.8 million downloads in September to a record high of 4.91 million in October. Usually the Index captures mostly new app downloads but, given a new device launch, this month the Index also recorded many existing apps being added by people upgrading from their previous iPhone model. Factoring this in, the likely net volume is 4.5 million new app downloads.

During the peak weekend of new iPhone sales, mobile marketing costs remained high, then fell in the weeks that followed due to decreased costs in traffic. By the end of October, the Fiksu Cost per Loyal User Index netted out to $1.47. Marketers taking advantage of the immediate post-launch cost efficiencies saw a 12 percent decrease - 17 cent drop - in cost per loyal user when compared to September's all-time high of $1.64.

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

Data for the Fiksu Indexes was sourced from more than 6.54 billion mobile app actions – such as app launches, registrations and in-app purchases – and more than 143 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.