--- title: Mobile Users Spend More Time Using Apps description: Do you know whether a mobile app would benefit your business. Read before investing in development. image: https://blog.catalpha.com/hs-fs/file-893301003-jpg/images/App-use-rates-by-nielson.jpg --- ###### Marketing Insights Search this site on Google Search [![Catalpha Advertising & Design Logo](https://blog.catalpha.com/hs-fs/file-593783445-jpg/images/header-logo-boxed-drop.jpg "Catalpha Advertising & Design")](https://catalpha.com/) # [Mobile Users Spend More Time Using Apps](https://blog.catalpha.com/mobile-users-spend-more-time-using-apps) Posted by [Karen Kerski](https://blog.catalpha.com/author/karen-kerski) - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) According to Nielsen, mobile users spend more time using apps than searching the internet. They spend 86% of their time using apps, not browsers. Do you have an app for your business? Does it make sense? ### ***Apps are about repeat engagement.*** Neilson research indicates 47% of marketers have aps and 65% are working on an ap. Marketers who offer exclusive content through their app measure success by the amount of downloads. As much as this sounds like a success, people have downloaded and used your app to get content, there is a fundamental flaw to this approach. Mobile users are not primarily using aps to download content. Your business is not selling content. Content searches are only 2% of the mobile app use and it is for news. ***Here's the [breakdown according to research by Nielsen](http://www.nielsen.com/us/en/newswire/2014/how-smartphones-are-changing-consumers-daily-routines-around-the-globe.html)*** ![App-use-rates-by-nielson](https://blog.catalpha.com/hs-fs/file-893301003-jpg/images/App-use-rates-by-nielson.jpg?width=380&name=App-use-rates-by-nielson.jpg) As this chart illustrates, content apps have the smallest percent of use. According to Flurry, news apps are the slowest growing category, as well. An interesting twist to this is that news apps have the longest use life and games have the shortest life. Social and messaging apps are the most popular but have shorter life use than news, health and tools apps with only one exception, Facebook app. ### ***What results do you want from your app?* **   If longevity then look to news app as a format for your app. Or forgo the app and use email to engage customers. [MailChimp's click data shows ](https://blog.mailchimp.com/subscriber-engagement-over-time/)that media and publishing companies showed better click rates with email programs . ![ecomm_plot_trans_2-672x672](https://blog.catalpha.com/hs-fs/file-897434547-png/images/ecomm_plot_trans_2-672x672.png?width=272&name=ecomm_plot_trans_2-672x672.png) ![Median-App-Half-Life-table](https://blog.catalpha.com/hs-fs/file-891604714-jpg/images/Median-App-Half-Life-table.jpg?width=299&name=Median-App-Half-Life-table.jpg)         If you are looking for popularity then [Flurry points to messaging and social apps as growing faster than anything,](http://www.flurry.com/bid/108904/Benchmarking-the-Half-Life-and-Decay-of-Mobile-Apps#.U4VJ7i_B0gI) but their lifespan averages only 3 months. With the short life, these apps may not be worth it for your company unless you have an active, vibrant audience that likes interacting with each other. So what is the alternative? Nielson study shows productivity app ranks just behind communication and social apps. Utility and productivity apps have some of the strongest retention rates. Tools have a half-life of 5.5 months. That is close to news apps with 7-month half-life. [Starbucks intoduced app fro mobile](http://mashable.com/2011/03/23/starbucks-card-mobile-payments/) payments. In less than 3 months 3 million people used the app to pay for their Starbuck's coffee. Intrudced in 2011, it stillhad gains in downloads in 2013. > ***35% of adults have cell phones with apps, but only two-thirds of those who have apps actually use them*** Consider what your customers want from you and develop marketing to meet their interests. ill an app create a better interaction and increase engagement? WIll email do a better job keeping a conversation going and increasing interaction? Not every company will benefit from a custom ap. But you may innovate a new way to engage and deliver value o your customers if you break from conventional thinking. Want more information of ideas ... contact us for honest evaluation and ideas you can use. **Read more about Mobile Marketing:** - **[Key Mobile Maketing Strategies](https://connect.catalpha.com/download-catalphas-mobile-marketing-strategy-guide)** [![DOWNLOAD Key Mobile Marketing Strategies](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/244422/84e13754-07c4-485b-b98b-fa330fe8724a.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/244422/84e13754-07c4-485b-b98b-fa330fe8724a) Topics: [Online Marketing](https://blog.catalpha.com/topic/online-marketing), [Mobile Marketing](https://blog.catalpha.com/topic/mobile-marketing) ### Comments ## Call Today 888-337-0066 or fill out this form for a risk-free consultation on your packaging, branding or marketing project. ### Connect with Catalpha [**Catalpha Advertising & Design, Inc.**](https://catalpha.com/) 9727 Greenside Drive Suite 203. 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