Using Audience Measurement Data to Acquire, Retain and Maximize Revenues | Alison Murdock
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Delivered at Casual Connect USA 2016. The most challenging aspect of mobile game marketing is discoverability and awareness. The mobile games market is the most fragmented of all industries. This session will give attendees a deeper understanding of successful audience acquisition strategies, trends and the demographics of the core mobile gamer.
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Using Audience Measurement Data to Acquire, Retain and Maximize Revenues | Alison Murdock
- 1. THE MOBILE GAME PLAYBOOK: Using audience measurement data to acquire, retain and engage users Alison Murdock SVP, Marketing 9/15/2016
- 2. Verto provides single-source audience measurement services for monitoring the complex behavior of today’s cross-device consumer on every device, app and platform they use throughout the day. What We Do 2
- 3. We provide data and insights that inform marketing, competitive intelligence, media buying, and product strategy and development. How We Help 3
- 4. DEMOGRAPHICS Holistic intelligence about the digital consumer’s background: age, gender, income, household size, marital status, race, ethnicity, state, etc. PC BEHAVIOR Desktop and laptop devices: web and app usage, device features and data usage, media streaming SMARTPHONE BEHAVIOR Smartphone web and app usage, device features and data usage, media streaming, advertising DATA MATCHING Use third-party data to append data on existing panelists PURCHASING BEHAVIORS Tracking e/m-commerce transactions and purchasing profiles in the offline world TABLET & E-BOOK BEHAVIOR Tablet web and app usage, device features and data usage, media streaming, advertising TV & RADIO Tracking networks, channels, stations, TV and radio shows/movies, advertisements A Single-Source Approach to Understanding The Consumer 4
- 5. Some of Our Customers 5
- 7. 50% Reach 100% Reach Games reach 57% of mobile app users Social activity touches nearly all mobile app users (99%) Games reach more than half of mobile app users Source: Verto Analytics, April 2016, Audience Size and Reach by Category7 96,263,820 102,841,817 105,649,843 109,199,332 122,647,672 127,208,767 147,003,032 150,407,273 177,133,980 179,399,491 FINANCE MUSIC AND AUDIO GAMES AND KIDS ENTERTAINMENT TRAVEL AND NAVIGATION PHOTO AND VIDEO LIFESTYLE AND SHOPPING PRODUCTIVITY UTILITIES SOCIAL NETWORKING
- 8. Aggregate Time Spent (Hours per month) 4.91 BN 1.15 BN 704 MM 660 MM 357 MM 304 MM 199 MM 173 MM 163 MM 54 MM Games category ranks second only to social 12% of all mobile app hours spent playing games While Size Matters, So Does Engagement Source: Verto Analytics, April 2016, Audience Size and Reach by Category 96,263,820 102,841,817 122,647,672 150,407,273 147,003,032 109,199,332 177,133,980 127,208,767 105,649,843 179,399,491 FINANCE MUSIC AND AUDIO TRAVEL AND NAVIGATION PRODUCTIVITY LIFESTYLE AND SHOPPING ENTERTAINMENT UTILITIES PHOTO AND VIDEO GAMES AND KIDS SOCIAL NETWORKING 8
- 9. While select developers dominate, fragmentation is the norm per game Only 7 current mobile games deliver more than 2% overall mobile reach However, Higher Time Spent Has Its Challenges 9 Source: Verto Analytics, April 2016, Audience Size and Reach by Category Rank TOP GAMING APPS Users [M] Mobile Reach 1 Candy Crush Saga 12.6 5.1 2 Words With Friends 12.5 5.1 3 Candy Crush Soda Saga 8.1 3.3 4 Solitaire by MobilityWare 7.7 3.1 5 Clash of Clans 6.1 2.5 6 Cookie Jam 6.0 2.4 7 Trivia Crack 5.8 2.3 8 Candy Crush Jelly Saga 4.6 1.8 9 Yahtzee With Buddies 3.9 1.6 10 Despicable Me 3.3 1.3
- 10. 77 Mobile Games Deliver 1 Million+ Users Source: Verto App Watch™ data, 18+ US internet users, April ’16 A sizeable number of mobile games (77) deliver over a million users each month. As the mobile app evolution continues, more mobile games will surpass 1M and 5M in audience reach. Game Apps User Distribution # Gaming Apps 10+ MM users 2 5-10 MM users 5 2-5 MM users 16 1+ MM users 54 2 5 16 54 10+ MM users 5-10 MM users 2-5 MM users 1+ MM users 10
- 11. • Mobile represents a natural extension of game brands and their franchises • Parallel rise in casual gaming via online and mobile handsets • Add this trend to the near ubiquitous ownership of smartphones, particularly among Gen Y The move to mobile gaming 11
- 12. < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > < / > THE APP DEVELOPER’S DILEMMA 12
- 13. 7% 11% 17% 21% 43% Testing/QA Distribution Development Design Marketing The Pressing Needs And Challenges Source: Inmobi Most challenging aspect of app development 7% 11% 17% 21% 43% Lack of transparency by app stores App funding Revenue model Acquiring the right users Discoverability/Awareness Most challenging aspect of app marketing 13
- 14. The app Developer’s dilemma The App Ecosystem 14 Discovery Download Adoption The environment to discover and download apps is nearly “friction-free”.
- 15. The typical marketer challenge 10-20% Usage Retention Using after 30 days from download Interest Towards Apps Download App Discovery Within The App Store Non-app Store App Discovery 63% 37% • App store search • Recommendedapps • Featured apps • Ranking lists • Search advertising • Mobile app advertising • Non-app store search • Web links and referrals Adoption Using the day after download Allows Benchmarking Against App Developers’ Own Metrics. 40-60% 0.2-2% Monetization Spending money in the app/game Source: Verto App WatchTM data, 18+ U.S. Internet users, 2016 Monetization typically less than 3% of all mobile gamers. As much as 37% of installs happen via non-app store referrals including: advertising, social, search, reviews, etc. 15
- 16. FOCUS ON GAMERS VS. SAMPLERS 16
- 18. Sample of Mobile Gamer Demographics 0% 25% 50% 75% 100% 18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55+ Words with friends Candy Crush Saga Clash of Clans 18
- 19. Core Gamer Heavy Gamer Light Gamer Defining The Heavy GAMER Not all Mobile Gamers are created equal: Heavy Gamers (top 40%) make up a staggering 88% of all time spent playing gaming apps each month. The Core Gamer segment alone (top 20%) represents nearly 2/3rds (62%) of all time spent with games. The lightest gamers (bottom 40%) make up only 3% of time of gaming activity. Source: Verto Analytics, April 2016, Games Category, Quintile Analysis19
- 20. The average game day Not all Mobile Gamers are created equal: 20 Average Time Spent playing games per day Index All Gamers 24m 100 Heavy Gamers 1h, 2m 259 Core Gamers 1h, 40m 417 Light App Gamers 2m 008 Source: Verto Analytics, April 2016, Games Category, Quintile Analysis Core Gamer Heavy Gamer Light Gamer
- 21. Gamers & Sessions Average Number of Games played: Not all Mobile Gamers are created equal: Source: Verto Analytics, April 2016, Games Category, Quintile Analysis21 Per Day Per Month All Gamers 1.3 3.6 Heavy Gamers 1.7 (+31%) 5.2 (+44%) Core Gamers 2.3 (+77%) 6.5 (+81%) Light App Gamers 1.0 (-23%) 008 (-39%) Per day Per month Average session time All Gamers 4.3 133.6 5 min, 35 sec Heavy Gamers 10.6 (2.5x) 328.4 (2.5x) 5 min, 53 sec Core Gamers 16.6 (3.9x) 514.4 (3.9x) 6 min, 3 sec Light App Gamers 0.6 17.1 3 min, 32 sec Average Number of Game Sessions played: Core Gamer Heavy Gamer Light Gamer
- 23. Mobile game Downloads – avg. Daily Focus 5 8 5 6 6 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Millions Tuesday and Sunday deliver the highest average downloads End of week is also generally favorable to the category Source: Verto Analytics, April 2016, Audience Installations, Games Average per Day 23
- 24. Game Downloads – Aggregate hourly example 0 300,000 600,000 900,000 1,200,000 1,500,000 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 Tuesday Sunday General rise from mid-morning through prime hours for both days. Tuesday higher concentration during eves; Sunday midday and late. 24
- 25. 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% D0 D7 D14 D21 D28 D35 D42 D49 D56 ShareofUsersUsingtheApp Retention of Popular App Categories PHOTO AND VIDEO LIFESTYLE AND SHOPPING ENTERTAINMENT MUSIC AND AUDIO SOCIAL NETWORKING TRAVEL AND NAVIGATION GAMES AND KIDS Mobile Games Have The Highest Retention Rate Followed by Shopping And Entertainment Apps The first week is the most critical, especially the first few days. Retention drops well below 50% in most app categories. App sampling is the norm, byproduct of so little ecosystem friction. 25 Source: Verto Analytics, April 2016, Audience Installations, Games Average per Day
- 26. Managing customer churn 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% D0 D1 D2 D3 D4 D5 D6 D7 D8 D9 D10 D11 D12 D13 D14 Average Daily Retention Words With Friends Candy Crush Saga Clash of Clans Solitaire by MobilityWare First 2-3 days are critical for each individual game Minimal ecosystem friction from discovery, download to adoption Emergence of two types of players - samplers and players Source: Verto Analytics, April 2016, Audience Installations, Games Average per Day26
- 27. Heavy Gamers & Specific Games Heavy Gamer Monthly Time Spent: 94.4% 92.0% 92.9% 27 Core Gamer Heavy Gamer Light Gamer Words with friends Candy Crush Saga Clash of Clans
- 28. Sessions vs. Avg. Time Spent (multiple games) Impact of heavy usage on overall app behavior 0.00 2.00 4.00 6.00 8.00 10.00 12.00 14.00 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 Sessions per Month Avg.SessionDuration 28 Words with friends Clash of Clans Candy Crush Saga
- 29. Recap • More developer competition on the way • While size matters, engagement is essential • A near “friction-free” ecosystem is a mixed blessing to mobile game developers • Games category requires a unique marketing approach • Mixed exposure strategy needed between app store and outside platforms • Recognize the unique download behaviors for individual mobile games • Extreme sampling should be considered the norm • The first 2-3 days post install are the most critical • Those who remain potentially make up a mobile game’s primary user set • Develop a Heavy Gamer communications strategy 29
- 30. Read the report. http://research.vertoanalytics.com/download-mobile-game-report LEVEL UP YOUR MOBILE GAME! New Industry Report on the Mobile Game User • Audience measurement analysis and trends • How audiences find and adopt games • Mobile game deployment and user- engagement strategies
- 31. Thank you! www.vertoanalytics.com Alison Murdock, SVP, Marketing alison.murdock@vertoanalytics.com
Editor's Notes
- A lot of you probably just listened to my bio and wondered how am I relevant to this conference…believe me, I thought about this myself…I don’t have an expertise in the gaming industry as many of you do, but what I do have is many years of experience in syndicated research and market insights. I joined Verto a few months ago because after yaears of working with some of the big names in the research, I was incredibly impressed with verto’s abiity to be flexible to industry needs and provide depth of insight that few others can
- How big is the mobile gaming market? Verto Analytics data reveals that 105.6 million U.S. How big is the mobile gaming market? Verto Analytics data reveals that 105.6 million U.S. consumers now play mobile games via smartphones and tablets every month. This group represents approximately 43 percent of the total U.S. population (ages 18 and older). In the world of apps, mobile games are not the largest category, especially when compared to social or shopping consumers now play mobile games via smartphones and tablets every month. This group represents approximately 43 percent of the total U.S. population (ages 18 and older). In the world of apps, mobile games are not the largest category, especially when compared to social or shopping
- While the Reach doesn’t rank the highest, the category possesses one extremely unique characteristic—users spend an enormous amount of time engaged with mobile games each month. Mobile gamers comprise 57 percent of all mobile app users. Now clear why games is seen as such a growth opportunity among existing console game developers. Opportunity to extend existing franchises into new areas as well as create new experiences. Just the beginning of this process. Consider the following facts about the growth of mobile games: • Mobile gaming revenue hit $30 billion worldwide in 2015, surpassing console gaming at $26.4 billion. (Source: Newzoo) • Active iOS consumers in the U.S. spent an average of $35 on apps in 2015, 70 percent ($25) of which was for games and in-app purchases within games. (Source: IDC) Verto Analytics data indicates that, while games rank eighth in overall reach, loyal and passionate players help the category dominate in time spent (second overall) among all app users (Figure 2). In the aggregate, U.S. app users spend an incredible 1.15 billion hours each month playing games on smartphones and tablets. That’s approximately 12 percent of all monthly app time. However, despite the enormity of the user base (105.6 million) and the amount of time that users spend playing mobile games, today’s mobile game developer faces two immediate challenges: fragmentation and new competitors.
- Currently, only two individual games—Candy Crush Saga and Words with Friends—reach 5 percent of mobile app users each month (Figure 3). While leading mobile game developers such as Supercell, King, and Zynga are common fixtures among the ranks of top performing games, few of their individual games (four at present) reach more than 3 percent of all mobile app users. Gamer.biz confirms that the mobile gaming marketplace is crowded. As of April 2016, more than half a million mobile games were available for download in the iOS App Store alone, with approximately 300 new submissions arriving each day.
- Even with such fierce competition for gamer attention, 77 mobile games currently deliver an audience of one million or more monthly users. Of these, five games reach more than five million players while another two games deliver audiences of more than 10 million Nintendo game - miitomo That is one of the primary reasons console gamers are diving into moble – helping them both defend and extend their game franchises. Think Mario, Assassin’s Creed, Fallout, Sports game galore, etc. ------------------ With such explosive user growth, mobile represents a rich and fertile ground for attracting legions of new gamers and passionate fans. For console game heavyweights, mobile represents a natural extension of their existing game brands and franchises; and it’s no wonder they’re moving into mobile platforms with full force. Microsoft, Sony, Ubisoft, Capcom, EA, and Nintendo have all adjusted their development plans with the mobile gamer in mind. However, Nintendo and the rest will no doubt experience similar challenges of getting users to discover and download their mobile games—just like incumbent developers (including Supercell, King, and Zynga). -------------------- A striking cue to everyone of how important mobile is to the gaming industry is Nintendo foray into the mobile gaming world with miitomo in march. It Is nintentdo’s first venture into the mobile world and indicative of where the company, and likely others, are heading. Natural extension of wii Successful – top rankings in first days it was available Good space to be in. mobile revenue greater now than console games
- So why the move to mobile gaming? I think everyone here know this…it’s a cross section of utility for both developers and consumers. For developers, there’s a ripe and expansive marketplace, and for consumers there’s an accessilbity which has never been avialibity to date What’s the appeal of mobile gaming over traditional console gaming? We know that console games typically offer higher-resolution graphics, faster action, and more immersive game-play versus their mobile equivalents. However, at least three factors may be contributing to the growing dominance of mobile: Low cost of entry: Consoles and handhelds (PlayStation 4, Nintendo 3DS, etc.) require an upfront technology investment. For mobile gaming, no extra device is required. Nearly 70 percent of U.S. consumers already own a smartphone, and 45 percent own a tablet If these multi-purpose devices are internet enabled, consumers are already equipped to play most mobile games. Ease of access: Console games are typically tethered to home-centric devices. By contrast, mobile users can easily download games from an online app marketplace practically anytime, anywhere, and start playing instantly. Words with Friends, Candy Crush, Bejeweled, Angry Birds, etc., now help people fill the time while commuting, waiting in line, taking long trips, or during any moment inviting distraction. Lower “initial” game costs: While newly-released console titles may cost $60 or more, most mobile games operate using dramatically different business models. Mobile games tend to be either free (free to play) or low cost (paid). For example, Minecraft: Pocket Edition is $6.99, while slither.io is free. Both offer in-app purchases. If players wish to specialize or “speed up” gameplay, in-app purchase options offer extra gems, coins, tokens, new levels, new characters, etc. In other words, user impatience is rewarded.
- NAVIGATING THE APP ECOSYSTEM: The Mechanics of Game Development and the Need for Marketing We talked a bit about a few of the high reach games. For every breakaway hit like Angry Birds, Clash of Clans, or Candy Crush, thousands of well-designed mobile games still seek the unique spark and sustained momentum that will drive adoption and loyalty. In fact, according to a late-2015 survey conducted by InMobi, marketing is one of the most challenging aspects of app development. When queried on the specific marketing issues of importance, “discovery or awareness” and “finding the right users” both rank at the top. The fragmentation in games and in other categories represents a good example the pressing need for further understanding of user behavior on an individual app level. While there is a lot of talk in the industry regarding cross screen and related refinements in TV measurement, the is a need for the mobile to stand on its own with robust data and analytics for the market. In my opinion, this is much more of an immediate need for third-party media measurement data to support and fuel growth in mobile advertising. In addition developers need this data to understand the competitive landscape, device audience acquisition strategies, and track app usage trends.
- Near “friction-free” environment to download and install game apps allow small indie games such as Flappy Bird or 2048 attract audiences for mobile gaming powerhouses Zynga and Supercell Three distinct stages connect users to the mobile games they play every month—discovery, download, and adoption. It’s relatively easy for consumers to access and buy mobile games (and all apps, for that matter). They simply go to the Apple App Store or Google Play via their mobile device and make a purchase. We call this “nearly friction-free” access. However, for app and game developers, the way consumers navigate the ecosystem poses complications. True, nearly friction-free access means indie games like 2048, Flappy Bird, and Crossy Road can achieve “hit status” and successfully compete among developer heavy- weights such as Supercell, Zynga, Rovio, and King. On the other hand, how can a single mobile game stand out among literally hundreds of thousands of available selections? The reality is, all games are available on the same virtual store shelf. While this is great for consumers, it’s considered by far the greatest challenge facing developers and their market- ing partners. It’s very difficult to grab consumers’ attention, entice them to install a game, and encourage them to use the game repeatedly.
- HOW DO CONSUMERS DISCOVERMOBILE GAMES? According to our app marketplace attribution analysis, the largest portion of mobile game discovery (63 percent) takes place directly within the app marketplace itself. The remainder of mobile game discovery (37 percent) comes from external influences such as: general user search, advertising, social media channels, outside peer reviews, external links, and related non-app store referrals. From there, the challenges of mobile game adoption are real. Verto Analytics attribution analysis reveals rapid declines in usage within the first 24 hours. Depending on the mobile game, 40 percent to 60 percent of users drop off within the first full day post download. Moving beyond the first few days to 30 days post download, average retention figures drop to between 10 percent and 20 percent of users who have successfully installed the game. In other words, fewer than two out of every 10 successful game downloads retain users after 30 days. ADDRESSING THE APP ECOSYSTEM CHALLENGE The app ecosystem is a mixed blessing for game developers. While nearly friction-free app distribution offers quick access to consumers, it’s proving difficult to consistently capture and retain them. Overcoming this challenge requires a better understanding of the consumer journey at all stages of the app ecosystem—discovery, download, and adoption. These elements are absolutely critical to meet the ultimate goals of sustained usage and monetization. Moving users from discovery to download is just the first step in a long and continuing process of meeting expected performance goals. To improve download rates, many mobile game developers typically set aside marketing budgets to target prospective players via search, display ads, social, etc. CPI is a necessary step in analyzing adoption, but it is certainly no thte end all be all. To look further out, the number of remaining users who participate in in-app pay features within games apps is smaller still—typically representing less than 3 percent of all active players. According to game research firm Game Analytics, in-app spending figures can be as low as 0.2 percent of all users. This means that as few as two out of every 100 active players make in-app purchases during the lifetime of their mobile game experiences. Fewer than 20 percent of mobile gamers stick around after 30 days; even fewer make in-app purchases. These two insights alone should sound the alarm to both game developers and marketers and underscore the necessity of tracking user behavior along every stage of the app ecosystem.
- If you asked the question a few years ago, the answer would be this dude…teenage/young adult boy sitting around by himself playing games. We all know that is no longer the case. To break through to consumers, game developers and marketing teams must fully understand demographics and the behavior characteristics of mobile games users. Such insights will help them reach and retain the right users to support performance goals.
- The characteristics of today’s mobile gamers are as diverse and specialized as the games they play. Our data shows that old stereotypes about gamers no longer apply. • Candy Crush Saga (King) and Words with Friends (Zynga) both attract sizeable Gen X and Boomer audiences. • More than 75 percent of Candy Crush Saga players are age 35 and older, with a distinctive female skew. • Words with Friends users are approximately 70 percent adults ages 35 and older, with a female gender skew. • Clash of Clans (CoC) from Supercell skews male; 40 percent of its audience is age 35 and older.
- Light Gamers and Heavy Gamers: Clearly, mobile games have attracted a new audience. This means mobile poses new and unique design and distribution concerns compared to console-based games, which relied on large upfront costs. While low-cost or “free-to-play” mobile games may expose more potential players to mobile games, they also generate a huge influx of samplers. The challenge for mobile game marketers is to effectively parse which users typically sample and rapidly move on (Light Gamers) and which users get hooked, at least for a time, on the mobile games they download and play (Heavy Gamers). When the Heavy Gamers are identified, it’s then possible to identify the most passionate of these players, identified as Core Gamers. A segmentation analysis of the amount of time users spend with mobile games paints a picture of two groups with very dissimilar traits (Figure 11). The top 40 percent of all gamers (defined as Heavy Gamers), consume 88 percent of all monthly time spent with mobile games. Drilling deeper, the top 20 percent of gamers (defined as Core Gamers) make up nearly two-thirds of all game play. Conversely, the bottom 40 percent of gamers (defined as Light Gamers), are the ultimate samplers. Light Gamers make up a scant 3 percent of time spent gaming. While Light Gamers may download and eventually try any number of games, they quickly move on to their next mobile experience.
- Usage Patterns: The Average Mobile Game Day Filling time during a commute, standing in a checkout line, or waiting in the doctor’s office —on any given day, the average gamer spends approximately 24 minutes playing games on mobile devices. According to Pew Internet, the activity has become a common practice among nearly half of all U.S. consumers. Chart: Half of American adults play video games; However, usage is far from uniform from mobile gamer to mobile gamer. Wide disparities in behavior exist between Heavy and Light Gamers. While average gamers spend 24 minutes each day playing games, Heavy Gamers (representing the top 40 percent of gamers) spend more than 2.5 times that amount. Among Core Gamers (top 20 percent of gamers), the average time spent with mobile games each day is four times greater. Play games, but don’t identify as “gamers”
- Light use is even more extreme. Reflecting the nearly friction-free nature of accessing mobile games—easy to discover, download, and then sample lots of choices—Light Gamers (the bottom 40 percent of all users) spend a staggering 92 percent less time each day playing games compared to the average user. While daily time spent with games varies widely among users, the number of games played on any given day is actually quite limited. The average mobile gamer accesses slightly more than one game (1.3) daily (Figure 14). The figure rises to just 3.6 games on average over the course of a month, despite the perceptually limitless choice of games available within mobile app marketplaces and the relative ease of access for sampling. Considering the limited number of games all users play each month, it is critical that marketers focus squarely on the behavior of their primary user groups: Heavy Gamers and Core Gamers. These user segments express their ongoing passion for mobile games by playing more than five games, on average, each month Session activity aligns very closely to the number of games played both daily and month; Heavy Gamers play games at a rate 2.5 times greater than average players. Average session times follow the same pattern as well.
- REFINING DISCOVERY AND DOWNLOAD TACTICS Thanks to nearly-ubiquitous mobile access, mobile game downloads happen almost anywhere and at any time. However, different days and different parts of the day provide unique opportunities to engage with potential mobile gamers. An analysis of weekly download data from Verto Analytics provides some valuable clues to the best days and times to engage with gamers. In April 2016, average download rates peaked on Tuesdays and Sundays (Figure 16). While the end of the week (Friday through Sunday) is a generally favorable period overall, game downloads tend to peak on Sundays. Tuesdays also prove to be solid days for promoting downloads. Still considered a primary launch day for digital movies and console games, Tuesdays are likely benefiting from a halo effect from related consumer shopping activities (such as Blu-ray and on-demand movie releases)
- A drill-down of daily data reveals further insight on the download ebbs and flows during the two biggest download days (Figure 17). On both days, we observe a general increase in overall activity as the day progresses—a common observation seen on most days of the week. Tuesdays reveal a broader increase in downloads during the morning and evening commutes, as well as a spike during lunch. We also see a broader increase during the Sunday afternoon hours as well as an expected surge on both days during primetime —ground zero for cross-screen activity in the home. The social act of gaming (both solo and with others online) takes priority Wednesday through Friday, especially the evening hours. They stand out as the most active days for game play. Conversely, consider Tuesday, Saturday, and Sunday as “shopping days.” These are the quieter “down times” when consumers consider new mobile game experiences. The user dynamics here suggest varied messaging opportunities exist by both day and time (e.g., targeting shoppers and active players on different days) which could potentially achieve some cost savings (lower CPIs) as well. Key Insight: Mobile game marketers should consider testing commute times and middays as they may offer lower-cost CPI options for attracting installs for specific games. Comparing weekly gaming activity to weekly average installs reinforces this suggestion (Figure 18). Concentrated download activity on specific days runs counter to the most active gaming days.
- Use Case II: IMPROVING MOBILE GAME ADOPTION PERFORMANCE The first few days after a game is downloaded see the speedy departure of most mobile game users. In fact, mobile game companies will see two specific types of downloaders: samplers and players. Samplers are the downloaders who try a game and move on. Players are those who stick around to play the game consistently. Samplers: Similar to shoppers who try on many pairs of shoes without buying them, samplers typically download multiple new apps in a flurry. Samplers try a few of them before quickly moving on to their next mobile experience. As detailed in Figure 19, 40-60 percent of downloaders forgo use of a given game within the first 24 hours of downloading it. Moving beyond the first few days of downloading, retention does not get much better. All app categories—even social and shopping—must contend with the stark realities of the sampler segment. By day seven, apps in some categories may see user retention rates drop to a mere 20 percent or even lower as the weeks progress. Players: The other downloader type, players, tends to take shape after a few days; these are the ones who do not leave. Borne out of the vast noise of samplers, these are the users developers and marketers should watch very closely. From this group come the Heavy and Core Gamers, as well as highly-coveted spenders—the 3 percent of all mobile gamers who make in-app purchases. Despite the rabid sampling by most app users, the games category has a slightly more positive adoption story to tell. Boasting some of the most passionate users (Figure 2, second in monthly time spent), mobile gamers tend to be somewhat more selective with their download choices. Retention rates for mobile games consistently outperform all other categories over their first two months of use (Figure 19).
- Individual mobile games also offer unique adoption details on both samplers and players. A comparison of four popular mobile games shows that each has a slightly different retention makeup (Figure 20). For example, strategy game Clash of Clans (CoC) boasts some of the most loyal users, with retention rates flirting around 60 percent for several days during the first week of usage. Conversely, a mobile game like Solitaire by MobilityWare is hugely popular, even though card games have multiple variations available from multiple developers. While MobilityWare’s Solitaire is a top-five game, it is consistently challenged by lower-than-average retention rates (20 percent by day one). Though samplers may try the card game, many quickly move on and seek a different experience.
- Use Case III: SEGMENTING GAMER TYPES Moving beyond the first week post download, most mobile games experience a gradual decline in retention over time (Figure 20). However, users who remain beyond those first few days represent potential new additions to a mobile game’s Heavy Gamer group. Consider them the flip side of samplers; Heavy Gamers represent the most passionate and dedicated player base. Segmentation analysis of individual games reveals an extremely high concentration of playing time among the Heavy Gamer subset of users. In each case among these top games, the Heavy Gamer group (representing the top 40 percent of users) represents more than 90 percent of all time spent with the individual game. For example, 40 percent of Candy Crush Saga (CCS) players make up 94.4 percent of all time spent with the game. Conversely, the remaining 60 percent of CCS players take up only 5.6 percent of game time. Words with Friends, Clash of Clans, and many other top games offer similar stories of Time Spent per Month concentration among their Heavy Gamers.
- Segmenting Heavy Gamers from the rest of a game’s app user group may offer further insights into understanding and developing stronger user retention and monetization strategies. For example, per Figure 22, there are typically very distinct differences between a game app’s average user versus a Heavy Gamer (top 40 percent of users). In the case of Clash of Clans, Heavy Gamers average a staggering 332 sessions per month compared to the average player, at 110 sessions. Similarly, Heavy Gamers who play Words with Friends represent double the number of game sessions each month versus average users. Key Insight: No matter the mobile game, observing underlying player behavior is the key to continued performance. Segmenting Light Gamers and Heavy Gamers represents just one example for extracting deeper player insights.