Banner Managed Communications points to a recent study conducted by Forrester Research that shows over 40% of mobile device owners discover new apps through word of mouth, while six in ten find new applications via app stores.
Nearly a quarter of smartphone users said they find apps though search engines and just over 15% discover apps on social networks like Facebook. Recommendations through word of mouth between friends and family is the second most common way to find new apps, right after browsing “Top Rated” apps.
Even if developers manage to crack the Apple App Store ranking algorithm, they still have to provide an extraordinary experience to keep their application in the top 50 or top 100 apps, said Thomas Husson, author of the ‘Mobile App Discovery, Best Practices To Promote Your App’ report. He added that push notifications and advanced analytics are essential to maintain the quality of the application.
The report further discovered that mobile app usage in Europe is growing fast and nearly a third of smartphone owners use them daily, while a fifth use apps weekly.
What really matters is making a good application to get recommendations and reach the app charts, not only pouring effort into marketing, Forrester says. Keeping users engaged to recommend an application means having a great app in the first place, not just great app advertising.