A report published by AppsFlyer, a Leading Global marketing measurement, in collaboration with Google, has ranked Nigeria the largest mobile app downloading market in Africa.
Other African countries that ranked high in the report include South Africa and Kenya. The growth is linked to the pandemic restrictions which forced many to stay at home and make more use of their mobile phones.
According to the report, over 6,000 apps and 2 billion installs across South Africa, Nigeria, and Kenya, between Q1 2020 and Q1 2021 were analysed. The report discovered that the African mobile app market showed strong growth, with overall installs increasing by 41%. Nigeria showed the highest growth, with a 43% uplift, followed by 37% in South Africa, and 29% in Kenya.
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33% of 2020’s in-app purchasing revenue was generated in Q3, as consumer spending grows.
Showing perhaps the biggest trend, in-app purchasing revenue numbers soared between July and September, with a 136% increase compared to the previous three months. This accounted for a third of the year’s total revenue, highlighting just how much African consumers were spending within apps, from retail purchases to gaming upgrades.
South Africa’s in-app purchasing revenue surged by a massive 213%, with Nigeria and Kenya also showing significant increases of 141% and 74% in the same time frame.
Lockdown impact
The stay-at-home period boosted app usage, as people switch to online for day-today activities, making use of tools found in apps.
According to the report, overall app installs increased by 20% in Q2 2020 compared to the previous quarter. The varying degrees of restrictions in each of the three countries reflected on the speed of their download volume. South Africa, which was hardly hit by the pandemic compared to others, was swift to record 17% installs of mobile apps. Nigeria and Kenya, with lax lockdown restrictions recorded increases of 2% and 9% respectively, as people could access many services offline.
The report indicated where the interest of the people lies by their choices of apps. South Africa and Nigeria saw year-on-year growth in finance app installs by 116% and 60% respectively. The pandemic accelerated the growth of digital payments, especially as the African continent was embracing cryptocurrency and fintech boom.
The report noted an increase in Android’s larger market share within Sub-Saharan Africa, which saw advertisers increased their budget on the platform. Non-organic installs increased by 54%, compared to 19% for iOS. The cost per install (CPI) on iOS also increased by 21% between Q2 and Q3 2020, which meant iOS app developers were getting fewer installs for the same budget. Towards the end of the year and into 2021, there was no uplift in non-organic installs on iOS compared to 40% on Android.
The report found similar levels of overall growth across verticals during the year, with gaming installs increasing by 44% and non-gaming increasing by 40%.
Daniel Junowicz, RVP EMEA & Strategic Projects, AppsFlyer said the growth shows consumers’ willingness to spend despite the pandemic.
“We’re proud to combine forces with Google to provide businesses with the insights and technology needed to succeed on mobile in Africa. The mobile app space in Africa is thriving, despite the turmoil of the last year. Installs are growing, and consumers are spending more money than ever before, highlighting just how important mobile can be for businesses when it comes to driving revenue.
“As a result, mobile marketing is becoming increasingly important for businesses across the continent. Being able to make data-driven informed decisions, and understand the ROI on marketing campaigns will be key to any app marketers’ success,” he said.
However, compared to other continents, Africa still lags behind in mobile app downloads even though it holds a huge market. Rama Afullo, Apps Lead for Africa at Google, said businesses need to embrace digital tools to capture value from the market.
“While it’s clear that mobile adoption is increasing, there’s still room for growth when it comes to app marketing, with many marketers in the nascent stage of their app maturity journey.
“Taking advantage of app promotion and engagement tools like Google’s App Campaigns, using analytics and measurement tools, and working with mobile measurement partners like AppsFlyer, will be important for companies looking to grow their user base, drive customer value and continue improving the user experience,” Afullo said.