Anlässlich der M-Days 2012 hier ein interessantes Interview des Branchenfachblatts GFM-Nachrichten mit Kjell Fischer, Geschäftsführer und Gründer von apprupt. Viel Spaß beim Zuschauen!

Das Thema Targeting gewinnt auch im mobilen Kanal immer mehr an Bedeutung. Daher freuen wir uns ganz besonders, heute ein bahnbrechendes neues Produkt vorzustellen zu können:

Pünktlich zur bevorstehenden dmexco bieten wir von nun mobilen Werbetreibenden mit unserer neuen Mobile Re-Targeting-Lösung eine weitere Option, um Performance-Kampagnen im mobilen Web noch performanter und unter Minimierung von Streuverlusten schalten zu können. Als erste Werbekunden haben wir Europas führendes Hotelportal HRS sowie den Location Based Service-Anbieter GETTINGS gewinnen können.

Mit der neuen Targeting-Lösung können wir insbesondere App-Kampagnen nun noch effektiver in unserem Premium Netzwerk ausliefern und Warenkorbabbrecher gezielt mit optimierten Ads zum mobilen Shop zurück führen.

Ausführliche Infos zum Produkt und den ersten Kunden, die die Technologie bereits nutzen, gibt’s in unserer Pressemitteilung.

We just heard the news that Apple has made two important decisions:

1. Not admitting anymore apps onto the App Store which work with an incentivized download model (read more here)

2. Supposedly making changes to the App Store ranking algorithm, away from overall downloads towards a more usage and user activity oriented model (read more here)

At apprupt we have been right in the middle of this quickly growing and changing mobile ecosystem. And especially mobile advertising (not only for apps) has seen a great development. But the fast growth has also had its downsides.

One of the models that has gotten increasingly popular with app developers was buying/selling incentivized downloads. For app developers, this seemed to be the cheapest way to get up into the top rankings.

The way this worked was fairly simple: users of gaming apps were offered virtual goods and other virtual incentives in exchange for downloading multiple free apps. Of course, for many users, this was the cheapest way of getting to virtual goods, so they downloaded the offered apps in bunches without ever being interested in or using any one of them. And because of the relatively low barrier to download a free app, a few networks were able to offer new user acquisition (app downloads) on a comparably low price per download.

For advertisers, this was fine since the only goal was getting up into the top rankings, from where more users would see and download their product. The overall effect was basically a spammy App Store, where the top rankings were filled with apps that had no real user value and should not even have been up there in the first place – at least considering quality and user value.

When speaking to our customers, we have always made it a point that the most important thing is to acquire users that are interested in the product itself and are likely to use the app afterwards. Read here how the ‘myTaxi iPhone App’ generated massive Premium Downloads through our network, climbing to top of the app store category ranking. We found out that those users, who downloaded the app via our Premium Network actually use the app’s service three times more often than users who downloaded the app via other channels.

For us, there are three key facts for successful app & mobile advertising:

1. It is important where ads are placed and how they are presented to a user, which is why we focus on integrating only within premium mobile destinations.

2. It is important who sees an app and that it matches a specific user interest, which is why we focus on technology and targeting.

3. It is important to offer products that can lead to an action (e.g. a download) and that have direct value to the user, which is why we focus on performance.

Many of Apple’s decisions regarding the App Store have been controversial and have not always seemed entirely healthy for the ecosystem.

With the decision to fight incentivized downloads and (supposedly) make changes to the App Store ranking algorithm, we think Apple has started correcting some of the things that have gone wrong with the App ecosystem in the past.

We are supportive of it, not only because it proofs our model right, but because it will make the App Store better and enable app relevancy. In the end, relevance is what the App Store as well as mobile advertising should be about.

Kjell Fischer
CEO & Co-Founder, apprupt

Apps and the app industry have seen a lot of news coverage, lately. From app developers showing 100 percent transparency about their numbers to reports being released on the Apple App economy.

But a lot of the growth this market will probably see still lies more or less far ahead of us, starting in 2010, but probably seeing strong growth until 2013 or even further. The most recent attempts in predictions where the market is going come from Gartner.

Regarding App Store revenues and downloads, Gartner foresees:

• 2010: 4.5 billion apps downloaded, for a total of $6.8 billion in revenue

• 2013: 21.6 billion apps will be downloaded, for a total of $29.5 billion in revenue

 
Download Free/Paid-ratio:

• 2010: 3.7 billion (82%) free app downloads and about 800 million (18%) paid downloads

• 2013: 18.8 billion (87%) free app downloads and 2.8 billion (13%) paid app download

 
Just by looking at these numbers, one would think that free is the way to go. And maybe that is so. The question, then, remains where all the revenue will come from. Gartner splits its revenue predictions between end-user spending and advertising revenue as follows:

• 2010: about $6.2 (91%) billion in end-user spending and 600 million (9%) in advertising revenue

• 2013: about $23 billion (78%) in end-user spending and 6.5 (22%) billion in advertising revenue

 
First of all, these numbers imply that in-app advertising (as part of mobile advertising) is pretty big business. The fact that many big players in the mobile space are positioning themselves to take a piece of that market right now (Google/Abmob, Apple/Quattro and Opera/AdMarvel) further substantiates this.

It also means that for any app-developer and mobile publisher, there is a chance to create a profitable business out of advertising revenues. This will probably work better for some then for others, but, in our opinion, it is a pretty save bet that mobile advertising is here to stay.

Furthermore, although Gartner does not further go into detail about “end-user spending”, it is clear that up-sale (full versions, extra levels, virtual goods etc.) will make up a large part of end-user spending. So again, for many app-developers (especially in gaming) this may be the way to go.

And of course, for “some”, simply selling the app is an option as well.

As an opinion, a market seeing such a strong growth within just a few years will probably look completely different from what it is looking like right now. New means of increasing end-user spending will pop up, supporting industries and sectors (payments, for example) will pop-up. Furthermore App Store themselves will evolve as competition between them increases (more openness might be a consequence of this).

As a bottom line, the study (even if far off) implies something we believe is very true: apps in general are big business.

And we are glad to be part of it.

Well, it is actually called the “Nexus One”, but it is definitely THE Google Phone. Sure enough it looks like a hot phone, though it probably will not be an iPhone killer. As mentioned before, we think that only the sum of Android devices will be able to make Android a competitive OS – and there will be a lot of them coming out in 2010. Anyway, as far as we can tell, these are some of the first details of the Nexus One:

• It’s an HTC (HTC Passion)

• Running on Android 2.0.1 with new 3D features to the app tray

• More home screens

• Grid icon that, when pressed, previews all the homescreen pages

• US-Operator: T-Mobile

• Wifi

• It comes loaded with Google-owned programs – among them maps and the new Google Goggles

 
Find more infos and pics on it over at engadget. It will be interesting to see how this plays out for Google. Maybe in a few years we’ll have it loaded up with a portfolio of 20 or more Google products – try to compete with that. Again, it looks like a really cool phone, we’ll update this post if we get our hands on some more details.

It’s been a busy week for us here at apprupt, not only because we went to LeWeb but also because, besides working on apprupt performance analytics, we are also on our way to announce a new product before Christmas. We are very excited about this one, so please stay tuned!

Apart from apprupt, here’s what the iPhone world has been through this last week:

• We’ll let Techrcunch do the wording on this one: “App Store Apps Finally Get Prettier Pages” – Indeed!
• Apple introduces Rewind 2009, for the best apps of 2009 – are your favorites among them?
• It has really been an “Apple-intense” week, it seems. Besides “Rewind” and the new App Store layout, they also pulled more than one thousand apps from the App Store for review fakes. They all came from the same developer.
• Not to forget, Apple countersued Nokia over a few patents (actually 13) while in China iPhone sales hit 100,000 – this really was a busy week for them
• Moving away from Apple and even the iPhone, this article refers to a study that claims that in 2010, more than 50 Android phones will be shipped – that’s an impressive amount of different phone models. The downside is, of course, the good old device-fragmentation.
• Calling it a “weird little slice of research” probably sums it up best, but we still would not want you to miss this study: “iPhone users suffering from ‘Stockholm Syndrome’, analyst firm reckons”.

 
Since this week was full of notable news, we probably have missed a few ones – forgive us and have a great weekend!

The IDC has released its „Top 10 Predictions“ for 2010 and there are some interesting notes regarding mobile in it. It also shares a lot of insights concerning the IT-Industry and what we are to expect from 2010 with regard to developments in the telecommunications sector. For mobile related topics, you should go and have a read through numbers 5 and 7.

Here’s a short summary of what we found interesting in it:

• The IDC predicts that in 2010, more than 1 billion mobile devices will be accessing the internet, compared to 1.3 billion PCs, which basically means mobile is growing 2.5 times faster than the stationary internet
• We will have at least 300.000 iPhone apps by the end of 2010. A lot of them will come from Global 2000 businesses and consumer brands. An interesting implication for who the players on these and other platforms will be
• Android is coming up strong…kind of: 50,000- 75,000 apps for Android by end of 2010. Quite a number.
• The “iPad” will arrive! Finally, an Apple tablet. The size will be rather like “an oversized iPod Touch than a downsized Mac”, but still, the potential here is huge.
• Over 200 million smartphones (or devices with the ability to run third-party applications) will be shipped in 2010. That is some market share growth and it likely will not stop. While it will be at 16% in 2010, until 2012 the IDC estimates it will reach 20%.
• Prices for smartphones will continue to drop: “look for more sub-$150 smartphone to come on the scene in 2010, accelerating the market”.

 
So there you have it: mobile is here and we are in the middle of a lot of changes and developments. Exciting!

An exciting week has passed and Christmas is coming closer and closer. This week was interesting and next week will be even more eventful (at least we hope so) with apprupt at LeWeb in Paris. Want to meet and chat about the iPhone app universe? Drop us a line, please.

Anyways, here is what you might or might not have missed these last 7 days.

• Dutch eBuddy has launched a premium iPhone app – not the cheapest, so it will be interesting how this plays out for them
• In the U.S., mobile titles now make up 3 percent of overall gaming spending – this number is sure to grow even more in the future
• App Store traffic massively increased over Thanksgiving week(end) – holidays in general appear to be a great chance for you to push your app sales. Here’s another good example.
• Gizmodo has the best iPhone apps of the week for you
• Not directly iPhone related: Apple has acquired LaLa, rumors are the reason was LaLa’s engineering talent.
• And if you happen to be at or somewhere near the University of Michigan on the 9th of december, don’t miss the iPhone Orchestra live-performance

 
Have a great weekend!

How do you go about your business as a developer? Do you consider it a hobby or a profession? Do you do it just for the enjoyment you get out of it or because you are trying to make a living from it?

For many of you, the truth is probably somewhere in between. If you still have a “normal” day job, you consider it a hobby with the potential of earning some extra income, and developing something that people buy and use is rewarding in many ways, of course. Some of you may aim to become a full time iPhone app developer in the future but are not ready to take that step just yet. Of course, there are the pros amongst app developers that are either small (one or a few devs) or large companies and are all about growing their core business metrics.
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It’s been an amazing week for apprupt, as we received some great coverage by TheNextWeb, ReadWriteWeb and the iphoneclub. Also, we have been invited to the iPhone Tech Talk in Hamburg – looking forward to see you all there!

Ap(p)art from that, these are other news that seemed important to us this last week:

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