ReportAppLovin
Mobile App Trends 2022: A Global Benchmark of App Performance
1 Jan 202268 pages~36 min full read
Mobile gaming remains the dominant sector, capturing 52% of total consumer spend and seeing a 32% increase in global installs.
The mobile economy reached record-breaking scale with $170 billion in consumer spending and $336 billion in projected ad spend.
Fintech experienced significant growth with a 34% rise in installs and 53% increase in sessions, though acquisition costs (eCPI) spiked from $1.05 to $3.40.
E-commerce apps achieved a 46% surge in in-app revenue, despite facing the dual challenges of rising acquisition costs and declining user retention.
App Tracking Transparency opt-in rates reached 25% globally, demonstrating greater industry resilience to iOS 14.5 privacy changes than initially anticipated.
While game installs grew, developers are shifting focus from volume to lifetime value and re-engagement strategies as Day 30 retention remains low at 9%.
The global mobile ecosystem experienced significant expansion throughout 2021 and into 2022, characterized by record-breaking consumer spending of $170 billion and a projected ad spend of $336 billion. Despite initial concerns regarding privacy changes following the release of iOS 14.5, the industry demonstrated remarkable resilience as App Tracking Transparency opt-in rates reached 25% globally, far exceeding early market expectations. This growth was distributed across key verticals including fintech, e-commerce, and gaming, with mobile e-commerce sales alone reaching $3.56 trillion.
The fintech sector emerged as a primary driver of engagement, with installs and sessions rising by 34% and 53% respectively. While traditional banking and payment apps maintain the highest market share, cryptocurrency and stock trading platforms saw the most intense user activity, with session lengths nearly doubling. However, this heightened interest triggered a sharp increase in acquisition costs, with fintech eCPIs rising from $1.05 to $3.40 over the course of a year. Similarly, e-commerce apps saw a 46% surge in in-app revenue despite rising costs and declining retention, signaling a shift where users are spending more money and time per session even as new user acquisition becomes more expensive.
Mobile gaming remains the dominant force in the app economy, accounting for 52% of total consumer spend. Global game installs grew by 32%, led by the hyper-casual subvertical, though action and adventure titles commanded the highest levels of engagement and session frequency. While Day 30 retention rates for games nearly doubled to 9%, the industry faces a growing divide between high-volume downloads and long-term stickiness. As user acquisition costs continue to climb across all regions—particularly in LATAM and EMEA—the focus for developers has shifted from pure volume to maximizing lifetime value and implementing sophisticated re-engagement strategies to sustain growth in an increasingly competitive landscape.
