Mobile reports and market data
Documents
Spotting the Mobile Spenders: An Analysis of Paying Smartphone and Tablet Gamers
The mobile gaming industry is experiencing significant expansion, with global revenues projected to reach $25 billion in 2014.
- Mobile gaming is projected to reach $25 billion in global revenue by 2014, with mobile expected to account for 50% of total game revenues by 2017.
- The share of paying mobile users in Western Europe and the United States grew from 36% to 46% over the last two years, debunking claims of market saturation.
- The Amazon Appstore is an undervalued channel, as its users demonstrate a higher propensity to spend money compared to those on Google Play or Apple platforms.
A Deep Dive into Deep Links: The All-in-One Handbook for Mobile App Marketers, Developers, and Product Managers
Deep linking serves as a foundational strategy for mobile growth, functioning as a critical mechanism to bridge the gap between web and app environments.
- Deep linking significantly improves app performance, with CleverTap data showing that users attributed to deep links achieve 81% higher activation rates, 2.5x higher retention rates, and 2x higher conversion rates compared to those using standard links.
- Deep linking technology functions by routing users directly to specific in-app content or screens upon clicking an ad or link, utilizing standards such as Apple Universal Links, Android App Links, and URI schemes.
- Deferred deep linking drives user acquisition by directing individuals who have not yet installed the app to the appropriate app store landing page, thereby reducing friction in the installation process.
Ramadan App Trends Decoded: Benchmarks and Insights for 2026
This analysis examines mobile app performance trends during the 2025 Ramadan season to provide strategic benchmarks for 2026.
- Ramadan drives a 11% increase in average daily installs and a 6% rise in session counts across the METAP region compared to the two weeks prior.
- Gaming apps maintain the highest engagement levels during the season, with average session lengths reaching 35.6 minutes.
- The Ramadan growth cycle extends beyond the fasting period, with overall install growth climbing from 10% during Ramadan to 13% in the post-Eid period.
The Shopping App Insights Report: 2025 Edition
The global e-commerce landscape, currently valued at $6.42 trillion, is undergoing a significant transformation as marketers navigate economic volatility and evolving consumer expectations.
- Global e-commerce app installs declined 14% year-over-year in H1 2025, though sessions grew by 2%, indicating a shift toward re-engaging existing users over new acquisition.
- Global reattribution share for e-commerce apps rose to 0.18 in H1 2025, up from 0.14 in 2023, with the UAE (0.40) and U.K. & Ireland (0.36) leading in win-back activity.
- Global e-commerce app install per mille (IPM) reached nearly 3.0 in Q1 2025, with North America maintaining the highest regional performance at 5.21.
The Gaming App Insights Report: 2026 Edition
The mobile gaming industry is undergoing a fundamental strategic transition, moving away from a reliance on high-volume user acquisition toward a model centered on long-term retention and high-value player engagement.
- Global gaming app CPC rose 33% from $0.03 to $0.04 between 2024 and 2025, while global CPM increased 20% from $3.63 to $4.34.
- Hyper-casual games maintained the largest market share of installs at 29.1% in 2025, while action games dominated session share at 17.1%.
- Strategy games saw the most significant increase in session length, growing 18% to 37.51 minutes, and experienced a 133% surge in CPC from $0.03 to $0.07.
Mobile App Trends 2026: Japan Edition
The Japanese mobile application market maintains a robust, iOS-dominant trajectory, characterized by a 4% year-over-year increase in total installs during the first half of 2026.
- The Japanese mobile market saw a 4% year-over-year increase in total installs during the first half of 2026, maintaining a robust, iOS-dominant trajectory.
- Stock trading applications surged by 90% in installs, driven by younger investors and the influence of tax-advantaged programs like NISA.
- Gaming engagement has intensified significantly, evidenced by a 113% increase in card game sessions and improved user retention rates.
Rovio Sustainability Report 2025
The Rovio Sustainability Report 2025 outlines the company’s voluntary environmental, social, and governance performance for the fiscal period spanning April 1, 2025, to March 31, 2026.
- Rovio reported a total carbon footprint of 20,980 tons of CO2e for the fiscal period ending March 31, 2026, with Scope 3 emissions representing 98.6% of that total.
- The company expanded its carbon accounting to include downstream emissions from initial game downloads, a change that improved data coverage but prevented direct year-over-year comparisons.
- Rovio maintains a workforce of 508 employees across six global locations and reports an adjusted gender pay gap of 1.4%.
Mobile App Trends: Vietnam 2026
The mobile app market in Vietnam is experiencing significant expansion, driven by a digitally native population, high smartphone penetration of 84%, and near-universal 4G coverage.
- Vietnam's mobile market is a top-tier global player, ranking 11th worldwide with 2.88 billion app downloads in 2025 and an 84% smartphone penetration rate.
- Gaming is the leading vertical with 1.29 billion downloads in 2025, while a shift toward hybrid-casual and midcore titles drove a 15% year-over-year increase in session growth during Q1 2026.
- The entertainment sector is experiencing rapid expansion, highlighted by a 271% year-over-year surge in short-form drama content downloads by late 2025.
Direct-to-Consumer: A $17 Billion Market for Mobile Gaming
The mobile gaming industry is undergoing a fundamental structural shift toward direct-to-consumer (DTC) distribution models, a transition that has already established a $17 billion market.
- The mobile gaming direct-to-consumer (DTC) market has reached a valuation of $17 billion as publishers shift away from traditional app store ecosystems to reclaim platform fees.
- The global in-app purchase market is projected to grow to $721.4 billion by 2034, signaling a long-term shift toward DTC distribution across the digital economy.
- DTC models allow publishers to secure ownership of first-party player data, which is being used to drive long-term retention and competitive differentiation.
Essential Facts about Video Games in Italy: 2025
In 2025, roughly 14.2 million Italians—about a third of the population aged six to seventy-five—engage in video gaming, with a pronounced male bias and a concentration of players under 35.
- The Italian video game market generated €2.4 billion in 2025, with game sales accounting for 77 percent (€1.8 billion) of total revenue.
- App-based gaming dominates the market, representing over half of total revenue with a freemium model where only one percent of earnings come from upfront purchases.
- Smart devices are the primary revenue driver at €929 million, while console gaming accounts for €643 million, supported by an average of eight hours of gameplay per week across the population.
Public Mobile Gaming Publishers: Resilience & Adaptation in a Shifting Landscape
The analysis examines the post-IDFA mobile gaming landscape, focusing on revenue dynamics, user acquisition spending, profitability trends, and market valuation shifts across key publishers.
- Aggregate market capitalization for major mobile gaming publishers has plummeted by more than 50% since January 2022, with most stocks remaining below pre-IDFA valuation peaks.
- User acquisition costs have surged to as high as $40 million per firm, while diminishing returns on these campaigns have compressed EBITDA margins and forced a shift toward cost control.
- MTG outperformed the broader market with a 50%+ share price increase and 9% organic growth in Q4 2024, driven by disciplined M&A and operational efficiency.
Enabling Growth: Cohort User Acquisition Financing
Mobile gaming has rebounded from the downturn of 2022-23, with a projected compound annual growth rate of 5.0% from 2020 to 2025, driven largely by a 16.2% rise in in-app advertising and the continued popularity of casual puzzle titles.
- Mobile gaming is projected to grow at a 5.0% CAGR from 2020 to 2025, supported by a 16.2% increase in in-app advertising and AI-driven ad tech.
- Cohort-based UA financing allows studios to fund up to 80% of monthly acquisition costs by leveraging future revenues, providing an alternative to scarce venture capital.
- Studios utilizing cohort-based financing have demonstrated the ability to increase monthly marketing spend by 16–38% while maintaining founder control over equity and IP.