Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Study: Customers want variety of channels for buying tablet apps

Just a couple weeks ago, Apple loosened its App Store policies dictating how media companies could sell their content if they also offered that content via an app in its store. Today, the Online Publishers Association released a study showing that not only do tablet users want bundled content and payment options for paid content on their tablets, but they also prefer a variety of retail channels to buy tablet apps.

The study, conducted by Frank N. Magid Associates, Inc., also shows a majority of app users are also willing to pay for content.

“79% of app downloaders paid for content in the last year, which provides a great opportunity for publishers to generate new revenue streams,” stated Pam Horan, president of the OPA. “The study also revealed that consumers prefer content bundling and payment options to buy content through a variety of sources including direct from publishers rather than only through app retail stores.”

Other findings of the study include:
- About 12 percent of the U.S. online population (between ages eight and 64) owns or uses a tablet. This number is expected to increase to 23 percent by early next year.
- 87 percent of tablet users access content and information, which is the main activity associated with tablet devices.
- 93 percent of tablet users have downloaded apps. The average users has downloaded 20.
- 79 percent of those who downloaded apps have also paid for apps in the past 12 months.
- 26 percent of all apps downloaded are paid.
- The average app downloader spent US$53 on apps last year.
- 54 percent bought tablet apps via iTunes, 46 percent on Amazon, 43 percent on Google, 29 percent from a cable company or Internet provider and 25 percent directly from a publisher.

Of those surveyed, 46 percent own an iPad and 21 percent own an iPad 2 – the two most popular tablets, making iOS the most popular operating system.

Android is the second most popular, with the Samsung Galaxy (14 percent), Dell Streak (11 percent), HP Slate (9 percent) and Archos 7 Home (9 percent). Meanwhile, the Sony Dash had 7 percent of users.

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