MobiLens, a service of comScore, has just released a report on the growth of mobile applications and browser content. According to their findings, social networking has seen the largest amount of growth in both mobile as well as browser access.
78% of smartphone users accessed their browsers in April 2010 and 80% of them accessed applications. By contrast only 19% of feature phone users accessed their browsers, and 17% accessed applications. But feature phone users still constitute almost half of all users who access their mobile browsers and applications.
In April 2010 there was a growth of 28% in the number of users accessing their applications on the phone. The figure was up to 69.6 million users.
Social networking through apps saw a growth of 240% and was up to 14.5 million users. Access to News Apps grew by 124% to 9.3 million users and Sports Information apps grew by 113% to 7.7 million users.
Mobile banking usage has also more than doubled over the last year, to nearly 5 million users. Online retail sites via browsers also grew by 47% to 7.3 million users.
In April, the number of mobile users accessing their browser also grew by 31% to nearly 73 million users. Social networking through browsers grew by 90% to almost 30 million users.
Mark Donovan, comScore senior Vice President of mobile says, “With mobile media consumption on the rise, the discussion of how consumers are accessing content – whether it is via application, browser or both – continues to be an important factor for companies looking to invest further in their mobile brands. Although application access is clearly on the rise, with several categories more than doubling their audience via this method, content consumption via browser continues to be the most popular method for Americans to access mobile media.”
In other words, brands and marketers need to take care of both categories of users while planning their campaigns, as they have an opportunity to grow through both channels.
