2021-12-20-SensorTower-2021年应用程序参与情况（英）_36页_4mb

The State of App Engagement 2021 Summary

Core Content

This report provides an in-depth analysis of app engagement metrics for iOS and Android in 2021, including active users, session metrics, and retention. It uses data from Sensor Tower's Usage Intelligence and Store Intelligence platforms to track trends and benchmarks across app categories and game genres.

Main Points

Active Users

• The average monthly active users (MAU), weekly active users (WAU), and daily active users (DAU) for the top 500 apps have shown consistent growth since Q1 2018, with a CAGR of 12–14%.
• The pandemic initially boosted active users, but growth rates returned to pre-pandemic levels by Q2 2021.
• Top categories by MAU: Utilities, Games, and Social Networking.
• Top genres by MAU: Hypercasual, Simulation, and Shooter.
• Notable growth: Business, Education, and Medical categories saw significant MAU growth, driven by the shift to remote work and learning.
• Slow growth: Travel and Navigation categories were most affected by the pandemic, with slow recovery.

Session Metrics

• Average daily time spent in apps increased during the pandemic, peaking at 21.3 minutes in Q2 2020.
• In Q2 2021, the average time spent was still above 2019 levels at nearly 20 minutes per user.
• Top categories by time spent: Entertainment, Social Networking, Games, Books, and Education.
• Top genres by time spent: Strategy, RPG, and Tabletop.
• Hypercasual games: Have the lowest time spent and retention, but high new user adoption.
• Game monetization: Strong correlation between time spent and revenue per download (RPD). Mid-core genres have the highest RPD and time spent.

Retention

• Day 1 retention increased since 2018, while longer-term retention (Day 30, Day 60) decreased, especially for games.
• This decline in retention is largely attributed to the rise of Hypercasual games, which have lower retention.
• Non-game apps showed improved retention during the pandemic, with some categories like Weather and Utilities maintaining high long-term retention.
• Top retention categories on iOS: Weather, Utilities, Social Networking, News, Sports, and Books.
• Top retention categories on Android: News, Sports, and Social Networking.

Key Insights

• Hypercasual games have seen massive growth since 2018, becoming the top genre by MAU and WAU.
• Casual games have lower time spent and retention compared to mid-core and simulation games.
• Mid-core genres (RPG, Strategy, Shooter) have strong retention and monetization potential.
• Tabletop games stand out with high day 30 retention and time spent.
• Social Networking apps have the highest WAU and DAU, showing strong user engagement and retention.
• Games have the best day 1 retention but struggle with long-term user retention.
• Non-game apps generally perform better in terms of retention and time spent than games.

Conclusion

• App engagement has grown steadily since 2018, with the top 500 apps gaining around 10 million MAU per year.
• The pandemic initially increased engagement but had long-term effects on certain categories like Travel and Navigation.
• Non-game apps outperformed games in terms of retention and time spent, with some categories showing sustained growth.
• Hypercasual games are a major force in user acquisition but lack long-term retention.
• The report emphasizes the importance of balancing user engagement with monetization strategies, particularly for games.

Appendix

• App categories are classified by the primary App Store or Google Play category for the top version by MAU.
• Game genres are classified using Sensor Tower's Game Taxonomy.
• Examples of categories and their corresponding App Store and Google Play classifications are provided in the tables.

Additional Information

• Sensor Tower offers a range of solutions including Store Intelligence, App Intelligence, Ad Intelligence, and Usage Intelligence.
• The report highlights the importance of understanding user behavior and market trends for app developers and marketers.