App Annie Makes 2018 App Economy Predictions

App Annie has released a long-form article making predictions about how the app economy might evolve over the course of 2018.

2018, the article notes, will mark the tenth anniversary of both the App Store and the Android Market.

Users are spending approximately two hours per day on applications in developed markets, and many play key roles in business.

One prediction is that China, India and Brazil will continue to be the top markets to watch. The latter two in particular look set to benefit from deeper mobile penetration towards the end of the decade.

Greater App Store curation, the analysis suggests, will help independent, leisure-focused apps reach more users as they browse. This is likely to help dating apps that monetise via in-app purchases in 2018.

Video streaming is set to fragment further – many users had multiple video streaming apps installed on their devices, and as these platforms become more popular this trend should continue.

App-based shopping is likely to continue to grow, with 2017 seeing the first ever $2 billion Black Friday on mobile.

Read more of App Annie’s predictions here.