Most valuable gamers are women, who are more likely to spend in-app on mobile gaming

Many women gamers play titles in the Casual category, such as Candy Crush. — AFP Relaxnews

A report on mobile gaming apps for marketers studied 658 million clicks and saw that although women and iOS users may cost advertisers more to acquire than men or Android users, they're more valuable gamers over time.

From when an app is installed, to the moment someone makes an in-app purchase (IAP), users may notice the banners, full screen (interstitial) ads, rewarded videos, interactive and native ads all crying out for a credit card number – but who is most likely to give it to them?

Results from The 2018 Mobile Gaming Apps report – released by Liftoff, a mobile user acquisition platform specialised in app marketing and re-engagement campaigns – showed that although men and Android users may cost advertisers less to convert, in the long run it's iOS users and women who brought more value.

The initial “install cost” for men (US$3.66 / RM15.05) is less than for females (US$3.84 / RM15.79). However, the report notes, from that point on there's a 79% higher chance that a woman will make an in-app purchase.

As for engagement by platform, iOS users are said to cost 73.9% more than Android to acquire. However, once they've signed up – “they are eager to purchase” – with double the in-app conversation rates.

When broken down into subcategories, the top three were Strategy, Puzzle and Casino – the last one being a prime example of call-to-action as those players “want to win”. Males preferred more demanding strategy games, whereas females gravitated more to the “Casual” category, which includes Candy Crush and Angry Bird.

It's noted that this year's total engagement rate is 13.4% which may not sound like a lot, but it's an impressive 67% increase over the previous year. The cost to acquire a user to make an in-app purchase has also dropped from US$50.69 (RM208.39) in 2017 to US$28.05 (RM115.32).

As for regions, the cost for acquiring a user in the EMEA region (Europe, the Middle East and Africa) is US$16.53 (RM67.95) and a North American user US$21.42 (RM88.05) while Asia Pacific is at a massive US$71.02 (RM291.94) with a low engagement rate. And although North America has been a big focus for campaigns, “China overtook the US to become the largest market by app store consumer spend, and the region has been the epicenter of dynamic growth ever since,” the report notes. EMEA is also showing great potential with four times more in-app purchases being made.

Liftoff's report highlights that the “Stakes are high, but so is the pay-off as some strategy games chalk up in-app spend, on average, of US$550 (RM2,261)," going on to outline that "Analytics and measurement firm Slice Intelligence, now Rakuten Intelligence, reports mobile gamers spend an average of US$87 (RM358) on IAPs.”

The Liftoff report took the findings of nearly 47 billion impressions across 658 million clicks, over 15 million installs and divided them up into multiple categories such as – Gaming App Engagement by Platform, Gender & Region – along with trends, gaming subcategories, advertising and rewarded videos. – AFP Relaxnews