Mobile spending is increasingly driving revenue for UAE businesses, and with nine out of ten organizations in the UAE now offering mobile apps, businesses must capitalize on seasonal trends to grow their mobile app revenues. According to new AppsFlyer research, which compared mobile app trends in Ramadan 2022 to Ramadan 2021, the Holy Month is increasingly becoming an unmissable opportunity for UAE organizations to grow revenues, with in-app purchases on shopping and finance apps increasing by 64% and 32%, respectively.
“Ramadan has once again proved to be a critical period for UAE organisations to capitalise on users’ growing preference for engaging with businesses via their mobile apps. Those that have grown their customer base through this period will be well advised to now focus on retargeting newly acquired users to ensure they are effectively converted into loyal, long-term brand advocates,” said Samer Saad, Regional Manager – Middle East, AppsFlyer.
The study, which looked at trends in shopping, finance, and gaming apps, discovered that finance apps were the big winners this Holy Month. These apps’ installs increased by 218% to Ramadan 2021, which helps to explain the 32% increase in finance in-app purchases. AppsFlyer data also revealed that finance marketers who focused on mobile campaigns were tangibly rewarded, as non-organic installs — app downloads that occur after a user sees a marketing campaign — of finance apps increased fourfold (441% ).
While in-app purchases on shopping apps increased significantly, overall app installs for this segment fell by 26% this Ramadan compared to the previous.
This appears to indicate that the shopping app market has matured to the point where established players can increase consumer spending on their mobile platforms while newer entrants will find it increasingly difficult to secure a spot for their apps on users’ smartphones. It’s no surprise that shopping apps drove the 49 percent increase in remarketing conversions — app spending driven by campaigns aimed at re-engaging users who have already downloaded an organization’s app — seen this Ramadan.
“Previous research commissioned by AppsFlyer found that the overwhelming majority (84%) of UAE businesses believe mobile apps are a ‘must’ to stay relevant to their customers. But as more and more organisations look to cater to mobile consumers, the market will reach a saturation point,” continued Saad. “Businesses that have succeeded in securing a place on users’ smartphones will have to work hard to ensure these customers stay engaged. On the other hand, those that are looking to drive app downloads should pay close attention to the timing of their user acquisition campaigns as clearly, periods such as Ramadan offer a unique opportunity to yield greater results from their efforts.”
Following the historic iOS 14 privacy update, which limited access to user-level data and thus forced marketers to reconsider their approach to targeting iPhone users, it was heartening to see that UAE marketers have begun to update their iOS marketing strategies with positive results. According to AppsFlyer, overall app installs on iOS devices increased by more than a quarter (26%) this Ramadan compared to the previous one, while non-organic installs increased by 16%.
“Privacy is here to stay, and rightly so. Organisations that recognise this and reconstruct their marketing approach to prioritise user privacy will stand to succeed in the long-run. Our data shows that forward-thinking UAE organisations have already begun to adapt to this privacy-first paradigm, and are being rewarded for this shift. For those that are yet to break their dependency on user level data, the right strategy would be to invest in the ability to analyse and work with aggregated data which can still drive impactful campaigns,” Saad added.
