According to data.ai’s latest report, as socialisation enters a new norm, apps that connect consumers were among those that grew in-app spending the most in the first half of 2022.
In the UK, dating apps led in consumer spend in H1 2022, compared to H1 2021, with spend reaching $17.8million – up 16% from last year.
The pandemic drove the public to apps for making connections with new people, as physical interaction became limited. Yet, transitioning out of the pandemic, dating apps are still seeing major growth as this form of connection becomes the new normal.
BeReal also saw meteoric growth in H1 2022, both globally and in the UK, with the social media app hitting 2.8million UK downloads in H1 2022 – a breakout app for the period. Relying on real-time, visual content to connect friends, BeReal has become a must-have app for consumers across the globe.
On the other side, performing poorly in the UK are eCommerce and food delivery apps, with downloads down by 16% and 33% respectively. With shopping and eating out now firmly back on-track, and the recession looming, it’s no surprise that consumers are turning away from spending their cash on home-delivery services.
Overall, the mobile app market is performing well despite difficult economic trends:
- Time spent in apps by consumers globally, posted double-digit growth in H1 compared to the first half of 2021 — it’s grown 11% year-over-year to reach an all-time high of more than 2 trillion hours on Android phones alone.
- Global downloads have also reached an all-time high of 74.4 billion downloads of apps and games across iOS and Google Play in H1 2022, up 13% YoY.
