MTVN's "Love 'Em or Leave 'Em: Adoption, Abandonment and the App-Addled
Consumer" study, studied why apps are cherished or deleted.
MTVN found that apps are changing the lives of
users by acting as a digital extension of their physical selves. Apps
provide more pleasure, more free time, and more new worlds to discover:
- 91% said apps expose them to new things.
- 87% said apps let them have fun no matter where they are or what they're doing.
- 77% said apps are their personal assistant.
- 75% said apps give them time to relax.
- 73% said apps allow time to connect and interact with family and friends.
- 70% said apps make the rest of life better.
One participant went so far as to say that "apps are like Xanax in a
phone," and overall, 83% of people in the study said they were addicted
to apps.
As part of a deprivation experiment, MTVN asked several study
participants to spend three days without using an app. After the time
expired, they were asked what would happen if they were withheld for two
weeks.
"I don't think you'd find me alive after the second week," said one
young woman. Others offered to give up newspapers, skateboards, sports,
hairdryers and even food.
When asked, in the quantitative portion of the study, what they would
rather go a year without instead of their favorite app, 69% of men said their
favorite news source, while 68% said coffee. For women, 68% would rather
go a year without soda, and 63% said their favorite reality show.
But not all apps lead to a strong reaction. To breakdown
the process of how apps are ultimately devoured or discarded, MTVN found
four stages in the app life cycle:
1. Discovery
Discovery is driven almost exclusively by the recommendation culture.
Out of those surveyed, 53% said that personal recommendations are
important in deciding which apps to download, while 52% relied on user
reviews, and 42% said seeing a friend use a particular app was a critical
component. Additionally, 47% discovered apps via app stores from Apple
and Android.
2. Adoption
Recommendations also play an important role in the decision to
actually download an app, but users look for a higher degree of
certainty when they buy an app, as opposed to downloading a free one.
- For free apps, a higher number of positive ratings drives most
consumers (50%) to download. The second most important factor (43%) is
personal recommendation. - For a paid app, however, price (63%), followed by whether there is a
free or live preview version of the app (49%), are the biggest factors
in whether or not to download.
"Our brands live and die on buzz," said Colleen Fahey Rush, Executive
Vice President and Chief Research Officer, MTV Networks. "But app
discovery and adoption is driven just as much by buzz as any other content
that we create."
3. Trial
TV and movie apps can have a shelf life of just a few weeks (38% are
deleted in the first three weeks after download), but they do offer
multiple chances to engage consumers, as two-thirds of them (66%) are
checked at least once a day.
When users find an entertainment app that they love, they're often
hooked. Two-thirds check their favorite TV or Movie app at least once a
day, with nearly half (44%) checking it several times a day. And for
each time it's open, 45% spend more than 10 minutes with their favorite
TV or Movie app.
For gaming apps, the grace period is a little longer. Fewer than 20%
of gaming apps are deleted in the first three weeks of ownership. As
further proof of the power of app addiction, nearly half (49%) of gaming
app users check their apps at least several times a day.
4. Abandonment or Long-Term Usage
While the early stages of the app life cycle are often based on
recommendations, the final stages are more personal. Only 37% of
entertainment apps and 39% of gaming apps continue to be used because
friends use the same apps.
For TV and movie apps, ease of use (79%) and new content (55%) are
the biggest reasons consumers will use an app for the long term. Whereas
better alternatives (55%) and lack of new content (42%) will drive a
consumer to delete an app.
Gamers look for apps that are challenging (75%) and easy to use
(73%). With gaming apps, more than three-fourths (77%) of consumers say
they'll delete an app simply after they lose interest.
"Ultimately, the long-term success of an app is tied to fun and
function," said Fahey Rush. "App users are looking for experiences that
will make them feel smarter, more empowered or more entertained."
Three-fourths (75%) of consumers said it's very important that an app
is "entertaining or fun to use," while 62% said it's very important
that an app "feels good" in terms of its touchscreen feel. Speaking to
the importance of utility, half of the survey participants said it's
very important that an app "constantly has new things for me to see,
read or do." More than eight in 10 (83%) said they are "often surprised
at how useful an app can become even if I don't initially think this is
something I need."