[Research] The Only Way to Remain Abreast of The Google Play Market is Through Iterative Research

In a recent discussion on the App Entrepreneurs and Marketers Group, Manoj Pravakar Saha shareda personal and highly insightful research on the current stats on Google Play (US). The researchcreated a dataset of all the apps (a whooping 1,118,620 apps) that are available on the platform.With several successful iterations into the loop, Saha was able to bring to fore a data set ready to bequeried with MySQL to answer some of the most pertinent questions app developers have beenasking since the dawn of ASO.

Though the data set is still in its infancy, and will most likely go through additional iterations, Ibelieve that the sample is large enough for the stats that Saha has derived to be considered for moreeffective ASO, marketing, and ways app developers must strategically reposition themselves if theyare to grow.

This post is my take on the 10 stats that Manoj Pravakar Saha’s great effort has brought to us.

The Questions We Have Been Asking About Google Play

How many developers/publishers are there on Google Play?

Knowing the competition and the average apps they have gives realistic good indication of the work (and the time needed to achieve results) that is cut out for the new comers. Currently, there are over 261,500+ developers with an average of 4.3 apps per developer

How many the developers have secured a developer badge?

This allows us to slim down the startups and established developers that have taken the strategic and long-term approach to building authenticity with unique and original apps, and whose appsand business model can be further studied. Currently, 494 developers have a badge, with 458 holding a ‘Top Developer’ badge each.

How many apps actually use any of the monetization techniques (that is, in-app purchase and premium app) offered by Google Play?

79.4% of the apps are not using any of Google Play’s monetization tools. This points to a large body of free apps, or those that do not offer in-app purchases. Free apps are often used for establishing initial authority and authenticity for the developer, however we may need to research and address why developers are not leveraging them. As Saha points out, this is a primary reason why aggregate revenues are lower than App Store.

How different apps use the 30 character limit for app name, and 4000 character limit for description field?

Often deemed an essential component of the ASO, the fact that the median character usage is 18 characters whereas the median characters usage for descriptions is 566 characters will bring heat to the current debate.

How many apps use video in Google Play to promote the app?

Just 10.6% are using videos in their app page, pointing to a market opportunity for new comers as YouTube is considered the second best channel of app/game discovery in the U.S.

No of developers/publishers who have provided a physical address?

Approximately 22% (58,173) have done so, which again is an under-utilized opportunity for developers to market their services.

How apps are doing in terms of user reviews?

With a median file size of 2.8 MB, 17.3% of apps have no user reviews, and the median average falls flat at 8 reviews/app.

Saha’s dataset can be retrieved from GitHub and hopefully we can make a combined effort to aid in expanding on the work to unearth further insights for all developers to use.

This blog post is based in the advice given by successful app entrepreneurs in the App Entrepreneurs and Marketers Group. Stay tuned for more informative and insightful posts from us!

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