[Update: This was an April Fool story]

In a surprising result, research from market intelligence outfit Analytic Strategy Solutions has found that the number 47 is almost totally undervalued in mobile games revenues.

"Prior consensus suggests 99 is the key double-digit driver of much economic activity," explains A.S.S.' chief mathematician Peter Kalkulas.

"However, after performing intensive cohort studies on fluctuating funnels using self-selecting whales, minnows and lobsters, we found that the number 47 produced very strong resonant results."

As all good mathematicians know, not only is 47 an important prime number (safe, supersingular and Lucas), it's also a highly cototient number, an Eisenstein prime, as well as being a Carol and a Keith number.

"It looks nice too; very angular," Kalkulas points out.

Got your number

Following its original findings, further research from A.S.S. looked at how developers could use this new found knowledge.

"The problem with many app stores is the inability of developers to set their own prices," Kalkulas says.

"This is one of the reasons the effect hasn't previously been discovered."

For example, on the App Store, the closest developers can get to 47 is 49 i.e ($4.99, €5.49 or £1.49).

"49 isn't 47," Kalkulas argues. "It doesn't come close. It's the square of seven. It doesn't excite me at all."

Hitting the sweetspot

Instead, he suggests developers should look to change their pricing on Google Play in such a way that they maximise their "47-ness".

"We're working on a HTML5 platform that will combine real-time currency rates with the size of different geographic markets so that we can optimise your 47-ness," he says.

The idea is developer would be able to set their local app price at such a level that it would result in high "47-ness" in key markets such as the US, UK and Euro zone.

But the big goal for Kalkulas is to get the main app stores to embrace his idea.

"I think the whole industry would boom if Apple set its App Store prices at 47c, 1.47c etc, as well as $4.70 and $47," he enthused.

"Of course, the sweetspot is $47.47. The response we got at that level was off the graph, I couldn't buy enough IAP."

You can read more about A.S.S.' research here.