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Casual Connect Europe: We're only half way through consumer transition from feature phones to smartphones, states Flurry

Not too late to go mobile

Casual Connect Europe: We're only half way through consumer transition from feature phones to smartphones, states Flurry
Over the course of Christmas week, Flurry estimates that around 50 million new smart devices were activated around the globe.

Yet, according to the company's general manager for the EMEA region - Richard Firminger - the smartphone industry still has years and years of growth to go, with the consumer shift between feature phones and smart devices still ongoing.

Indeed, speaking at Casual Connect Europe in Hamburg, Firminger claimed we may only be half way through that transition, despite the fact that there are already 850 million active smart devices across the world.

App attack

By August 2013, Flurry believes that figure may have risen as high as 1.1 billion.

Aside from the fact such numbers are almost too big to comprehend, they also help deliver an important lesson: it's not too late for developers from other fields to make a move on mobile, stated Firminger.

Of course, plenty already have. Firminger stated that, across the two biggest marketplaces – iOS and Android – there are currently more than 1.4 million apps, with 800,000 of them unique.

As the market expands, so users are being drawn in from different locations around the globe, presenting opportunities for developers to target untapped territories.

Indeed, though the US as a whole is growing, its share of what Flurry defines as 'app sessions' is falling as smartphone users pop up all over the world, falling from a 48 percent share in October 2011 to 29 percent a year later.

Money matters

Downloads and app sessions are one thing, however. Making money is another, and while free-to-play is the current darling of the industry, Firminger said advertising within apps remains a powerful force when it comes to generating revenue.

There are a large portion of users, he said, that will never pay out for in-app purchases, however good the game.

"Free-to-play developers need to think about how they monetise these non-spenders," said Firminger, estimating that the in-app advertising market.

"Stick advertising in front of them, or show them videos – they love videos."

And what new platforms outside iOS and Android should developers target? BlackBerry or Windows Phone?

"BlackBerry is flatlining," stated Firminger.

"We can see all the new projects started by developers, and BlackBerry is remaining stagnent, whereas Windows Phone is growing pretty fast, actually.

"We always say take these predictions with a pinch of salt, but if we're talking about a third player [outside of iOS and Android], Microsoft looks to be the one. It will invest and invest until it gets it right."

With a fine eye for detail, Keith Andrew is fuelled by strong coffee, Kylie Minogue and the shapely curve of a san serif font.