1.
Overview of the Mobile
Ecosystem
Mike Rowehl
http://thisismobility.com
mikerowehl@gmail.com
@miker

2.
Two Questions to
Answer
1. How to get users? - Distribution
2. How to make money? - Monetization
(Questions aren’t mobile specific, but the
answers can be)

3.
Don’t think about how
to build an app, think
about how to build a
great service.
(see also: Mike Kuniavski)

4.
However, I’m going to
give some tips for
building app store apps
cause it’s the most
accessible initial
channel.

5.
The Simple Model
• platform provider
• equipment manufacturer
• carrier/operator
• application/service provider
• end user

6.
The Not Simple Model
• Developer Programs • HTML5 Toolsets Wireless
• Paypal/Boku/Obopay/Zong • NFC/Short Range
• AdMob/MobClix/Smaato • Ansca/Appcelerator/RhoMobile
• Recommendations • App Inventor/SachManya
• Review Sites • GetJar/AppstoreHQ
• Incentive Offers • OpenAppMkt
• SearchDistribution
Optimization • Metrics/Analytics
• Social Lobby • Sensor Browsers
Networks
• Game Promotions • Mobile Optimization
• CarrierGoods • Networkand Antivirus
• Virtualinstalls • SecurityBuying
• OEM Stores • Group
• Enterprise • Tablets
• Location Services • User Experience
• Messaging • SystemsManagement
Integration
• Paid Download • DeviceSource
• Vehicle Systems • Open

7.
Getting Users
• App Store
• Advertising Distribution
• Social/Viral
• Review Sites
• Web Search Services
• Recommendation
• Carrier Promotion
• Affiliate Programs
• Preinstall Deals

8.
WTF is an ‘App Store’?
•
•
Distribution
Payments
• Notification
• Moderation
• Security

9.
Users find new apps
and services by poking
around on their
handset or through
recommendations from
friends.
http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/how_do_iphone_users_find_new_apps.php

10.
An app store NEEDS to
provide a large number
of active users.
Everything else is
optional.

11.
App Store Tuning
• Price Sensitivity
• Category/Section
• Description/Keywords
• Screenshots
• Ranking Metrics
• Featured/Promoted

12.
Advertising
• Don’t assume it’s the same as web
• Cost, volume, and quality of traffic vary
greatly based on the ad network, region,
target devices, and offer
• There is no inverse index in mobile apps
• The best way to find users is to find
existing behavior (find new game players in
existing games)

13.
Viral/Social Distribution
• Fundamentally social - Instagram went on a
tear cause they tuned the social aspects of
their service to line up well with photo
sharing
• Coincidentally viral - Angry Birds went viral
without the direct support of challenges or
highscore publishing, initially all word of
mouth and unsolicited press coverage

14.
Monetization
• Paid Download
• Free w/ Premium Upgrade
• Virtual Goods
• Advertising
• Lead Generation/Affiliate
• Partnerships

15.
I won’t call it Freemium
• But it works particularly well in mobile
• For the same reasons as online
• Plus it provides lots of positive metrics that
app stores like to see such as raw
download numbers and comment counts
• Since those are your major distribution
channels, it’s an effective form of marketing
• Soliciting comments also works very well
★ http://blog.flurry.com/bid/48418/Madison-Avenue-and-the-Land-of-Make-Believe

16.
Advertising Publisher
• High switching cost for swapping ad
networks within an app, intermediaries
exist for a reason
• Demographics, it’s hard to live off general
third party network impressions
• You’ll want some extra analytics
• User retention also becomes a key metric
• The math is simple (impressions times
eCPM), but a lot of influences on both

17.
TMTOWTDI

18.
iTeleport
• http://blog.iteleportmobile.com/quality-
over-quantity-how-we-built-iteleport
• Never in the top 1000 rankings
• High cost application
• Consistently generating over $1000 in sales
a day

19.
Tap Tap Revenge
• http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7751628.stm
• A music based rhythem game, long running
franchise (early onto the platform)
• TTR3 was a low cost download (0.99)
• Katy Perry Revenge, Coldplay, Lady Gaga,
Linkin Park, etc (generally 4.99)
• TTR4 is free

20.
Storytime!!

21.
Tools and Resources

22.
Analytics
• Localytics
• Flurry
• Distimo
• Percent Mobile
• appFigures
• AdMob Analytics

23.
Metrics
• Distimo - monthly, and currently an overall
summary for 2010, multiple app store stats
• Flurry - http://blog.flurry.com/
• Opera State of the Mobile Web - http://
www.opera.com/smw/
• Chomp Charts - http://
chomp.typepad.com/chomp/chomp-charts/
• http://148apps.biz/app-store-metrics/
• There are always paid sources too if you
really need a particular question answered

24.
Notifications
• Urban Airship
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Twilio
• Boxcar
• Notifo

25.
Location Services
• Cloudmade
• SimpleGeo
• Navteq
• Location Labs
• Skyhook
• xAd
• Where Ads
• Geodelic

26.
Review Sites
• http://www.148apps.com/
• http://www.appcraver.com/
• http://toucharcade.com/
• http://www.tuaw.com/apprequests
• http://www.slidetoplay.com/
• http://www.appadvice.com/

27.
Recommendation
Services
• Chomp
• Chorus
• Appolicious
• Apptizr
• AppBoy
• Mobspot
• StumbleUpon
• AppsFire
• AppBrain

28.
Grab Bag
• GetJar - independent app store
• Carrier Services - all have featured apps
• developer.sprint.com
• developer.t-mobile.com
• developer.att.com
• Influencers and domain experts
• Mob4hire - crowdsourced testing
• User Testing
• Multivariate Testing