To understand the basics of the target audience, you need to know what market stages are. The market in any area goes through three main stages: experiment, assimilation and saturation. Mobile applications that emerge in the experiment phase are characterized by an intensive increase in the number of installs. These are the users who come across it in the App Store or Play Market for the first time and learn about the application.
The assimilation stage is based on a familiar set of standard additions (cards, payment, shops). Saturation peaks when users pay money for the mobile apps and services you provide. To reduce the cost of promoting a product and enter the market with your proposal, you should conduct an analysis of the target audience. Subsequently, the audience of the application will grow and your product will increase its profit. In the ideal world…
Segmentation
All articles on mobile app development repeatedly emphasize the need to target a specific target audience. To do so, it is important to know what users of mobile applications are like, as well as what their interests and needs are. How to understand who your target audience is? This information allows you to target mobile development activities. Let’s take a closer look at what categories you can divide users into, and what are the advantages of such segmentation.
All users of mobile devices and applications can be conditionally segmented based on the following parameters:
- geolocation – their territorial location;
- device type, platform – smartphone, tablet, iOS, Android;
- demographic and social criteria – gender, age, occupation;
- solvency – is the user willing to pay for the components of the application and if yes, how much.
Based on the classification of apps, it is possible to distinguish the types of users of applications. For example, many business applications allow you to organize your day, keep abreast of events, and even develop new strategies. Such “assistants” will be useful to business people.
Social networks have conquered almost everyone with a mobile device. But, in general, the target audience for this type of application consists of people from adolescence to middle age. The most active users are between 15 and 35 years old. That kind of application helps people to meet and communicate.
The segment of narrow specialists is also important. The number of users, for example, for accountants or lawyers, will not be extensively high, but it will definitely find a response and become actively used in the chosen narrow area.
Users can also be divided by interests. For example, for navigators and road guides, the target audience of mobile applications will be motorists, people whose work and income are connected with roads and traveling. Electronic cookbooks will become popular with housewives and chefs alike. And travel guides are useful for travelers.
Gamers are the bulk of app users, that’s why gaming applications on the market are the largest. The target audience for mobile games can include people from different social groups, professions and interests. This is due to the fact that each game has its own characteristics and serves different purposes – from entertainment to educational. This is where the best sources of motivated traffic to promote other apps are found.
There are 4 psychotypes of people playing games. An application that will take into account the needs of each of them will be able to gain the attention of the largest audience.
- “Killers” – have a heightened competitive spirit and the need to prove their superiority over other participants, and the main thing for them is not team goals, but their own interests.
- “Sociophiles” – users who can not enjoy life without communication and commenting on everything that happens, which encourages them to share their gaming achievements and events on social networks.
- “Overachievers” – high rating and completing all tasks for full marks are the main thing for them, and they most often go through the game to the end.
- “Explorers” – they love the challenging gameplay and process of exploring the tools and mechanics available.
This classification of users of applications and games will allow you to compile a list of criteria that your own project should meet. For example, take care of socialists and provide social networking features in the app. For explorers, add options to expand game functions. And give careerists the opportunity to measure their success in the number of points or in the rating with other users. A gaming application that will have all of the above characteristics will surely receive a response from the gaming community and a wide audience of fans.
Age Difference
Now that you know what segment are you aiming for, it’s time for the second criteria: the age of the audience. Depending on the average age of your clients, your application should have a different approach. Aged people may respond differently from your average teenager. Progressively, you may also want to personalize your application based on the age of each individual user.
App Annie identified 3 age categories for mobile users. Let’s brief the results of their research.
Older users are more likely to use applications that are similar in functionality to desktop programs. In-app sessions last 25% longer. They prefer email applications and use instant messengers less than others. Older users spend a lot of time in mobile browsers. Young users are eager to use the services from mobile devices. They log into applications often, but in short sessions. They do not like email applications, preferring instant messengers. They are eager to watch the video.
Leverage the 45+ team’s experience with computers and laptops to get their attention for your app. Choose the right advertising channels (email, search and contextual advertising). Provide useful content to increase engagement and visit frequency.
Young users (15-24) are eager to use the services from mobile devices. They log into applications often, but in short sessions. They do not like email applications, preferring instant messengers. They are eager to watch the video.
Make sure you are using the correct communication channels. In advertising, instant messengers and social networks will be effective, not email. Pay attention to video ads. When developing mobile applications, keep in mind that young users enter applications frequently, but in short sessions: minimize obstacles and explanations that artificially extend the session. Your ads are short on time – they need to be bright.
Easy adoption of innovations makes young audiences the ideal consumer of services, but the constant pursuit of novelty makes it difficult to retain them.
The age group from 25 to 44 years old is the golden mean in the use of applications. They prefer retail apps. It is an ideal buying segment for mobile retail business and advertising. The age group strikes a balance between efficiency and comfort in using mobile services.
Use push notifications to communicate discounts and loyalty programs. Both email and social media will be effective advertising channels. Make your applications convenient for viewing goods and services.
Conclusion
Thorough research is required before jumping into the mobile market. Polls, analysis and even hypotheses are useful tools in that regard. Meeting the requirements of your audience, or even personalization of your app can lead to unexpected but welcome results. Even better if you can catch up on the wave of flickering trends. However, the mobile market is a highly competitive, high-risk – high-reward battlefield. So bracing for the failure is advised.
