Mobile Monday: Checkout Free on Mobile, Mobile Takes 70% of Digital Ad Spend, and Gaming Here to Stay

Digital Turbine is constantly keeping tabs on the mobile world, and every week, we’re sharing the most interesting and important need-to-know stories and articles. In this edition of Mobile Monday, the stories we’re covering are the shift to a streamlined, checkout-free process on mobile devices, the rise in digital ad spend on mobile, and the growth of mobile gaming from pre-pandemic to current levels. Learn all about these stories in this week’s Mobile Monday!Hey! Check Out My Lack of a Checkout!Streamlined processes on mobile are so commonplace, we often forget the hoops we had to jump through before. Things like mailing a check, hailing a taxi, and even going to the store seem exhausting for me to even think about right now — particularly when I can stay in bed for an extra few minutes and do all of those things with a few swipes and taps on my mobile device. The rise of a checkout free economy has resulted in those extra minutes in bed or doing other things we enjoy, but Retail Dive’s article reveals how many of those transitions required us to get a little uncomfortable before we adopted them. And this is certainly true. I remember not being fully trusting that PayPal would indeed send me money safely and securely to my friend on the other end without someone else stealing it. The exchanges still required text or email back and forths asking, “Are you sure you got it?” and “Is the money in your account?”. But now it’s something I do without a second thought — like just this past weekend when I sent $10 to a friend to pay for the worst March Madness bracket in history. Retail Dive takes us into how the Checkout-Free Economy might further evolve for us when dining out, at the gas pump, or when we travel, but of particular interest for us at Digital Turbine is how our phones themselves might go “checkout-free.” The last thing we want to do when we’re engaged in something we enjoy is to be distracted by something else — no matter how enticing that thing might look. Our SingleTap product does exactly that on phones by letting people tap an ad to install an app while staying engaged in the game or content they are presently enjoying. And like other changes, this might feel weird to consumers at first, but so did a lot of other things that have given us those precious extra moments of doing what we want.Ad Spend Shifting to be Predominantly on Mobile What is the future of digital ad spending? Mobile. The latest research from Stock Apps indicates that by 2026, mobile digital ad spend is predicted to take 70% of the share of digital spend. The share was already 60% in 2021; over half of digital ad spend is already on mobile as brands and advertisers in the ecosystem have realized that mobile is the place to be in order to reach users and increase engagement. Even though this growth is only up 10% from 2021, in 2017, mobile’s share of digital ad spend was only 44%. In just a few years, mobile usage and advertising has skyrocketed, and marketers and brands are (or should be if they’re not already) jumping on the bandwagon in any way they can. With more focus being placed on this device, brands, apps, and advertisers should make sure they are optimizing apps and advertising strategy to maximize impact with consumers on mobile.

The Mobile Gaming Peak was no Pandemic Trend, It’s Here to StayBy almost all accounts, the boom that gaming saw during the height of the COVID pandemic is not showing indication of slowing down. According to the latest Unity Gaming Report 2022, the total number of daily active users (DAU) playing games rose from before the pandemic, reached a peak, then settled at far higher levels than before COVID began. PC/Console DAU has increased by 62% since the start of 2019, and mobile DAU has increased by 74%.With gaming revenue growing by almost 30% in 2021, the bubble hasn’t popped as it has in other pandemic driven businesses. Ad revenue and IAP growth driven by massive user demand for games has allowed the industry to continue and develop games to meet this demand. More people are playing mobile games than ever before, and ad revenue for mobile games across genres has spiked accordingly. The Americas and EMEA lead the way with revenue numbers, with the Americas seeing a 3X increase in mobile ad revenue between 2019-2021.

The report also shows that with the appetite for more great titles, gamers are accepting more in-game ads. More players are watching ads (25.6% of DAUs), and ads are also proving to improve retention — especially when they offer in-game rewards.

And if you’re looking for the winning games, Casual is where the money is. With all genres seeing growth, total revenue for puzzle, card, adventure, casual, and hypercasual was most significant. About Mobile MondaysMobile Monday examines the latest news, trends, and developments in mobile apps, tech, and advertising. Do you have a story to share for the next Mobile Monday? About FyberFyber, part of Digital Turbine’s independent Mobile Growth Platform, develops innovative ad monetization solutions trusted by top mobile game and app publishers. Fyber’s product suite offers publishers a trusted, unconflicted alternative that drives superior results by creating an optimal connection between mobile audiences, top global brands, and mobile-first advertisers across over 40Bn daily ad opportunities. Fyber’s FairBid mediation, Fyber Marketplace, and Offer Wall Edge are all built with performance, scale, and transparency in mind. To dive deeper into how their monetization solutions put app developers first, check out their blog.About AdColonyAdColony, part of Digital Turbine’s leading independent mobile growth and monetization platform, helps brands, agencies, and apps expand their reach and results with the power of mobile. AdColony is known globally for its award-winning video advertising marketplace, with ad engagement innovations like Instant-Play™, Aurora™ HD Video, Playables, and more. Looking for more insights on apps and mobile games? Find out more on their blog!Join the ConversationHave any story ideas for Mobile Monday? Tweet @AdColony. For the latest Digital Turbine mobile news and updates, follow @DigitalTurbine on Twitter, like us on Facebook, or connect on Linkedin.