market comparison: nokia ovi store, google android marketplace, apple app store

Marketplace Comparison

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Date: September 28, 2010

Research Note #2

Mobile Application Markets:

Apple, Google and Nokia

“Android Market, Ovi Store, and App Store: A comparison”

mailto:[email protected]


MOBILE APPLICATION MARKETS: DEVELOPER SATISFACTION

Our first comparison of all three top app stores

RESEARCH NOTE #2

AndroidMarket,OviStoreandAppStore:aComparison

KEYFINDINGS

Overthepastthreemonthsourresearchteamhasinterviewedover300developerson

theirexperiencespublishingmobileappstoNokia’sOviStore,Google’sAndroid

Marketplace,andtheAppleAppStore.Weusedthestore’sownmechanismsforidenDfying

“topselling”or“mostpopular”applicaDonsandcontactedhundredsofdevelopersineach

oftheseecosystems.Wecompletedsurveysofmorethan100ofthesetopdevelopersfor

eachmarketplace.OurresultsarethusreflecDveofwhatthebestdevelopersthink,and

shouldnotbetakenasabroadsurveyofalldeveloperspublishingapplicaDonstothese

markets.

DevelopersforallthreeplaKormshadseveralcomplaintsabouttheapplicaDon

marketplacesandtheresultsofthesesurveyssuggestmanyareasthatcanbeimproved.

Somesimilari?esemergedfromthethreegroupsofintervieweddevelopersare:

• Thedesiretohaveaquicker,definite,transparentandflexibleapplicaDonreview

process;

• TheneedforabeQerrankingsystembasedoncustomerreviewsorothercriteria;

• ThehopetohavemoreopportuniDesforpromoDonandappvisibility;

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• ThedisappointmentwiththecurrentsupportandcommunicaDonprovidedto

developersandendusers;

• Theurgencytocommunicatewithappusersthatleavecommentsandreviewsin

thestores.

Significantdifferencesalsoemergedfromthesesurveys.Theyrelatetodevelopers’

revenuesandoverallsaDsfacDonwiththethreestores.

Thisresearchnoteisabriefsurveyoftheresultsfromallthreeoftheindividualreports,

whicharealsoavailableforpurchasefromOpen‐First.Pleasecontactusat:

mobilereports@open‐first.com






Howsa?sfiedareyouwiththeturnaround?meforappreviewandapproval?

WhileapplicaDonssubmiQedtotheAppStoreandOviStoreforpublicaDonhavetobe

approvedbyAppleandNokia,applicaDonssubmiQedtoAndroidMarketareimmediately

publishedandavailabletoenduserswithoutgoingthroughanycentralizedqualityreview

process.

AnswerstothisandotherquesDonsshowthatdevelopers’saDsfacDondependsgreatlyon

thisprocessandinparDcularonspeedandtransparency.Developerswouldlikethis

processtobeconsistent,flexible,andquickwhilemaintainingacertainlevelofquality

control.

BothNokiadevelopersandiPhonedeveloperscomplainedthattheapprovalsomeDmes

takestoolongandcommunicaDononwhyanappisrejectedisoYenunclear.

Ontheotherhand,Androiddevelopersarethehappiestwiththisprocessbecausethelack

ofaqualityreviewprocessmakesthepublishingofnewappsquickandeasy(55%ofthem

saidthey’resomewhatsa*sfied,sa*sfiedorverysa*sfiedwithit).InteresDngly,though,

Androiddeveloperswerealsotheoneswhocomplainedthemostaboutthelackofa

centralizedqualityreviewprocessthatleadstopoorvisibilityofbeQerqualityapplicaDons

andulDmatelytolowsales.Thisseemstodiscouragesomedevelopersthatinvestrelevant

amountsofDmeandmoneyonAndroidapplicaDons.

Theseandotherfindingssuggestthatdevelopersgreatlyvaluedefiniteandquickreview

processesthatmakeiteasytopublishapplica?onsandthat,combinedtoeffec?ve

rankingsystemsbasedoncustomerreviews,leadtovisibilityofgoodapps.




Howdoyouratethesupportprovidedtoyourendusersintheappstore?

DevelopersacrossthethreemarketplaceswerenotsaDsfiedwiththesupportprovidedto

theirendusersbyApple,NokiaandGoogle,andevenlesswiththetoolsprovidedto

developersforendusersupport.

SaDsfieddeveloperswereasfewas13%forAndroidMarket,24%forOviand40%forApp

Store.

DeveloperssaiditwouldbegreatlybeneficialtothemtohaveamoreeffecDvewayof

interacDngwiththeirfinalusersontheappstores.They’dliketobeabletoreplytouser

commentsandreviewsinordertoanswerquesDons,noDfythemaboutfixedbugsand

updates,etc.

Thiswouldnotonlyservecustomersupportpurposesbutwouldalsohelpdevelopers

respondtobadreviewsandthereforecorrecttheranking(and,consequently,visibility)of

theapps.




Whatspecificproblemshaveyouencounteredwhileusingtheappstore?

Ofalltheproblemsencountered,thefollowingstandoutascommonissuesfacedby

Android,NokiaandiPhonedevelopers:

• Inabilitytorespondtouserreviewsandcommentsinthestore.

• Inadequatevisibilityandpromo?onopportuniDesforapplicaDonsinthestores,

faultedsearchsystemsthatpreventusersfromfindingapps,andunclearcriteriafor

rankingandfeaturingapps.

• Badtechnicalandbusinesssupport/Poorcommunica?oneffortsthatNokia,

GoogleandAppleareshowingtodevelopers.Policies,rules,newagreementsare

poorlycommunicatedandtechnicalorbusinessrelatedsupportrequestsfrom

developersoYenhavetoovercomeautomaDcallygeneratedmessages,longwaiDng

Dmestogetaresponse,etc.

• ForNokiaandiPhonedevelopers,slowandinconsistentappapproval?mesalsorepresentamajorissue.




Areyourrevenuesfromtheappstorehigherorlowerthanyourexpecta?ons?

AnswerstothisquesDonareverydifferentfromstoretostore.Thepercentageof

developerswhosaidthey’reearningLESSthanexpectedis81%forOviStore,49%for

AndroidMarketand28%forAppStore.

AlldeveloperswhoreportedlowrevenuesascribethistoacombinaDonofinsufficient

promoDontoolsavailabletodevelopersinthestore,inadequateapplicaDonrankingsystem,

andbadcategorizaDonandsearchabilityofapps.

ThosewhoareearningMOREthanexpectedare5%ofNokiadevelopers,27%ofAndroid

developersand48%ofiPhonedevelopers.




Howsa?sfiedareyou,overall,withtheappstore?

DevelopersaDsfacDonvariesgreatlyfromstoretostore.While78%ofiPhonedevelopers

saidthey’reoverallsomewhatsa*sfied,sa*sfiedorverysa*sfied,thesamepercentageis

63%forAndroiddevelopersand42%forNokiadevelopers.

MostAndroiddevelopersrecognizethatimprovementsarebeingmade,whileNokia

developersseemtobelessopDmisDc.Ontheotherhand,iPhonedevelopersareoverallthe

happiestandthinktheAppStoreisthebestapplicaDonmarketplacecurrentlyavailable.




Willyouusetheappstoreagaintopublishyourapps?

ThisquesDonalsoyieldedverydifferentresultsfromstoretostore.

99%ofiPhonedeveloperssaidtheyWOULDpublishapplicaDonstotheAppStoreagain,

whileonly1%saidMAYBEand0%saidtheyWOULDN’T.TothesamequesDon,94%of

AndroiddevelopersansweredYESand6%answeredMAYBEorNO.

NokiadevelopersarelesssaDsfiedwithOviStoreandthus81%ofthemansweredYESwhile

19%answeredNOorMAYBE.




Ifyouhaveexperiencewithmorethanoneappstore,howdoyouthinktheycomparetooneanother?

AllintervieweddevelopersseemtoagreethatApple’sAppStoreisthebestapp

marketplacecurrentlyavailable.

SomeAndroiddeveloperssaidtheyprefertheiPhoneAppStorebecauseofitsbeQer

promoDonalsupport,beQerraDngsystem,beQerstorefrontandeaseofpaymentforend

users,andbeQerreliability.

42%ofinterviewedNokiadevelopersthinkOviisbelowaverageifcomparedtootherstores

andtotheAppStoreinparDcular.NokiadevelopersbelieveOviStoreislesssmoothand

easytouse,hasalongerapprovalprocessandaworsesupport,andoffersfewer

opportuniDesforsales.




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market comparison: nokia ovi store, google android marketplace, apple app store

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