What makes an app successful? Review of the top 10 apps
Vasile Tiplea
Director of UX & AI Strategy @Colgate former BCG, Samsung, Cision & Westfield
There is no shortage of apps in existence. In early 2017, the exact number of apps on the market had tipped over the 6 million mark, with 2.2 million of those on Apple’s App Store, and the rest on Google Play, Windows Store, Amazon Appstore and BlackBerry World.
With over 6 million apps on the market, it's interesting to look at what makes some successful, and what causes the others to stay undiscovered? We took a peek at Apple App Store top 10 and broke them up into category to see what makes up a successful app.
- PUBG Mobile (Games)
- Fortnite (Games)
- YouTube (Photo & Video)
- Snapchat (Photo & Video)
- Instagram (Photo & Video)
- Messenger (Social Networking)
- Google Maps (Navigation)
- Facebook (Social Networking)
- Bitmoji (Utilities)
- Gmail (Productivity)
Gaming
Gaming is a massive industry in the app world. 25% of all apps available in the App Store fit into the gaming category! Just in the US, there are 192 million mobile phone gamers. That's some serious demand. But, of course, creating a gaming app does not equal overnight success. What the number one and two apps have in common is that they were household gaming brands before they became apps. Their availability on the App Store has been long awaited by fans, thus ensuring them a ready user group.
Photo & Video
It's no surprise to see YouTube, Snapchat, and Instagram in third, fourth and fifth place. Of course, these are household names today but they weren’t always. The common characteristic of these apps is that they took concepts that no-one would have thought would take off and developed world-class apps and businesses around them. All of them have managed to stay on brand while also continually evolving to remain modern and relevant.
Social Networking
As above with the Photo & Video apps, Facebook and Messenger designed concepts that very few could have conceived would become so ingrained in our culture. Both under the same parent company, Messenger is an example of Facebook looking at the behavior of its users and designing solution to meet their behavior. Social Networking is a category that is cemented in our culture, creating a great solution in this space can come with great rewards.
Navigation & Productivity
Google Maps and Gmail, like the games, were an extension of an already existing offering. Before they were apps, they were practical tools. A significant number of people were already in love with these tools, marketing them in app form served a solution that users were already begging for.
Utilities
Bitmoji is by far the most interesting of all to analyze. I wonder if even the creators could have predicted the success it has today. The success of these sorts of apps is largely based on creating something fun and getting it in the right hands. If you can find an influential audience that will use and endorse the app amongst their peers, you can get a chance at beating the big boys off the top 10 list.
The biggest takeaway has to be that the app market is diverse and success is not a straight line. Your offering, target market, and marketing strategy all play a part in the success of your app, but the first step is to get it out there! Then listen carefully to your users.