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iOS favored for mobile games among consumers

| February 13, 2013

ios mobile gamesConsumers prefer iOS over Android when it comes to mobile games

Mobile games are very popular for consumers all over the world. These games have become one of the most favored pastimes for those with iOS and Android devices and there are no signs that mobile games will become unpopular in the foreseeable future. Arbitron Mobile, a mobile behavior analytics firm, has released a new survey concerning which mobile platform consumers prefer for gaming. The survey shows that Apple devices are the most popular platforms for mobile games on the market.

iPhone has become a massively popular gaming platform

According to the survey, 85.7% of consumers prefer to use mobile games on an iOS device. Approximately 76% of consumers favor Android devices. The iPhone is the most popular device among gamers, accounting for an average of 12 hours and 23 minutes of engagement in mobile gaming in December 2012. Overall, mobile games take up the majority of time people spend on mobile devices, iOS or otherwise. Social networking comes in second, but consumers typically play mobile games through such networks.

Mobile games represent promising marketing opportunities

The popularity of mobile games presents a major opportunity for advertisers and game developers. Because the majority of the time consumers spend on their mobile devices is devoted to gaming, developers have a chance to push in-game sales of products and services. Developers can also sell in-game space to advertisers looking to engage mobile consumers. This is a common practice in the field of mobile games, as such games are typically free or very inexpensive. In-game transactions are, therefore, the primary way for developers to generate profits.

Game industry begins to veer toward Android

Though consumers appear to favor the iOS platform for mobile games, Android has been gaining momentum in this field for years. Consumers are becoming more interested in Android devices over those provided by Apple due to new features being introduced to the Android platform. The game industry has also shown favor for Android because of its accessibility, leading many developers to move away from the iOS.

Mobile commerce embraced by Twitter

| February 13, 2013

mobile commerce twitter amexTwitter takes aims at mobile commerce with the help of American Express

Twitter is one of the world’s most used social networks. The network boasts of a highly active user base, which has afforded the company significant success in the world of business. Twitter has reportedly been looking for new ways to generate revenue. Such reports seem to have been true as the social network has entered into a partnership with American Express. The partnership will be focused on introducing e-commerce and mobile commerce elements into Twitter.

Mobile user base adds momentum to Twitter’s initiative in e-commerce

Twitter has been showing a strong interest in e-commerce in recent months. The massive number of users that access Twitter through their mobile devices has also piqued the company’s interest in mobile commerce. The company sees major potential in this field and has turned to American Express to help it tap into the burgeoning mobile commerce market that has been successful for other companies.

Users will be able to purchase products by posting to Twitter

Per the partnership, American Express customers will be able to associate their credit card numbers with their Twitter accounts. This will allow consumers to make purchases by simply posting to Twitter. This initiative will be introduced over the next few days, with Twitter users able to purchase products from American Express itself, as well as Amazon and products from Donna Karan. Because Twitter’s primary demographic is mobile consumers, the move is expected to help establish the social network’s presence in the mobile commerce space.

Success of new initiative has yet to be seen

This is not the first time American Express has introduced a mobile commerce element to a social network. Last year, the financial services company partnered with Foursquare for a similar initiative. Twitter expects to see significant benefits from its adoption of mobile commerce and suggests that there will be major marketing opportunities for businesses using the social network due to the new partnership. Whether consumers will respond well to the mobile commerce services that Twitter is adopted has yet to be seen.