Consumers are twice as likely to switch from iPhone to Android than vice-versa, as Google’s mobile operating system grows in popularity, according to a global survey conducted by GetJar.
The study from the open app store looked into the preferences and attitudes of mobile phone users.
The survey points to the growing demand for Android, reporting almost 43 percent of respondents said they will switch to Android when they purchase their next phone, compared to the 18 percent who said they would like to switch to the iPhone.
“The survey results make it clear that all eyes are on Android, as well as the importance of brand equity in the increasingly competitive mobile space,” said Patrick Mork, CMO of GetJar. “Brand marketers and advertisers also have a reason to be hopeful about consumer’s appetite for in-app advertisement.”
App usage is clearly on the rise with the survey results showing almost 23 percent of consumers spending 31 minutes to an hour using apps, compared to 20 percent who spend the same amount of time watching television. Fifty-eight percent of respondent use mobile apps more than once a day.
The importance of brand equity was pushed to the forefront, as almost 80 percent said that the quality of the brand’s app makes the brand more trustworthy. Furthermore, 72 percent of those surveyed said they were more likely to engage with a brand if they had a good app.
Advertisers have reason to be hopeful. Seventy-three percent of respondents said they have downloaded an app with advertising in it, and almost 60 percent said they’d do it again.
Only 26 percent said, however, they have made a purchase by clicking through a mobile ad.
Other survey results include:
• Gaming apps are the most popular, followed closely by social networking apps
• Almost half of respondents (48.3 percent) learn about new apps online
• The amount of free apps and the ease of search topped the list of things users look for in an app store
• The cost of an app was the biggest deciding factor in downloading
The pro-Android sentiments unveiled by the survey are especially important for GetJar, as the company recently announced it has secured $25 million in Series C funding from Tiger Global Management.
They plan to aggressively expand its offering to Android publishers in order to secure its position as the premier “open” Android Market alternative while continuing to support other smartphone platforms such as Blackberry and IOS.
Research was conducted by GetJar in February 2011 and surveyed over 2,000 global consumers.
See below for an infographic from GetJar featuring highlights from the survey.
www.getjar.com
