作者：Mary Suddendorf

在过去数年中，应用开发者、发行商和应用商店都见证了一个影响整个科技消费领域的趋势——用户权限和选择权的扩大。用户掌握着积极或消极评价应用的权力，他们可以选择要在哪个应用商店下载产品。例如，Android用要么可向Android Market这种谷歌官方应用商店下载或浏览应用，也可以转向GetJar等其他应用渠道。即使是在封闭的苹果设备上，用户也可以选择浏览苹果App Store获取内容或者通过Safari浏览器使用HTML5应用。

在这个用户至上的市场上，应用发行商及开发者需把握以下几个趋势，以确保自己的产品持续创造市场需求，满足用户个性化体验，同时又能创造可观收益。

in-appadvertising(from netmagazine)

1.盈利解决方案

应用盈利性指的是一款应用到达用户手中之后，持续创造收益来源的能力。多数应用发行商已在诸多应用发售渠道中站稳脚跟，并深入理解应用商店政策及条款，我认为盈利性一词将成为他们的下一个重要关注领域，原因很简单：目前有65%的“免费增值”游戏收益来自IAP模式，有72%的苹果App Store收益来自IAP模式。所以掌握强大盈利解决方案的应用发行商在2012年的市场中将拥有更多胜算。

实现盈利首先要了解应用的用户终身价值。其次是找到持续提升用户终身价值的门路。可增加用户终身价值的盈利策略包括：来自内部广告或广告网络的应用内置广告，基于广告的应用内置奖励，推广其他发行商应用产品的应用内置广告，以及出售额外产品和服务的IAP。

2.安全性

最近频现报端的网络攻击行为让用户对网络安全提高了警惕。例如，许多iPhone用户都不愿意让手机“越狱”，或者修改手机设置，因为他们认为这会增加安全隐患。他们认为单点登录和社交登录方式的安全性更高。总之，用户希望自己的在线体验安全无虞。

在复杂应用程序数量持续增长的情况下，应用发行商要满足用户的安全性需求，就必须确保自己的产品不易遭到可能来自用户设备的恶意软件的攻击。发行商需注意保护的数据包括用户信用卡、银行和个人身份等相关信息，为用户提供安全放心的体验，有利于提升用户访问应用或在应用中执行交易的意愿。

3.针对性和个性化

随着应用发行商深入了解用户，2012年我们将迎来能够有效锁定用户，并提供个性化用户体验的公司成为市场领军力量的时代。2012年的一大趋势包括根据用户习惯和喜好，瞄准特定应用商店的特定应用布局。这种方法与搜索引擎营销相似。

举例来说，你在谷歌上放广告推销自己制作的小工具，因为谷歌上可以搜索到与该产品相关的最多关键字段。但是对经常使用另一搜索引擎的细分市场用户来说，你的小工具可能会更有吸引力。在这种情况下，你就得进行一些广告营销计划，以便瞄准运行不同搜索引擎的特定用户。

应用商店的营销活动也同此理。发行商需鉴别哪个商店可产生更高收益，或者更高的特定用户终身价值。要有针对性地锁定应用发售渠道，并针对不同表现的应用商店分别制定营销策略。

2012年的另一大发展机遇是个性化应用内容。随着HTML5应用及混合应用（游戏邦注：这里指结合原生应用与网页应用特点的产品）的持续发展，用户对网页个性化内容适应性的加强，他们对应用程序也会产生同样的需求。这方面的例子包括匹配型应用内置广告和导向IAP消费的匹配服务。

4.HTML5

有些人仍对HTML5抱有成见，将其视为昙花一现的风潮。但应用发行商和开发商不可忽视HTML5这种技术，因为HTML5应用有助于他们绕过应用商店30%的收益抽成。

例如，苹果iOS这种完全封闭的生态圈就不允许用户安装未经过App Store审核的应用，除非用户“越狱”。这就要求该平台应用发行商向苹果支付30%的IAP、订阅付费等收益抽成。但如果采用了HTML5应用，苹果用户就可以直接通过Safari浏览器将HTML5应用“下载”到自己的设备上。这个过程实际上并不能算是“下载”，从技术上讲，它只是一个书签——但它的外观和风格却与安装在设备上的典型应用程序没有太大差别。

但HTML5应用也并非无懈可击，其中一大问题就是曝光度。HTML5应用发行商不能寄希望与通过应用商店实现曝光度，因此需采用不同策略以实现大规模销量。我认为将有一些HTML5应用商店成功吸引用户眼球，这将进一步帮助应用发行商克服曝光度和发行渠道等挑战。

5.应用数据分析

随着应用市场的成熟发展，网络用户选择权的扩大，用户留存率和粘性将成为应用发行商在2012年的一大挑战。数据分析有助于提升用户留存率，降低用户获取成本，增加用户终身价值。

原因？因为更为领先的应用发行商将根据用户生命周期制定盈利方案，通过应用商店匹配技术获取用户，个性化应用内容。应用数据分析可促使这些趋势成为重复而可靠的收益驱动力。网站分析已经成为考察用户网络操作行为的一个标准，而应用程序现在也已经成为发行商的一个在线商店，所以这种准则也同样适用于应用程序。没错，应用体验将日益成为应用发行商的一个在线商店。这一领域的佼佼者将凭借应用数据分析最大限度地优化用户体验，并在应用生命周期中成功盈利。（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，拒绝任何不保留版权的转载，如需转载请联系：游戏邦）

Five app trends to look out for in 2012By Mary Suddendorf on January 20, 2012

Mary Suddendorf

Every day consumers from all over the world download millions of apps from an increasing number of connected devices, including laptops, tablets, e-readers, smart TVs and smartphones. Today most app publishers are finding themselves in a similar position: They’ve made the decision whether to make apps native for each operating system or use HTML5 to construct a web app, and they know which app distribution channels they’ll be using. While their current biggest challenge may be how to keep up with existing demand, it’s of great importance to look a bit further ahead as well. Having a strategy in place designed specifically with future trends in mind is key for ensuring continued distribution and revenue success.

Over the past few years app developers, publishers, and stores around the globe have seen the industry evolve in response to a defining trend that has affected tech consumption across the board: consumer empowerment and choice. Customers hold the power to review an app positively or negatively and they have options for obtaining content through their desired app stores – and that’s just the way they like it. For example, a user with an Android device can download or view content from their choice of app stores, including Android Market, their mobile network’s app store, or other sources like getjar.com.  Even “out of the box” Apple device users have the option to consume apps through Apple’s App Store or via an HTML5 app the shopper navigates to through their Safari browser.

So in a global market where the connected customer rules, here are some 2012 trends publishers and developers will need to consider to make sure their apps remain in high demand, are available where and when customers want them, and are as profitable as possible.

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1. App monetisation

App monetisation is the ability to create a consistently productive revenue stream from an app after it is in the hands of your consumers. As app publishers have gained their footing in the various app distribution channels, and as they continue to better understand the terms and conditions of the agreements for app stores, I expect monetisation to become their next logical area of focus and for good reason: today, 65 per cent of “freemium” games revenue comes from in-app purchases as does 72 per cent of Apple’s app revenue. So publishers with a solid monetisation program will be the ones best poised to dominate the market in 2012.

The first step in monetisation begins by understanding the current lifetime value of your app user base. Next, find ways to consistently make that value go higher. Monetisation tactics that can increase customer lifetime value include in-app advertising from house ads or an ad network, in-app incentive based advertising, in-app advertising promoting the distribution of other app publishers’ apps, and in-app purchases selling incremental products and services.

An example of an app monetisation program where a non-incentivised in-app ad promotes another app

2. Security

Recent press about cyber attacks has made the connected customer more security savvy.  For example, most iPhone users don’t want to “jailbreak” or otherwise modify their device because they believe it could increase their threat exposure. They assume that single sign-on and social sign-on provides greater security. The bottom line is that users expect their online experience to be as secure as possible.

In this environment, and as the sophistication of apps continues to increase, the responsibility lies with app publishers to meet these high expectations by making sure their product is secure and protected from malicious apps that may be on a user’s device. With data on the line that can include credit card, banking and valuable personally identifiable information, the stakes are high, but the reward for trusted app publishers is significant. Deliver a secure experience for your user and they’ll show their appreciation through increased willingness to interact and transact within apps.

3. Targeting and personalisation

App publishers are gaining a better understanding of their users and 2012 is the year we should begin to see leaders pull ahead of the pack by leveraging that understanding to target their efforts and personalise the user experience. One top trend will include targeting the placement of specific apps to specific app stores based on user behaviour and preference.  This approach is similar to one often taken with search engine marketing.

Let’ s say you make widgets and you’re advertising on Google since that’s where you’ll see the highest search volume on most of your keyword phrases. However, your widget may appeal greatly to a niche consumer who only always visits another search engine. In that case, you must create campaigns geared toward the particular customer that run on their preferred search engine.

The same holds true for app stores, as well. Identify which stores produce higher revenues or lifetime value metrics for a particular type of customer. Target your distribution accordingly and personalise your approach for each of your highest performing stores.

Another opportunity for 2012 is personalised app content. As proliferation of HTML5 and hybrid apps (a combination of a native app and a web-based app) continues, and as users become more comfortable receiving personalised content as part of their website browsing experience generally speaking, they will expect their in-app user experience to be personalised, as well.  Examples include targeted in-app advertising and targeted services leading to in-app purchases.

4. HTML5

Some may be skeptical of HTML5, seeing it as just a passing fad. However, publishers and developers should care about HTML5 because an HTML5 app can free them from paying the app stores 30 percent for their customer’s initial app purchase or for in-app purchases.

For example, Apple’s completely closed ecosystem doesn’t allow any app that hasn’t been delivered through Apple’s App Store to be installed on an Apple device unless the device happens to be jailbroken. This requires the app publisher to pay Apple 30 per cent for all transactions that occur through the app store, in app purchases, subscription billing, and so on. But by deploying an HTML5 app, the Apple user can navigate to the HTML5 app via their Safari browser and download the app to their device. It really isn’t a download per se – technically, it’s a bookmark – but it looks and feels like a typical app that would be placed on the desktop of the device.

However, HTML5 apps are not without their challenges, one of which is visibility. HTML5 app publishers can’t count on an app store for exposure, so different tactics are required to achieve large scale distribution. Additionally, there are HTML5 app stores that I believe will garner more attention from end users. This may help further address visibility and distribution challenges.

5. In-App analytics

As the app market matures and the connected customer exercises their power of choice, user retention and engagement may become one of the app publisher’s largest challenges in 2012. Analytics can help customers keep an app longer and stay engaged with it. This can reduce acquisition costs and increase customer lifetime value.

Why? Because more leading app publishers will be monetising the user throughout their lifecycle, acquiring their customers through app store targeting, and personalising in-app content. In-app analytics is the critical component that will enable each of these trends to be repeatable, reliable revenue drivers. Website analytics are now the de facto standard for providing actionable insight on web behavior and, since apps are now the online store for the app publisher, the same insight will be required for apps. Yes, you read that correctly: the in-app experience will increasingly function as the online store for the app publisher. Leaders in this space will come to rely on in-app analytics for full optimisation of the user experience and monetisation of the app lifecycle.

An example of an advertisement promoting wedding DJs that is served because the words “Wedding Chapel” appear on this album cover. Expect to see better targeting and personalisation in 2012 as in-app analytics improve

The 2012 trends for app publishers are fast moving – more may emerge yet this year – and while it may seem difficult to keep up with current demands while also looking  to the future, it’s important to keep in mind that most of what happens in the industry will likely continue to be driven by the connected customer. Keeping users top of mind will serve every app developer well in a wide variety of market conditions.（source:netmagazine）