A new survey shows that Christmas Day is huge when it comes to app downloads - with 30 percent of smartphone/tablet owners planning to download a mobile app on Dec. 25 this year.
The SOASTA study, which was conducted by Harris Interactive, reveals that 49 percent of smartphone/tablet owners who are planning to download apps on Christmas Day actually plan on downloading a gaming app, followed by music (43 percent) and weather (27 percent). The next most popular categories were shopping (25 percent), social media (24 percent), news (21 percent), photography (19 percent), video (18 percent), banking (15 percent) and transportation (12 percent).
Additional insights found that men (35 percent) are more likely than women (24 percent) to download apps on Christmas Day. Moreover, millennials (18-34 years old) are the most likely to download an app on Christmas Day (47 percent), followed by 35-44 year olds (25 percent) and 45-54 year olds (21 percent).
It is important to note that these projected downloads are huge, as the average American has just 33 apps downloaded on their smartphone. That said, app developers should ensure that their apps are prepared for both high traffic and download rates on Dec. 25. This is because mobile consumers are quick to delete apps that don't work properly. In fact, an October study from SOASTA found that 91 percent of smartphone owners in the top 10 American markets are likely to delete or uninstall paid mobile apps if they experience technical issues.
"Three in ten Americans with a smartphone or tablet are planning to download a mobile app on Christmas Day," said Tom Lounibos, CEO of SOASTA. "It's a crowded market, and we already know that smartphone owners are quick to delete or uninstall mobile apps that don't perform to their standards. More than ever, there is a lot of pressure to get things right the first time around. It's critical that companies test for technical issues and speed before their app hits the market, or they run the risk of losing customers during peak downloading season."