Category: Mobile Gaming

Data shows UK Android users are enchanted by mobile commerce apps

There was a time when mobile games and other entertainment applications were exceedingly popular among Android users. New data from Nielsen, a leading information and analysis firm, shows that this is no longer the case, at least in the United Kingdom. According to Nielsen, mobile commerce and banking applications are now the most popular apps with Android users. Seven of the top 15 major applications in the UK market have to do with mobile commerce in some way, with some of the most used apps coming from Tesco, Amazon, and Quidco.

Consumers show strong interest in shopping from their smart phones and tablets

Mobile commerce has grown to become a very powerful force in the mobile space. Consumers all over the world have been showing interest in using their mobile devices to purchase products of all kinds. Mobile commerce is especially popular in retail, where companies like Tesco have been working to engage mobile consumers for years. According to Nielsen, Tesco’s application saw more than a 145% spike in new users between May and October of 2012. Those using the application spent 45% more time engaged with the retailer during the same period.

Banks and telecoms account for many popular applications

Many of the mobile commerce applications that have become popular with UK consumers come from the country’s banks and telecommunications companies. Banking applications have been included in Nielsen’s data because mobile commerce does not exclusively refer to the practice of purchase a product using a smart phone or tablet. Rather, mobile commerce is any form of commerce conducted through the use of a mobile device, banking and shopping included.

Mobile games win in consumer engagement

Despite mobile commerce applications becoming so popular among Android users, many consumers are still showing strong interest in mobile games. Nielsen’s data shows that mobile games accounted for the most time spent on smart phones and tablets among consumers. While these applications may have been beaten out by mobile commerce in terms of growth, they are still soaking up the majority of a consumer’s time through engagement.

GREE and Yahoo Japan to launch new venture focused on mobile games

Mobile games giant GREE has announced it has been working with its partner Yahoo Japan  over the past several months to introduce a new take of social games into the Japanese market. GREE and Yahoo Japan joined forced in November 2012 and put a strong focus on addressing some of the demands that had emerged among consumers in Japan. Now, the two companies have announced that they will launch a joint venture in March, 2013, that aims to revolutionize social games and the way people play them.

Consumers show strong support for social games

Mobile games are very popular in Japan, especially those with strong social elements. Consumers have proven time and again that they enjoy various forms of social media, with Twitter and Facebook serving as examples for such interest. When it comes to gaming, consumers typically enjoy those that they can play with friends or, in some cases, complete strangers. These games attract interest because of they tend to create a community atmosphere that can be both competitive and welcoming to a wide range of consumers.

Venture will draw upon strength of GREE and Yahoo Japan

The new joint-venture is being called “GxYz,” though its name is likely to be changed in the future. Both GREE and Yahoo Japan have invested more than $2 million into the venture and is being designed to build upon the strength of both of its parent companies. The venture will take advantage of GREE’s strong presence in mobile games and Yahoo Japan’s user acquisition capabilities to help draw more attention to the social gaming business. The venture is suggested to open up new possibilities in the development of mobile games and help introduce new ideas to the industry.

Developers may help revolutionize the game industry with mobile games

The venture will be focused exclusively on the Japanese market. Japan has long held a very prominent position in the game industry, as many of the world’s most acclaimed development studios call the country home. These studios helped shape the early years of gaming and may help usher in a new generation of mobile games that could have a major impact on the game industry as a whole.