Before we ring out 2013, we probably want to slip in that Apple did extremely well against Android over the holiday season. Regarding apps, it appears that the AppStore did quite a bit of business around Christmas as compared to Android. IBM’s latest Digital Analytics Benchmark Report found that purchases made from iOS devices accounted for about 23 percent of the online shopping done on Christmas Day in the U.S.
Referring to millions of transactions tracked by IBM, from approximately 800 U.S. retail websites, they estimate that’s close to five times as many purchases as the 4.6 percent that were made from Android devices over the holiday. My question is, what is IBM tracking this stuff? According to the article at AllThingsD;
“…those purchase[s] were generally more costly. iOS users spent an average of $93.94 per order, versus $48.10 for Android — nearly double. Finally, iOS devices accounted for 32.6 percent of the Christmas Day traffic IBM charted, compared to 14.8 percent for Android.
True, this is only U.S. data, but it speaks to an important metric in the iOS versus Android discussion — usage. Android may have a greater share of the mobile devices market, but iOS devices continue to rule in usage measurements. And that’s worth noting. Recall that one of the big numbers Apple rolled out at its fall iPad event was a metric claiming that the iPad has captured an 81 percent share of tablet usage. And according to CEO Tim Cook, that’s the metric that matters most to Apple.”
I’m not very familiar with the Android Marketplace. Do you think apps are marketed as well for Android as for iOS? There are more apps for tweaking your phone, but what about commercial apps? Is it about the platform or the way that apps are marketed? If you have experience with both, please chime in. In the meantime, Happy New Years, and see you in 2014!