ONLINE COMMUNICATION APPS DOMINATE OVER LOCK-DOWN

The results show something we’ve quite frankly never seen before. The top 10 spots have been completed dominated by new app entries, knocking the typical social media and messenger apps off their long occupied top spots.

According to data house SensorTower, the online video conferencing app Zoom has performed above expectations this year. The app topped all of the app download charts across the board with considerable ease. The app, which has grabbed plenty of headlines around the world throughout lockdown, surpassed even 2020’s big social media sensation, TikTok which remained a firm second best across the rankings. Where there is a demand and a suitable app there is a powerhouse of download opportunity and Zoom has very much succeeded in winning the lockdown communication arms race.

In April alone, the Zoom app was downloaded 131 million times. That’s 60 times more growth than the app saw in the same month in 2019. A whopping 18% of those downloads coming from India with 15% from the USA; these figures confirm a truly global demand has been created for the conferencing tool. Those these figures are for app downloads, it’s important to note that Zoom can also be accessed via desktop devices, so the actual volume of users is many times higher.

Other competitors who made plays later on in the lockdown period include Google’s entry Google Meet and Microsoft’s Teams. Both have been disappointing by comparison and a little late to the party despite the respective search engines investing in heavy advertising campaigns including television spots.

Elsewhere, Apple’s iOS store saw WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger drop out of the top 10 and Instagram out of the top 5 for the first time in almost two years. YouTube also lost out significantly while Netflix has managed to hold on, for iOS downloads at least.

These incredible developments represent the huge surge in demand for apps which solve a genuine problem in the life of the users. Apps that can fulfil a genuine need – such as easy meetings and video calls during office closures - and are available and prominent when that need arises are those who set themselves up for success.

When you sit down to think about your next business app design, consider how you can fulfil a need or solve a problem.