Fiksu: App Downloads Hit Record High in December 2014

User acquisition and marketing company Fiksu has released its indexes for December 2014, which marked a huge increase in app downloads to end the year. Its App Store Competitive index, which tracks the average number of daily downloads for the top 200 free iOS apps, rocketed to 9.2 million, up 14 percent from November 2014, and up 44 percent year-over-year. This is the third month in a row for new download records, as users raced to fill their new devices with apps after receiving them during the holiday season.

With this increase in downloads, the iOS cost per loyal user (CPLU) also increased, with the CPLU index increasing to $2.10 in December, an increase of 33 percent from November. Interestingly, the Cost Per Install index was split for the month, with different costs for apps and games. The cost per install for iOS and Android apps increased 42 percent and 47 percent in December, respectively, while this number decreased by 15 percent and 6 percent for iOS and Android games.

Fiksu attributes this split to the increased year-end competition among brands, as well as an apparent “backing down” by game publishers, who chose to limit their spending during the holiday war.

Micah Adler, CEO of Fiksu, said in a statement:

Reaching a new milestone of 9.2M app downloads – up over a million from last month – is an indicator of what we call the “the new reality of apps.” Consumer demand across iOS and Android is rising, which draws significant attention from major brands who are putting cost pressure on the games and other mobile-first apps. We expect these factors will not only elevate costs for marketers, but also drive an evolution of marketing strategies. In 2015, just buying mobile ads won’t be enough to drive usage – app marketers will need robust strategies based on customer data and precision targeting to find the right users for their apps.

Fiksu’s complete December indexes and analysis is available here.