As businesses in the UAE double down on mobile apps in a bid to increase customer engagement and spending, they are seeing highly positive results for their efforts with the overall number of installs of mobile apps in the country growing 23% in H1 2022, compared to the same period last year. While finance apps were, by and large, the most successful, with installs growing a staggering 183%, other categories that posted noteworthy app install growth included entertainment (31%), travel (36%), social (30%) and food and drink (15%).
“It’s clear that as we emerge into the post-pandemic world, the accelerated momentum toward mobile that we’ve witnessed over the last two years has now created a mobile-first mindset among consumers and businesses,” said Samer Saad, Regional Manager – Middle East, AppsFlyer. “Our findings indicate a growing preference for mobile apps as the primary engagement channel. While this is ushering in a new era of convenience for consumers, it has greatly increased the competitiveness of the space. Businesses must now seek innovative and measurable means of enhancing user experiences and increasing engagement on their mobile apps.”
A notable outlier was retail apps which saw overall installs drop by 9%. This is likely due to the surge the sector experienced throughout the pandemic, a feat that has been hard to replicate as consumers have regained their ability to visit physical stores.