Study finds women are more likely to make in-app purchases than men

Mobile game makers should be focussing on female users, according to new data from marketing firm Liftoff.

The company released a report that shows women are 79 percent more likely to make an in-app purchase than men. Additionally, female users purchase in-app content 16.7 percent of the time.

Interestingly, when it comes to the cost of convincing users to install an app, women are slightly more expensive. According to Liftoff, it costs about $3.66 to get a male installation versus $3.84 for a female.

Because of the marginal cost difference, Liftoff suggests advertisers target females over males when it comes to mobile games.

Inclusive games may encourage more female players

This targeting can come in a number of different ways. For example, women tend to prefer puzzle games while men prefer strategy and action games. This insight comes via game analytics firm DeltaDNA.

However, that doesn’t necessarily mean developers should focus on puzzle games to get a female audience. Some genres, like casino games, are almost equally enjoyed by men and women.

Instead, the focus should be on inclusivity. According to a study by Newzoo, of the top 100 grossing games on Google Play, 44 percent more app icons feature males than females.

Furthermore, Newzoo says the majority of female mobile gamers think mobile games aren’t made for them.

App Store is still where the money is

The Liftoff report offers plenty of other interesting insights as well. For one, Liftoff corroborates data that shows App Store users spend more money on apps than Play Store users.

However, Liftoff points out that Google Play has more app downloads. Additionally, Google Play is bigger in markets like China.

In other words, developers and marketers should think about how they can appeal to massive markets like China.

For more detail and insights, you can check out the report for yourself here.

Source: Liftoff Via: The Verge, Venture Beat