Mobile Messaging Apps Growth Rate, 2013 [CHART]

Mobile Messaging Apps Growth Rate, 2013 [CHART]

Mobile messaging apps elbowed their way past games and social networks to become the fastest-growing app category among smartphone users worldwide, according to a 2013 analysis by mobile analytics firm Flurry. However, the conversational nature of these apps makes them tricky places for brands to infiltrate, according to a new eMarketer report, “Mobile Messaging Apps: Digital Intimacy Attracts Users, Challenges Marketers.”

With comparatively less pressure to move away from voice calling and data plan fees on the rise, the adoption of mobile messaging has been more gradual in the US compared with other countries. A July 2013 survey conducted by Ipsos MORI on behalf of Deloitte showed smartphone users in the US ranked far behind their counterparts in most mature countries with respect to use of mobile messaging services. Read the rest at eMarketer.