The era of accelerated remote work growth seems to be stabilizing, as indicated by recent research.
- A study from SplitMetrics revealed a slowdown in downloads for productivity and business apps on Google Play in 2023.
- Despite a decrease, productivity apps saw 9 billion downloads, while business apps had 681 million this year.
- Established apps like LinkedIn and Zoom continue to dominate with significant lifetime downloads across both categories.
- Emerging apps such as Lopay and PDF Reader experienced notable growth, indicating shifts in user preferences.
The era of rapid remote work expansion appears to be plateauing, as evidenced by a recent study from SplitMetrics. The investigation highlights a noticeable slowdown in the download rates for productivity and business applications on the Google Play Store in 2023, though overall download figures remain substantial.
Although download growth has slowed, productivity apps have maintained significant activity with 9 billion downloads, while business apps reached 681 million downloads this year. This marks a decrease compared to the surge in 2022 when productivity apps reached 10 billion, and business apps 682 million downloads. These figures underscore a sustained demand for digital tools despite a reduction in growth pace.
Lifetime download metrics illustrate the dominance of established players in the app marketplace. In the business category, LinkedIn led with 1.5 billion downloads, followed by Zoom with 1.1 billion, and Microsoft Teams, OfficeSuite, and Indeed also showcased strong figures. In productivity, Google Drive achieved 10 billion downloads, with Google Calendar, Microsoft OneDrive, Google Assistant, and Google Keep making significant contributions.
Interestingly, certain emerging applications have shown remarkable growth, suggesting shifts in user interests. The business category witnessed Lopay: Payments & POS increase by 339% over 2022, while in productivity, the PDF Reader – PDF Viewer app grew by an impressive 701%. These trends reflect a potential pivot towards apps offering niche solutions or innovative functionalities.
Further insights from the Apple Search Ads study revealed the business category’s high Tap-Through Rate of 12.44% and a Cost-Per-Tap of $1.98, indicating strong user interest in business app advertising. The Cost-Per-Acquisition, however, remains higher at $2.93, revealing the competitive nature of acquiring new users in this sector.
Conversely, productivity apps exhibited a lower Cost-Per-Acquisition, highlighting a relatively cost-effective environment for gaining new users in this category. Notably, productivity apps’ highest engagement was observed during school exam seasons, specifically in May, June, and September, pointing to a possible correlation with academic activities.
Thomas Kriebernegg, General Manager of SplitMetrics Agency, noted the potential for developers to focus on niche solutions to reignite growth, stating, “While a small decrease in productivity apps is notable, the continued dominance of established players suggests a market saturation for core functionalities.”
The data underscores a sustained need for digital tools, yet signals a possible shift towards niche solutions or innovations to drive future growth.
