Apps are a leading product category purchased via mobile among college students
College students are one of the most likely demographics in the US to own a smartphone, and research shows that most are using them to put a new twist on what phones have always been used for: communication.
Market researcher DigitalMediaIX surveyed students at 12 Big Ten universities in April and found that the leading category of app used by smartphone owners was communication, at 21%. A further 19% said social networks were their top app category, meaning that communicating or socializing was the main use of apps for two in five students surveyed.
The most popular specific app, unsurprisingly, was Facebook, used by 33% of students, followed by Twitter, at 22%.
DigitalMediaIX also found that college students were significantly more likely to have an iPhone than a phone by any other single manufacturer—in fact, with 58% reporting having an iPhone, only a minority share was left over for all Android phones, let alone BlackBerry.
The student smartphone owners surveyed also showed a willingness to pay for mobile apps, with 71% saying they were a product category they had purchased on their smartphone—ahead of any physical goods or even other electronic downloads like music (59%).
Corporate subscribers have access to all eMarketer analyst reports, articles, data and more. Join the over 750 companies already benefiting from eMarketer’s approach. Learn more.
Check out today’s other articles, “Twitter Beats Facebook in US Mobile Ad Revenues This Year” and “Mobile Ad Competition Hotter in Display Market.”