Launching a TV app that’s built for the big screen. Expanding its reach via an agreement with Atmosphere in which the startup—which provides licensed, curated streaming video content for commercial venues such as restaurants, doctors’ offices, and gyms—will develop a channel on its platform dedicated to curated TikTok videos.

Bogliari also noted increased activity from app developers, notably in the fitness, food delivery and personal finance spaces. "It's really interesting to see the polarity in decisions from different brands," said Jennifer Piña, global director of brand partnerships at social commerce platform MagicLinks. "Some are quite literally frozen in time and can't do anything.

It struck a deal with OOH streaming TV provider Atmosphere in January 2022 to show its videos on displays in restaurants, bars, gyms, and other venues. It also launched its own CTV app, TikTok TV, in 2021, with partners including Amazon Fire TV, Google TV, LG, and Samsung. Meanwhile, Facebook has its own TV app, Facebook Watch, that is available via a range of TV partners.

National Restaurant Association. Shopper Media. YouGov.

Oculus’ app topped the charts after Christmas: The app that supports Meta’s VR headset product became the No. 1 app on both the iOS App Store and Google Play store. This strongly suggests the headsets soared in popularity this year. Before Christmas 2021, the Oculus app only cracked the iOS top 10 in the US. By December 26, it had reached the top five in 14 different markets.

Pizza Hut looks outside of the box: The fast-food chain seeks to regain leadership in digital food delivery through AI and analytics.

Article: The 3 apps dominating US alcohol delivery engagement. Article: Amazon pilots paid Whole Foods delivery—competitors may see an opening.

Data from a January 2022 data.ai (formerly App Annie) study shows sharp rises in time spent on mobile apps among Android users in 17 countries worldwide, including Indonesia and Singapore. (China—the lone exception—saw no increase in usage.). Triggered by lockdowns and social distancing, Southeast Asia mobile users started spending more time and doing more on their mobile devices.

Despite being the backbone of the global economy, the trucking industry faces substantial payment issues: On average, truckers get paid 60–90 days after shipment delivery, according to Lior Ron, head of Uber Freight—Uber's app-based solution, whose service matches carriers with shippers and operates similarly to its ride-sharing and food-delivery businesses.

Ad spending held up relatively well in this area—in large part because a lot of in-game advertising comes from other games or user acquisition-oriented advertisers with apps in different verticals like food delivery or ride-hailing. Ad sellers reported a glut of impressions from more users playing more sessions, leading to lower prices for ads and therefore a virtuous cycle for user acquisition.

“As there are more of these single-serve interactions with stores, you don’t want an app for every restaurant and every store you go to,” The New Consumer’s Frommer said, noting that Apple is in prime position to remove friction because it has the customer’s email address, payment information, and phone number.

But its user growth completely stalled in July when the government removed its app from domestic app stores as a part of a months-long data security review. Incumbents will face increased labor costs and new competition from smaller players.

It looks likely that apps and other service providers will pursue more varied monetization strategies this year. Traditionally, apps mostly pursued two strategies: in-app purchases and in-app advertising. Over the past couple of years, many developers have combined the two, but we’re increasingly seeing them use subscription-based models, as well as coupons or other incentives for viewing advertising, such as rewarded video. This shift will continue into 2021.

Jane Ko tried to avoid TikTok. The blogger and creator’s platform of choice is Instagram, where her @atasteofkoko account has about 118,000 followers, and she felt she wasn’t the right fit for an app that burst on the scene with singing and dancing—things she says she isn’t good at.

It is embodied in concepts like Freshippo, a reimagined grocery store concept powered by its mobile app that includes free 30-minute food delivery, click-and-collect coffee pickup, and mobile ordering and checkout. In an interesting corollary to today, much of Alibaba’s success and company culture traces back to lessons learned during a pandemic.

To that end, new legal mandates are rolling out to prevent grocery stores, restaurants, and retail businesses from going entirely cashless, and regulators are pressuring digital device-makers and app developers to create senior-friendly design options that will facilitate accessibility for the less digitally fluent.

The restaurant industry, which we include in our retail numbers, was placed under strict restrictions, including limits on indoor dining. Restaurants will greatly benefit from the easing of those restrictions, which the government kept in place until July 19. UK consumers were still keen to go out.

Its focus on attracting large and diverse businesses cushioned revenues and volume. Now, it's looking to BNPL, cryptos, and Cash App.

According to research from AutoNavi, a maps app operated by Alibaba, traffic in the major shopping districts of several upper-tier cities in China increased by 30% on average during the weekend of March 14, compared with the same period a month prior, when infections were at their height.