US smartphone in-app purchase spending will hit $42.31 billion this year, up 13.0% over 2021. Growth will slow to the single digits over the next few years, and spending will pass the $50 billion mark in 2025.

The majority of US social buyers still order from retailer websites, rather than directly on social platforms. In December, 61.5% said they made their most recent social commerce purchase on the retailer’s site, while 38.5% reported doing so through the social network’s checkout feature.

Gaming will make up the large majority of mobile app spending, report shows: Mobile game spending will increase 12.6% worldwide this year, but its overall share of in-app spending is on a slight decline.

Even so, privacy rules and commissions within apps have boosted in-app costs to the point that some advertisers are looking more closely at mobile web advertising.

In-app purchases and subscriptions aren’t just for gaming apps anymore, and the rise in online shopping will make ecommerce and affiliate advertising a viable model for more industries. Marketers. Incentivize first-party data sharing.

Meta’s move toward monetization is similar to in-app purchases from other platforms like Roblox, which lets creators sell items they craft for the game. What’s next? While “in-world purchases” for Horizon are still in trial, the move indicates a wider plan to monetize the metaverse. There’s no indication that developers or creators will find the fees and commissions acceptable.

On today's episode, we discuss the major contributors toward digital advertising's growth this year, what the ceiling is for mobile ad spending's share of the total ad market, and whether TV ad dollars are actually on a downward trajectory. We then talk about Gen Z's ad preferences and the prospects for Apple Podcasts' in-app subscriptions. Tune in to the discussion with eMarketer senior forecasting analyst at Insider Intelligence Peter Vahle.

Beyond the chart: A decrease in the number of apps used does not translate to a decrease in app use. In fact, average time spent with smartphones is on the rise in the US, up 4.1% from last year for a total of 3 hours and 19 minutes. But users are consolidating time to fewer platforms as apps go super and offer more services in their closed ecosystems. More like this:. Report: US Ad Spending 2022.

Beyond the chart: Among US smartphone users overall, in-app spending will hit $42.31 billion this year, split fairly evenly between gaming and nongaming apps. More than half of that total goes toward virtual goods, like avatar skins and video filters, and will continue to do so through the end of our forecast period in 2026.

This growth was met with increased in-app promotion that enables restaurants to get top billing in food searches. In-app promotion is available to Skip’s 30,000 restaurant partners in Canada, with rates negotiated based on the campaign and the marketing contract, a company spokesperson said.

In fact, last year, Happify Health told Insider Intelligence it plans to meet with the AMA to advocate for more digital therapy codes, including codes for gathering patient data or for in-app virtual check-ins.