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Growth markets drive education apps

Staff Writer
By Staff Writer, ITWeb
Johannesburg, 25 Apr 2014
There is a higher demand in SA and other developing countries for educational apps, than in developed countries where Internet is universal.
There is a higher demand in SA and other developing countries for educational apps, than in developed countries where Internet is universal.

Emerging markets, including SA, are largely driving educational app usage, with four of the five countries with a larger than average market for education apps being the growth markets of SA, Kenya, Nigeria and India. The fifth is the US.

This is according to MEF (formerly "Mobile Entertainment Forum") - the global community for mobile content and commerce - which has released the third report in its Global Consumer Insights series, this time on mobile education.

The report analysed data from 10 000 respondents in 13 countries, highlighting both regional and global trends for mobile education products and services.

The analysis revealed educational apps rank ninth among all app categories, with 17% of mobile media users downloading an educational app globally. This is a slight decline from 20% in 2012, says MEF, but should be taken in the context of the trend in overall app consumption.

Mobile motivation

MEF says apart from emerging markets topping the list of educational app uptake, the use of educational mobile apps is often mandated in these countries. When asked about "motivations for purchase", users in SA, Nigeria, Kenya and India were most likely to reply: "I had to for my school/college/university."

Conversely, in developed markets - where access to education and the Internet is universal - the demand for educational apps is lower.

"However, consumers in these markets still display a firm desire for self-improvement, with reference, medical and productivity apps in much higher demand. The global average demand for these products among mobile media users is still low (9%), but US mobile media users, for example, consume such apps at much higher rates of 15% (productivity), 17% (medical) and 21% (reference)."

Interestingly, many users see education apps as playful or fun rather than just a functional aide to education. When asked what motivated them to buy an app from an educational site, the top answer was "entertainment" (47%, versus 35% of those buying an app from any site). MEF says this finding can be attributed to the successful gamification of educational apps by developers who have introduced gaming concepts such as quizzes, rewards and competition to the learning process.

The report also highlights that educational app users are more engaged with m-commerce than other users, spending more on mobile-related purchases. The research shows 65% of the total sample makes some form of purchase from their phones. For educational app users, it is 72%. They are also more likely to spend heavily (46% have spent more than $151 on a purchase versus 39%).

At the end of last year, MEF painted a picture of what 2014 may look like with the unveiling of its predictions for the global mobile landscape over the following 12 months. At the time, it predicted "mass-adoption of education and m-health apps will be driven by mobile-first markets". In 2013, 26% of educational app usage was from India followed by 25% in SA and 20% in Kenya according to the results of MEF's 13-country study.

In a statement yesterday, MEF CEO Rimma Perelmuter said mobile-first markets were clearly driving the uptake of educational apps. "This nascent sector has been quick to adopt engagement and business models from other types of app with entertainment and gamification key motivators for consumer uptake."

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