• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer, October 26, 2018

For mobile marketers running campaigns in Japan, or those considering it, the country represents a unique and dynamic opportunity, writes Isabelle Watson, Content Manager. It’s a lucrative one too, she says: Japan is the third-largest market in terms of gross App Store consumer spend, totaling around $14 billion, and Japanese consumers are savvy, engaged and ready to spend.

A new report created by Adjust and Liftoff covers all you need to know about mobile app engagement in Japan, says the report. The report draws from Liftoff and Adjust internal data from Aug 2017 through July 2018, sampling over nine billion impressions across over 100 million clicks and 1.45 million installs.

The Japanese mobile app economy is unlike any other, says the report, and understanding its unique dynamics is essential to building an effective mobile business. As the third-largest market in terms of gross App Store consumer spend, Japanese consumers are savvy, engaged and ready to spend.

That means that marketers who optimize their campaigns can win big. But successfully tapping into the market requires a significant amount of know-how.

Luckily, in collaboration with Liftoff, we’ve put together a report which covers everything you need to know about Japanese app engagement. In it, you’ll find in-depth analysis of cost and engagement metrics, broken down by verticals, demographics, platforms, and seasonal trends.

The report is the result of a year’s worth of data, sampling an impressive nine billion impressions, across over 100 million clicks, and 1.45 million installs. The sample included a total of 123 apps.

Here’s a peek of what the analysis found:

Japanese women are power users:

• When it comes to demographics, women are far and away the growth drivers of the Japanese app market. They instigate more than double the amount of installs as men do, and spend a lot more money, too: 3.44% of new female users make an in-app purchase, compared to 2.5% of men. As a result, Cost Per Install is noticeably lower for women.

That’s worth bearing in mind when creating campaigns says the report, and marketers targeting towards women need to get it right. It’s especially valid when you consider that Japanese consumers are among the most loyal in the world, with 3% higher retention rates than the global average. 

Cost Per Engagement is high for Japanese users. CPI - the average cost to acquire a single paid install from a user stands at $5.5, which our mobile benchmarks tool puts at double the global average. Cost Per Action, such as for registrations, is even higher at $8.

These figures aren’t surprising for mature markets like Japan, says the report, but what’s worth noting. In relation to these is the high install-to-action rates. That means users who install are far more engaged and willing to spend than those elsewhere in the world. So while CPI might be expensive, it’s worth the investment, attracting those power users will pay dividends further down the line.

The Japanese mobile app economy is unlike any other, and understanding its unique dynamics is essential to building an effective mobile business. As the third-largest market in terms of gross App Store consumer spend, Japanese consumers are savvy, engaged and ready to spend.

A new report created by Adjust and Liftoff covers all you need to know about mobile app engagement in Japan, concludes the report.

Cost Per Engagement is high for Japanese users. CPI - the average cost to acquire a single paid install from a user - stands at $5.5, which our mobile benchmarks tool puts at double the global average. Cost Per Action, such as for registrations, is even higher at $8.

These figures aren’t surprising for mature markets like Japan, but what’s worth noting in relation to these is the high install-to-action rates. That means users who install are far more engaged and willing to spend than those elsewhere in the world. So while CPI might be expensive, it’s worth the investment: attracting those power users will pay dividends further down the line.