Ahead of Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics, Japan’s Engagement With Entertainment Apps Heats Up, Says New Report from Liftoff and Adjust

The data shows consumers in Japan are warming up to mobile entertainment as the install-to-registration rates for entertainment apps jump to a high 86.7%

PALO ALTO, Calif.(23 Oct 2019)

Liftoff, the leader in mobile app marketing and retargeting, today released its annual report on the state of mobile technology adoption in Japan with Adjust, the industry leader in mobile measurement and fraud prevention. While streaming giants have yet to crack the country’s subscription market, the study reveals that, as Japan gears up for the 2020 Summer Olympics, citizens are registering for entertainment apps at record rates.

Analyzing more than 16.4 billion ad impressions across 2.9 million installs and 2.6 million post-install events between August 2018 and July 2019, the report found the following:

Japan’s Entertainment App Market Comes Up to Speed as Digital Takes the Lead...

Home to a population of 126 million and ranked as the fourth richest country, according to the World Bank, the Japanese mobile market has existed longer than any other worldwide. Yet Japanese users have been slow to embrace mobile technology, a phenomenon closely linked to the country being dubbed "the most-aged nation in the world," where 28.8% of the population is 65 or older.  

But live video streaming adoption continues to increase globally, and the flexibility of mobile is becoming the preferred viewing method for cultural and sporting events: the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics saw record-breaking coverage on digital platforms as over half the world’s population tuned into the games, boasting an increased digital reach that jumped to over 243,000 hours of coverage. As the country gears up for the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics, Liftoff and Adjust’s data suggest that even Japan's citizens are warming up to new modes of accessing live media. 

At $3.98, the cost to acquire a user for an entertainment app is up 86% from the previous year -- a massive increase that shows the market is heating up. Additionally, registration rates have increased to a record-high 86.7%, up 15% year-over-year.

With recent history demonstrating a massive increase in media consumption on digital platforms, the data suggests the competition for eyeballs and audience will escalate. Ultimately, while the number of sessions for entertainment apps in Japan is at the low-end of the spectrum, the time spent is impressive, indicating it's a category with audience appeal and growth potential.  

Overall the report shows that Japan is a promising market for mobile marketers looking for success in tapping into an increasingly mobile-friendly population. Marketers looking to capitalize on this burgeoning market for mobile apps should take advantage of key opportunities: registration is the engagement stage where app marketers can buy low and engage high, and May, June and July particularly stand out as stellar months when marketers can acquire highly engaged users at a reasonable cost. 

To view the full report and findings from Liftoff, please visit: https://info.liftoff.io/2019-japan-mobile-app-engagement-report/ 

Methodology

The 2019 Japan Mobile App Engagement Report draws from Liftoff internal data from August 1, 2018 - July 31, 2019, including 16.4 billion ad impressions (16,435,193,823 to be exact) across 2.9 million installs and 2.6 million post-install events. Specifically, the report tracks costs and conversions across a variety of verticals in Japan’s mobile app market, breaking down engagement activities, retention rates and key market opportunities for mobile marketers to activate engagement in each vertical. The report also includes benchmarks per app category, including dating, entertainment, finance, gaming, shopping and utility apps. 

About Liftoff

Liftoff is a performance-based mobile app marketing and retargeting platform which uses post-install user data to run true cost-per-action user acquisition and re-engagement campaigns. Powered by advanced machine learning and lookalike targeting, Liftoff campaigns are optimized to drive actions beyond the install, like booking a hotel, making a reservation, or renewing a subscription. Liftoff’s cost-per-action model helps customers scale and grow by acquiring users that actively spend in revenue-producing events. Headquartered in Palo Alto, CA with offices in New York, London, Paris, Seoul, Singapore, and Tokyo, Liftoff works with the leading app publishers and brands around the globe.  

About Adjust

Adjust is the industry leader in mobile measurement and fraud prevention. The global company provides high-quality analytics, measurement and fraud prevention solutions for mobile app marketers worldwide, enabling them to make smarter, faster marketing decisions. Adjust is a marketing partner with all major platforms, including Facebook, Google, Snap, Twitter, Line, and Tencent. In total, more than 25,000 apps have implemented Adjust’s solutions to improve their performance. Founded in 2012, today Adjust has global offices in Berlin, New York, San Francisco, São Paulo, Paris, London, Moscow, Istanbul, Tel Aviv, Seoul, Shanghai, Beijing, Tokyo, Mumbai and Singapore.