Tag: Sensor Tower

Singapore – Southeast Asian countries lead globally in Chinese app install share, with Indonesia (22%), the Philippines (21%), Malaysia and Thailand (both 19%), and Vietnam and Singapore (both 18%) ranking among the top markets, according to a study by Adjust and Sensor Tower.

The study revealed that SEA countries lead in most verticals for Chinese app installs, particularly in the utility category, with Vietnam (36%), Cambodia (33%), and Indonesia (30%) showing the highest shares.

For entertainment apps, Singapore leads globally in installs, holding a 49% share, followed by Pakistan at 36%. In gaming apps, the Philippines and Indonesia each hold a 19% install share, with Singapore close behind at 17%, all just trailing South Korea’s 21% lead. 

Meanwhile, Malaysia dominates social app installs at 80%, followed by Indonesia (65%), Vietnam (64%), and the Philippines (54%).

Across the APAC region, India and South Korea rank among the top 10 countries for Chinese app installs, each holding an 18% share.

According to the report, the top downloaded Chinese apps in SEA are TikTok (entertainment and social), DANA Dompet Digital Indonesia (finance), Garena Free Fire (gaming), Shopee (shopping), and SHAREit (utility), leading in popularity. For utility apps, Google One dominates revenue not only in Vietnam, Indonesia, and the Philippines but also in the US, UK, France, Germany, and Ireland.

Chinese shopping and finance apps continue to drive growth across Southeast Asia. The report shows that finance app installs in the region rose by 88% year-over-year (YoY) in Q3 2024, with sessions up 70% YoY. Shopping app installs saw a remarkable 184% YoY increase in Q3, despite an 18% decline in sessions. Social app installs grew by 27% YoY, alongside a 19% rise in sessions.

Furthermore, app-tracking transparency (ATT) opt-in rates are steadily rising across Southeast Asia, with overall rates increasing from 45% to 49%. Finance apps reached 53%, games 51%, and shopping apps rose notably from 33% to 44%, while social apps held steady at 44% and utility apps grew from 27% to 40%.

April Tayson, regional vice president for INSEAU at Adjust, said, “The rapid rise of Chinese apps worldwide underscores their influence in reshaping digital user experiences through gamification, artificial intelligence, and personalisation. Looking at how these apps have deeply integrated into our daily lives, Chinese apps’ momentum shows no signs of slowing down.”

The study shows strong adoption and engagement with finance and social apps across SEA, North America, and EMEA, highlighting growth opportunities for Chinese developers. Mobile-first platforms and rising smartphone use are driving this trend in SEA.

“These insights and data from our study will not only optimise marketers’ current strategies but also arm them with learnings from the success of Chinese apps in SEA to drive growth within their own digital offerings. The adoption patterns seen here are invaluable for marketers looking to gain valuable insights into user preferences and engagement habits,” Tayson added. 

California, USA – Sensor Tower, a data provider for the digital economy, announced today the acquisition of market intelligence platform data.ai. This strategic move allows Sensor Tower to broaden its reach and develop marketing intelligence solutions. 

With the acquisition of data.ai, Sensor Tower has taken a step forward by expanding its clientele to include companies like Microsoft, Sky, and Bandai Namco, all of which make use of data.ai’s mobile app intelligence solutions. This move strengthens Sensor Tower’s standing as a supplier for investors, top brands, agencies, and gaming publishers. It is also a crucial step toward extending its reach throughout the Asia-Pacific area and partnering with more Fortune 500 organisations.

In this transaction, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP provided legal guidance to Sensor Tower, and William Blair & Company, LLC acted as the financial advisor.

Speaking about the acquisition, Oliver Yeh, CEO of Sensor Tower, said, “Today we celebrate the beginning of a new and exciting chapter, not only for Sensor Tower, but for the digital marketing and mobile app intelligence industry. We have long admired data.ai’s stellar product and high-quality team. The acquisition will allow Sensor Tower to broaden its audience and expand its best in class offerings to any company that participates in the digital economy – helping bridge the gap between companies and consumers.” 

Meanwhile, Ted Krantz, CEO at data.ai., stated, “Since 2010, data.ai has helped some of the finest brands and publishers globally to optimise their mobile performance. This evolution offers the best path to innovation, more insights across more channels, and ultimately, more value derived by clients.”

Jeff Parks, co-founder & managing partner, Riverwood Capital and member of Sensor Tower’s board of directors, expressed, “We were excited to invest behind Oliver and the team in 2020 and continue to be impressed by Sensor Tower as they shape the future of how intelligence solutions can be used to make strategic decisions. We believe the combined company is now the gold standard for how data can deliver value to customers seeking to better understand and participate in the digital economy.” 

Ramesh Venugopal, partner at Riverwood Capital and member of Sensor Tower’s board of directors, also added, “The trend of companies actively pursuing a holistic understanding of a consumer’s digital footprint has been a vision we have shared with the Sensor Tower team since day one. It has been incredible to see this pattern continue to emerge as more companies embrace a sophisticated multi-channel market intelligence approach.” 

Furthermore, Chunsoo Kim, managing partner at Paramark Ventures, said, “This merger isn’t just about scaling Sensor Tower’s global presence – it’s about amplifying the impact on the entire marketing industry’s ability to measure the digital economy, which the combination of these two entities now have made possible through deeper insights and improved product experience. We’re especially thrilled to support the team as they delve deeper into the dynamic APAC market, where the digital economy is booming.” 

Lastly, David Healey, director at Bain Capital Credit, commented, “Riverwood and the Sensor Tower team have built an excellent business with unique technology, and we’re thrilled to be partnering with them to support the acquisition and the company’s next phase of growth.” 

Singapore – The expenditure across India and Southeast Asian e-commerce app users for Q2 2021 has tallied at US$106.7m where US$60.6m coming from India and US$46.1m in Southeast Asia, the latest insights from mobile advertising platform MAAS of Affle and mobile app store marketing intelligence company Sensor Tower show.

Southeast Asia’s e-commerce expenditures are based on data from Indonesia (US$18.8m), Malaysia (US$11.9m), Thailand (US$8m), and Vietnam (US$7.3m).

The study noted that e-commerce apps registered peak in-app activities, with the consistent upward growth resulting in an 18% Y/Y increase in average daily active users (DAU) for India and 20% Y/Y increase in Vietnam and Indonesia, for Q2 2021. India’s shopping app installs surged in July 2021, surpassing 80 million that month, up more than 15 million M/M. 

In terms of which product categories were popular on e-commerce shopping, they were groceries, grooming/beauty products, apparels, electronics, school and household items, furniture among others. 

Shopping behavior also indicated an increased preference for mobile-based transactions, with retention for first-time app users and after a week of using the top shopping apps in India reached their highest average since 2020 in Q2 2021. Longer-term retention for the top shopping apps in India peaked in Q3 2020, and while retention decreased in the following quarters, it still showed positive growth Y/Y. 

Meanwhile, retention for top shopping apps in SEA has trended slightly downwards since the start of 2020 during the turbulent times of the COVID-19 pandemic. Retention for e-commerce apps after a week of usage decreased by 1.4 percentage points Y/Y in Q2 2021, and a month of app usage retention fell by 0.4 percentage points Y/Y.

According to Viraj Sinh, co-founder and managing partner international at MAAS, India and Southeast Asia are projected to be one of the fastest-growing e-commerce markets in the world, by 2025, as its unique demographic and fast-changing consumer behavior trends creates a paradigm shift towards e-commerce in the region, which is certain and it continues to happen at a rapid pace

“New verticals, niche players continue to spring up across the region that further drive the adoption and penetration of e-commerce, which is still relatively low. The measurement of success has evolved and the approach to user growth has changed. Having the right partner to help one through this journey has become paramount and a crucial first checkpoint and often the difference between success and failure,” Sinh stated.

Meanwhile, the average time spent in top shopping apps increased during the pandemic, peaking in Q4 2020. While it decreased from this peak in the first half of 2021 in both India and SEA, it remained above Q1 2020 levels. 

The increase in time spent was largely driven by more sessions per day, perhaps due to people having more time stuck at home during the pandemic. The average session duration for top apps in India and SEA hovered around 2 minutes for the past six quarters.