Digi-Capital, an investment bank for mobile apps and games, has just
published its Mobile Apps Investment Review Q1 2014 (
www.digi-capital.com/reports). Commenting on the Review, DigiCapital Managing Director Tim Merel
said:
“Everyone knows that mobile apps are hot, and that games have taken the
lion’s share of revenue so far. We think the balance is going to change, with other
app categories using new approaches to win. We’re already seeing SaaS-like App
as a Service models emerging, and we can’t wait to see what happens next.
We forecast that mobile apps could reach >$70B revenue globally, with
non-games apps to double revenue share from 26% to 51% by 2017 (61.3% CAGR 13-17F).
Dramatic mobile app usage growth is disrupting incumbents, with mobile
usage having grown 5x in 4 years to ~20% of media consumption last year (50%
CAGR 09-13).
Mobile apps investment has doubled across categories since Q3 2013, with
~$10B invested in the last 12 months. There are clear hotspots in specific app categories,
with an increased level of investment across the board.
Mobile apps M&A hit a record >$35B in the last 12 months (>$16B excluding Facebook/WhatsApp),
continuing a 3 year strong growth trend even without that spectacular
transaction. At over $7B (excluding FB/WhatsApp), Q1 2014 M&A was >2x Q1
2013 M&A. Including FB/WhatsApp, Q1 2014 M&A was >7x Q1 2013.
M&A has been more concentrated around
specific app categories than investments, which is not surprising given the
early stage of the apps market.
The Digi-Capital mobile apps public company index has grown in value, although
there have been significant differences in performance across app categories.
Mobile app public and private valuations have also varied significantly
across categories, with some app types valued much higher than others relative
to their economic performance. For investors and acquirers, it appears that not
all apps are created equal.
Free downloads and in-app purchases are dominating revenue (>90%), but
not for all app categories. In-app purchases have monetized most effectively
for mobile games (40% downloads = 74% revenue share), where the user gets most
of their fun from standalone apps on mobile devices with limited cloud
functionality. In-app purchases for all other app categories have monetized 4x
less effectively (60% downloads = 26% revenue share), including those apps
which leverage the cloud to give users what they want. We’re seeing the SaaS
model being adapted to operate as App as a Service, which looks like one way
that a range of app categories can lift their monetization to levels matching their
downloads and usage.
While it’s still early days, App as a Service models could change the
landscape for how apps make money in future.
As everyone knows, the highest grossing apps outperform all others
against key metrics. Digging into the data to compare the top 1% grossing apps
to other apps, the focus and level of performance required looks pretty clear.
The apps market is also creating billion dollar companies at what looks
like an accelerating pace globally, and we expect to see as many Asian as
Western companies delivering outsize returns for entrepreneurs and investors.
With such massive value being built so quickly, today’s growth companies
could become tomorrow’s consolidators. Many of the recent blockbuster
acquisitions by incumbents have been focused on strategic growth, but we’re
also seeing defensive moves to ward off potential threats.
In what is still an early stage market, we think now is the time for
mobile apps companies to either invest all out for growth, or position
themselves to be bought.”
Tim Merel will be presenting the
highlights of the Mobile Apps Investment Review at GMIC Beijing on 5th
and 6th of May.
About
Digi-Capital: Digi-Capital (www.digi-capital.com) is an investment bank for apps and games
focused across America, Asia (China, Japan, South Korea) and Europe.
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