Creating and maintaining mobile apps can be costly and risky. That doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be done but it needs to fit within a great strategy with clear metrics for success.

Consider the following:

“Earlier this week, we shared a chart showing that people in the U.S. are spending more and more time using apps. For content providers trying to reach an audience the message was clear: Having an app is no longer a nice add-on, it is a prerequisite of being successful in the mobile media landscape.

“Unfortunately, that’s only half the story. Having an app is one thing, but getting people to use it is the real challenge. According to data published by ComScore this week, smartphone users are pretty limited when it comes to the apps they actually and extensively use. In the United States, smartphone users spend almost 80 percent of their total app time in their favorite three apps and a stunning 96 percent in their personal top 10 apps.

“However, publishers shouldn’t be discouraged by the large amount of time people spend using just a few apps. In many cases, the top 3 apps are messaging and social networking apps which are to a large extent used to consume media. So instead of crowding out other content, social media apps have become the platform for people to discover, share and consume content in the mobile world.”

Source: • Chart: App Usage – It’s All About the Top 10 | Statista