GetJar today announced that mobile messaging service eBuddy has been downloaded 10 million times from the GetJar site. The app downloading service, which allows consumers to download to any device, claims to see more than 22 million downloads per month across 20,000 apps.
eBuddy Mobile Messenger, a social networking application that works through IM, made use of the pay-per-download advertising service on GetJar. The service allows developers and brands to pay for the best catalogue placement, and to set their own maximum daily budgets.
From the release:
“Getting noticed within a premier app store filled with tens of thousands of apps is a big challenge for companies in this space. We’re always looking for ways to distance ourselves from the competition, and GetJar provides that opportunity through an unprecedented, effective advertising option,” states Jan-Joost “JJ” Rueb, CEO and co-Founder of eBuddy. “GetJar is our number one external source for downloads, and our partnership with GetJar has exponentially increased eBuddy’s download rate in less than 20 months.”
“eBuddy is one of the most popular applications on GetJar and we are thrilled to be a part of this milestone moment,” adds Ilja Laurs, Founder and CEO of GetJar. “Our Pay-Per-Download service, the same one eBuddy has used to help catapult it to 10 million downloads, is used successfully by developers of all sizes on GetJar – from one-man shops to established developers and brands. Through this service, we offer what no other app store in the world does – a way for clients to control their own destiny.”
What we think?
While people are getting very excited about the Apple Store and Android Market, it’s easy to forget about other app download services. GetJar has been doing steady business since it started in 2004. The current proliferation of mobile stores we’re seeing at the moment, from Nokia to Microsoft, makes me wonder about the future of this platform agnostic service. There will always be a place for services that stay independent, but as users begin to see app stores geared towards their particular handset or OS, I imagine the GetJar audience will be chipped away somewhat. However, I also predict that the long-standing GetJar will see off the majority of it’s competition, and remain an example of how ad-funded, consumer-focuses mobile services can thrive.
I’d have to agree with you Cian and thanks for the vote of confidence!
Reasons why I think we’ll thrive:
- Developers / content owners are looking for volume and you can’t necessarily get scale if you simply focus on one channel / OEM or platform
- viral marketing is central to app distribution. We recently released a study showing that over 30% of users hear about apps from friends. this factor is significantly reduced if the user cant recommend the app because he’s unsure what make /model phone his friends have. GetJar makes this easy. OEM focused stores don’t
- It’s all about focus, not the latest fads. GetJar has been distributing content since 2004. This isn’t a fad for us or something we’re trying to show off to our board. We live and breath this and have a passion and real committment to it. This isn’t the flavor of the month that we’re going to walk away from in 8 months when the volume doesn’t materialize.
have a great weekend!
Patrick Mork
VP Marketing
GetJar