Mobile app warehouses could be the future of application retail

Today GoMo News is releasing its in-depth report into the emerging app channel called the “warehouse” model. This model saw its first significant launches in Q1 2010, and represents a new way to shift application units to smartphone owners. It is a far less expensive entry point into the application sellers market to create or run as stores like Apples’ iTunes Store or Googles’ Android Market.

Both the Store and the Market are “Direct-to-Consumer” (D2C) application shops. This means that they allow Google and Apple to sell apps to smartphone owners with no middle-men. However, it’s also an incredibly resource-heavy way to sell applications. It requires a lot of employees and man hours dedicated to creating the tools and environment that developers need to profit from your platform. To put it into perspective, consider what Apple had to do in order to have its own D2C store:

* design and manufacture the iPhone
* develop the iPhone OS
* acquire and train developers to create applications for the iPhone
* review and approve every single application submitted

Google had a comparably difficult path to the creation of the Android Market. Both companies created their own platforms to sell applications on. In contrast, warehouses aren’t tied to their own platform. They store and sell applications for any mobile platform or device. Warehouses invite developers to pool their apps in a central location – the “warehouse” – and from here the apps can be sold through any number of shopfronts.

This report is most useful for anybody who is considering getting into the application sales market:

* ad-supported mobile website owners who want to increase and retain traffic
* mobile operators who want a cost effective way to create an on-portal application store
* mobile developers who want to be able to sell applications from within their own properties
* handset manufacturers who want to pre-load devices with their own, customised app store

Want to find out whether D2C or warehouse is better for you? Fill out the form below, and we’ll send you the report and an invoice.