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Globally, the app spending on Christmas rose this year, driven by the mobile game and entertainment apps.
People spent an estimated $407.6 million on apps in both Apple’s App Store and Google Play this Christmas, a growth of 34.5% compared with the previous year, according to a report by research firm Sensor Tower.
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The app spending was led by mobile game apps, as the category grew 27% year-over-year to $295.6 million, on Christmas this year. People spent about $10.7 million on Tencent’s Honor of Kings game, making it the category leader.
The entertainment apps took the second spot with $19.3 million spent on Apple’s App Store, and another $4.3 million on Google Play. The category was part of the non-game apps which received $112 million on Christmas, witnessing a growth of 59% compared with the previous year.
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In addition, people spent about $4.7 million worldwide on TikTok, making it the top revenue-generating non-gaming app, this Christmas.
Among the app platforms, Apple’s App Store maintained its lead, capturing more than two-thirds of the consumer spending on Christmas, and growing 35.2% to $278.6 million on the day, compared with the previous year. Google Play received $129 million in app revenue, growing more than 33% year-over-year.
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Further, the U.S. led the app spending this Christmas, as consumers in the country spent nearly $130 million on both app platforms, representing a 38.7% growth, compared with 2019.
“2020 has been a record-setting year for worldwide spending on mobile apps and games, which passed $100 billion in a single year for the first time ever in November,” the research firm noted. “This trend continued on Christmas,” it added.
