Mob4Hire, in collaboration with leading customer loyalty scientist Bob E. Hayes, PhD of Business Over Broadway, today announced the first look at the results of its “Global Wireless Satisfaction Survey” international research, conducted last month. The unprecedented 111-country survey analyzes the impact of mobile apps on operator’s churn (# of new customers acquired minus # of existing customers lost), as well as many dimensions of the app ecosystem as it relates to mobile user behavior and satisfaction.
The importance of mobile apps as an emerging component of network operator customer loyalty is not surprising, but the magnitude shown by the survey is:
- 75% of mobile users say apps are important when choosing their new operator.
- 37% of people who leave their operator cite bad mobile apps as a reason
The research also illustrates that network operators play a vital role in ensuring a great mobile app experience for their users. The two dimensions of Mobile App Customer Satisfaction and Mobile App Stability varies greatly across global wireless service providers; the report ranks 33 of the top network operators worldwide. The network operator providing the best mobile app experience to their users is Zain, serving over 64 million customers in 21 countries in Africa and the Middle East. Seven other operators share the top performing honors with Zain (in no particular order): BSNL, MTN, Vodafone, AT&T, Orange, Claro and Movistar. A Mob4Hire “5-Star Excellence in Mobile” award goes to these eight operators.
The survey, conducted by Dr. Bob Hayes, Ph.D. (President of Business Over Broadway) used Mob4Hire’s extensive international “mob” of mobile users; the 5,000 survey respondents came from 111 countries, on 204 different wireless survey providers, using 179 different handset devices. The panel members are early adopters living a mobile lifestyle, and their behavior represents trends that help predict future revenues and business outcomes across the mobile ecosystem.
Other Highlights :
- 51% of the respondents use more than one network operator.
- 89% of mobile users report that applications crash on their phones.
- When considering downloading/purchasing mobile applications, users typically like to see at least a 4-star rating before they download/purchase the mobile application.
- On average, people downloaded 5 to 7 free apps in the last 3 months. In the same time period, paid apps downloads were low, with only 1 purchase per person in the last 3 months.
- Of those that have downloaded, 47% said they used two or more different app stores.
- Not surprisingly, iPhone users are the most active; 70% of users download 8 or more free apps. Over 60% purchase more than 2 apps.
