Top 1% of IAP monetisers worth a third of total user spend

The top one per cent of users who pay money on in-app purchases account for 33 per cent of total user spend, according to new research.

A study by US analytics firm Playnomics looked into playing habits of 1.7 million new “non-arcade” mobile and browser game players that joined in the first two weeks of the research, and then followed them through a three month period.

Playnomics refers to “non-arcade” games as titles that are intended for a longer-term experiences featuring content such as extra levels, campaigns and collectibles, rather than simply a “casual” game.

Of 1.7 million users, 13,454 spent money during Q1. Of these, just 134 spent more than $1,000 on apps.

This one per cent however accounted for $193,000 during Q1, one per cent of total user spend.

The top 20 per cent of monetisers meanwhile spent $534,000 of a total of $590,000 spent by all paying players during the first three months of the year.

In the top one per cent, there was also a large difference between what players spent, with over 70 spending around $1,000, while one user spent as much as $7,400.

Playnomics noted that the study only looked at new players, and said some of these users would likely monetise for the first time after the period its research covered, while those already paying may continue spending money beyond Q1.

The report was based on data collected from a number of developers and publishers both based in the US and internationally, for platforms including PC, tablets and smartphones.

You can read the full report here.