- Appcharge’s latest report revealed 100% of top-grossing social casino games are using web shops
- The report argued that low ARPU means casual games are less likely to use web shops
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72% of the 20 highest-grossing mobile games now have web shops, with social casino games leading the charge.
According to DTC platform Appcharge’s latest report, 100% of the top-grossing social casino games are using web shops to maximise their profitability from consumer spending – dodging the fees imposed by Apple and Google on their respective app stores.
Appcharge also found that 80% of the top strategy games and 75% of action games are now utilising web shops, suggesting this is evidence of strong direct-to-consumer uptake in high-spending genres.
Shopping by genre
While many of mobile’s biggest genres are leveraging web shops en masse, exceptions like casual games are largely ignoring the new revenue avenue. So far, only six of the top 20 casual games are using web shops, or 30%.
Appcharge arrived at this finding using data from Sensor Tower’s August 2024 report to identify the top-grossing games on iOS and attributed the low uptake of web shops for casual games to the impulsive nature of many purchases in the genre – when running out of moves, for example – not conducive to exiting the game, browsing a separate store for an item, purchasing it and returning to the game.
These transactions are also typically low value per person, even if a large number of players make them.
“It’s much easier to achieve meaningful ROI on your web store when you have high ARPU. The majority of casual game publishers are therefore on the fence about investing in DTC web stores,” Appcharge claimed.
On the other hand, a genre like social casino can leverage loyalty rewards and VIP models as incentives to get players off the app and onto an online store, already having “smartly nurtured and monetised” players to build from.
Charging up
The report highlighted that the top 20 social casino games are owned by ten different publishers, including Playtika and Product Madness.
“Direct-to-consumer monetisation has been embraced by publishers everywhere, amidst a tide of antitrust regulatory changes which have shifted the market wide open and paved the way for more choices for publishers and users alike,” said Appcharge CEO and co-founder Maor Sason.
“Web stores are no longer the ‘next big thing’ – they’re already the norm, especially in high-ARPU genres like social casino and strategy games, where a small percentage of players can drive substantial revenue.
“As someone who’s worked closely with top mobile game publishers, I’ve seen firsthand how web stores can transform revenue models and give publishers greater control over their sales channels.”
