We started experimenting with mobile phone apps in January 2011 when we launched the first ever “2.0” local search application for India. Since then, we have launched a series of apps for different platforms – Blackberry, iPhone, Nokia, Samsung Smart TV, Blackberry Playbook, Android Tabs.

The highest user adoption can be seen for Blackberry, Android and iPhone in that order. To understand user traction of each of these platforms for Zomato, it does not make sense for us to compare the total installed base – as the date of launch of each of these platforms were different. Also, Blackberry has been featuring our app frequently on the App World, which has given our installed base on their platform a significant push.

Apps are a win-win situation for developers, content providers as well as OEM platforms. But it is very important to look at where Indian developers should be prioritizing their time. Zomato could serve as a very good case study to look at and learn from. Here are some interesting and valuable numbers to look at:

These numbers are purely organic downloads (i.e. no paid ads, app store features are not included). Blackberry is certainly the most active consumer app ecosystem in India.

This is the average for active users within a month (i.e. # of visits/# of unique install loads). Not a (# of visits / installed base) calculation. iOS significantly leads the way here. Clearly shows the ‘propensity to spend’ of iOS users vs Blackberry and Android users.

Android users are spending the most amount of time picking up their next dining destination. Blackberry users seem to be ‘busier’ here. Also, conversion rates from all these platforms are roughly the same – lends significance to these numbers.

This chart is in sync with the chart above this. Blackberry users tend to decide quickly. iOS users are more picky – look up more restaurants before they decide. However, if you look at the last two charts together, you would also notice that iOS users tend to choose or dismiss a restaurant rather quickly – i.e. their average time spent per restaurant page is significantly lower.

Please note that these are relative numbers. Blackberry is 1, others are scaled accordingly. As you see, we get the most amount of user traction from our iOS users. However, since Blackberry has the largest installed base, it wins in the total number of mobile reviews we get per day.

Another useful metric to look at is the length of reviews.

iOS again wins hands down.

Please note that the source for all this analysis is internal download and usage tracking data.

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Overall, we think that if you are mobile developer, you should be targeting the Blackberry platform before anything else. The reach it brings to the table will surpass all the other benefits of being present on any other platform. Next in line should be iOS for the quality of traffic it gives you access to. Of course, then you should go for Android.

Are you a mobile developer? What do you think?