Perfecto Mobile, has released unique research to help UK app developers, product managers, testers and marketers stay ahead of the ever-changing mobile market. As digital engagement continues to be the primary way brands reach customers, it’s too risky to simply “assume” that apps and websites will work on the wide range of devices used by consumers. True app quality and business success require strategic planning and testing.
The latest Mobile Test Coverage Index contains device coverage and usage data exclusively for Germany and the UK. It gives recommendations for testing apps on the correct mix of devices, operating systems, hardware and screen sizes to assure sufficient coverage in a fast-moving digital market where users freely express opinions via app store reviews and social media.
The report answers the challenging question of which devices and operating systems need to be incorporated into testing strategies to meet and exceed market demands. It provides an index for reaching 30%, 50% and 80% test coverage in Germany and the UK, as well as the U.S., France, Italy, and Spain. The index is calculated from a wide range of public, private and proprietary data from Perfecto Mobile, including more than 4,000 device profiles and over 360,000 Perfecto Mobile user profiles.
The index provides a benchmark to determine the appropriate level of mobile market coverage that organisations should target to support their digital engagement goals.
- 30% of the market can be reached with 10-16 devices, based on the popular device models and OS versions as well as reference devices (e.g. Google Nexus series)
- 50% market coverage can be reached with 17-25 devices. This level of test coverage requires more devices from major brands such as Samsung, Apple, Sony, Nokia and HTC
- 80% market coverage can be achieved with a mix of 26-32 devices. This is the final group of devices to test on that will guarantee the recommended coverage level
Because device and operating system adoption vary by geography, high-quality digital engagement requires testing based on regionalised data. By doing a detailed analysis of the UK market for the first time, the Mobile Test Index ensures testing and development strategies for unique local market dynamics; for example:
- Apple holds similar market share in the UK as Samsung. However, Android accounts for 59% of the overall UK market. Yet even with that domination, Apple’s iPhone 6 and iPhone 5S are ranked first and second in the UK index
- Windows Phone should be included in UK testing strategies due to its strong 13% market share in the region. This would be less advisable in the U.S., where the share is less than 3%
- Android fragmentation requires that older models and operating systems need to be taken into account, with the 2012 Samsung Galaxy models still ranking in the top 16 devices in the UK index. While Android KitKat and Jelly Bean are widely adopted, the index recommends that the older Gingerbread OS be included in regression testing because it still has 10% share in Europe
- Chinese device manufacturers OnePlus and Huawei are gaining market share in Europe, and with their compelling price points they’re becoming a threat to Samsung and Apple
“It is critical that chief digital officers and their teams align app testing and quality assurance strategies with real life customer experiences,” said Roi Carmel, Senior Vice President of Products and Strategy, Perfecto Mobile. “Having industry benchmarks grounded in current data helps enterprises assure the quality of digital engagement. This absolutely depends on an app working flawlessly for users on the device, form factor and environment they use.”
He added: “While there’s some consistency with the UK and U.S. markets, it’s striking how the devices and operating systems to test on vary significantly between markets. The index helps mitigate the risks of developing apps and services for individual markets, and it will be interesting to see how these variations evolve with future releases of our report.”
