According to the 2024 Mobile Gaming Spender Report from Mistplay, nearly a third of in-game spenders are planning to cut back this year to be more conscious of their spending habits.
This intention to spend less is even higher among big spenders, with 41% of them planning to reduce their spending in 2024.
Mistplay CEO Jason Heller cautioned that in 2024, competition for consumer spending will be intense, leading to winners and losers as companies strive to attract limited consumer wallets.
Incentivized Spending
The report segmented mobile spenders into low-value, mid-value, and high-value categories based on their spending habits. High-value spenders, who have spent over $100 in mobile games, make frequent in-game purchases – with 10% making 10 or more purchases per month and 54% making three or more monthly purchases.
However, a significant portion of paying players, 39%, only make purchases in one game each month, primarily driven by gameplay progression and personal satisfaction.
To counter the trend of reduced spending, Mistplay recommended optimizing in-app purchase offers to entice spenders, noting that 33% of surveyed players would still spend if presented with a compelling offer.
Additionally, personalized offers and rewards such as extra points or monetary incentives could prompt 40% and 51% of players, respectively, to increase their in-game spending.
Spending by Genre
Demographic breakdowns by genre revealed that 81% of spenders in casual genres like match, puzzle, and simulation games are women. In these genres, 51% of players spend on two or three games monthly, while 38% spend on one game, and the rest make purchases in more than three games.
However, 28% of players in casual genres plan to reduce their spending on games this year, with 17% intending to spend less frequently overall.
The largest market segment is the 35-44 age group in casual genres, encompassing 37% of spenders. On the other hand, the 18-24 age group has the lowest spending rates, only accounting for 3% of spenders.
In contrast, the 35-44 age group dominates spending in midcore genres such as shooters, strategy games, action titles, and RPGs, comprising 36% of spending players, while the 18-24 age group only makes up 6% of spenders in these genres.
Overall, 61% of midcore paying players are male, with 49% spending on two or three games monthly and 40% focusing their spending on a single game.
Similar to casual genres, 29% of paying players in midcore genres plan to limit their spending this year, but 26% could be persuaded to spend more with discounted items.
Mistplay’s CEO emphasized the importance of understanding spender behavior to drive Lifetime Value (LTV) in a competitive and challenging market.
