BANGALORE: A recent study by the mobile advertising firm, InMobi has revealed that every one in five users of the Smartphone internet have made in-app purchases, which means buying a service or a product through a dedicated application. The study was conducted on about 455 Smartphone users between May and June this year, reports Business standard.

Apparently, Indians purchased apps priced between 71 to 129. The list includes additional to the applications, like emoticons, games, stickers, virtual currencies and many more. The survey also said that the reasons for the download of mobile messenger apps were the provision to send photos and videos to friends, stay in touch with family and friends and most importantly helps to maintain cheaper costs.  

"The study showed that 95 percent of messaging app users in India access messaging apps multiple times in a day and that messaging apps were the preferred way for communication, bypassing even social networks and voice calls," InMobi said in a release.

"Young mobile users in the age group 18-24 are leading the charge on using messaging apps. Interestingly, the older generation in the age bracket of 35 to 44 years is also taking to these apps, driven by their ease of use."

Jayesh Easwaramony, vice president and general manager for Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa at InMobi said, "A healthy average of three messaging apps per user indicates that messaging platforms are evolving into audience platforms that can be leveraged for entertainment and commerce. With 38 percent of users likely to make a purchase on these platforms as well as a higher smartphone penetration, there will be an increase in offerings to enrich consumer experience."

"We also see advertisers using these platforms for emotional engagement as well as experimenting with launching services that they have already done in their home markets like Japan and China." He added.

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