in-app purchases

Keep iOS apps free but offer some opportunities for consumers to open their wallets once they're engaged: that sums up the main takeaways from Distimo's recent research report: "How The Most Successful Apps Monetize Their User Base." The Netherlands-based company, which provides an app store analytics tool, looked at the highest-grossing 250 apps in Apple's App Store in February that have been released in the last year.

As developers continue to weigh the pros and cons of offering in-app purchasing in the mobile games they create, Apple's decision to settle a class-action lawsuit over the use of IAPs by children for $100 million sparked considerable disagreement across social media about how well consumers understand the way they work.

Instead of viewing customers as just part of the mass market, new developer tools help highlight individuals with unique needs, expectations, tastes and potential for engagement. While most developers don't have the technology or manpower to deal with people on a one-on-one basis, they may be able to sort users in a more knowledgeable way. This, in a nutshell, is mobile app audience segmentation, and it's an industry segment that's likely to mature significantly in the next few years.

Android developers may be starting to catch up with their iOS counterparts in winning over customers, based on a global survey of app store activity over the last four months of 2012.