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Application data and insights specialist App Annie announced the acquisition of AppScotch, a San Francisco-based company that allows advertisers, publishers, and agencies to make data-backed decisions on competitive analysis and market intelligence.
This marks App Annie’s third acquisition in two years following the acquisition of Dutch firm Distimo in 2014 and the Canadian firm Mobidia in 2015.
“AppScotch’s team and product are aligned with App Annie’s long term vision to build out a comprehensive suite of products for app businesses and this announcement is another milestone in achieving this reality,” App Annie CEO, Bertrand Schmitt told eWEEK. “AppScotch’s expertise is in bringing transparency to mobile paid advertising.”
Schmitt said AppScotch’s San Francisco-based team started working out of App Annie’s San Francisco headquarters this week, and noted App Annie will use the newly acquired company’s innovative products to help its customers find invaluable ways of planning and growing their app businesses.
Research indicates the app economy is accelerating, with global mobile app store downloads projected to reach 284 billion in 2020.
“AppScotch’s technology will be integrated into new products that will enhance App Annie’s paid-for intelligence offerings,” he explained. “This is App Annie’s third acquisition in two years, and alongside their recent funding news, will help solidify the company as the most trusted provider of app data and insights in the app economy.”
Currently, App Annie’s Intelligence product includes granular app download, revenue, demographic, usage and engagement estimates for every major mobile app.
The next major release will be Marketing Intelligence, the company’s solution to inform all aspects of a mobile advertising, marketing and monetization strategy.
A December report from App Annie found the focus of consumer app development is expected to shift toward vertical-specific contexts that don’t overlap with smartphone usage or where the phone is not the optimal choice, particularly fitness and health monitoring.
With developer resources already stretched across mobile OS platforms, App Annie’s report said it expects competition for developer attention to increase through 2016.
This will be one of the key areas that App Annie’s industry analysis team will be regularly assessing throughout 2016, given the impact competing platform priorities will likely have on slowing down these platforms’ adoption.
App Annie has currently raised $157 million in funding from investors such as e.Ventures, Greycroft Partners, IDG Capital Partners, Institutional Venture Partners and Sequoia Capital.
The company has more than 425 employees across 15 global offices and claims more than half a million mobile app professionals use its products.