What apps are popular among different generations? Trending apps of 2022 by age group

It is already more than half way through 2022. In the first half of this year, the momentum of the COVID-19 pandemic began slowing down from April to around June, giving the impression that social conditions from before the pandemic were gradually returning, with the recovery of demands in the travel sector and the return of festivals. We surveyed users in their 20s and older to find out which trending apps attracted their attention during the six months from February to July 2022.

The survey was conducted using Dockpit, VALUES' web behavior analytics tool that enables users to analyze competitor sites and research trends within the browser, with behavior data that is updated monthly.
We will create a ranking of apps with the largest growth rates based on the number of users in the six months from February to July 2022, and look at trends in popular apps by age group.

First, here are the apps that were commonly ranked among multiple generations.

The MY NUMBER CARD Point service began in September 2020. The second phase of the registration that started in June of this year was a hot topic. Perhaps due to this influence, the MY NUMBER POINT CARD app ranked in the top 10 in all age groups.

The RAKUTEN SEIYU app, which was previously featured in a MANAMINA article, is ranked within the top 10 across all age groups. SEIYUs dedicated app has been rebranded as the "RAKUTEN SEIYU App" with the added function where you can accumulate and use Rakuten points at stores and online supermarkets. In celebration of this, campaigns such as point awards and coupons were also a great perk, and it seems that the strategy has helped acquire users.

Apps in the "Travel & Region Category" ranked across all age groups except for those in their 50s. According to a survey by JTB , travel demand in 2022 is estimated to be 197% more compared to the previous year, and it is thought that the easing of the COVID-19 pandemic around April to June this year was also a tailwind. What is interesting is that the app's usage scenario differs depending on the age group. Apps used for riding the Shinkansen bullet train was popular among those in their 20s and 30s, people in their 40s used apps for planning trips, and people in their 60s and older used apps related to flights.

Commonly ranking among people in their 30s through 60s was the cashless app "Air WALLET," which was launched in December 2021. Provided by Recruit and MUFG Bank, this app allows you to send money for free, deposit and withdraw money from your bank account, and has a QR payment function using COIN+. It is thought that the points campaign for new users that was carried out from May to the end of August this year helped the app rank high.

So far, we've explored the overall picture of app trends in the first half of this year. Let's take a closer look at the apps that have attracted attention by age group.

For people in their 20s, live festival-related apps such as Ticket PIA and LAWSON TICKET e-tickets made the list. According to research by the All Japan Concert & Live Entertainment Promoters Conference, the number of live performances in the fiscal year 2021 was 248% compared to the previous year, recovering back to 80% of pre-COVID levels. This year, the "ROCK IN JAPAN FESTIVAL" was held for the first time in three years, and it was clear that the live music industry is gradually regaining its excitement.

In addition, the "EX App" that allows you to reserve Shinkansen tickets also ranked 5th. In addition to travel and homecoming trips, there seems to be a growing popularity of using the app to book the Shinkansen bullet train as a means of transportation to the live music venues and events.

LEBER is an app that allows you to consult a doctor 24 hours a day on your smartphone and also has a health monitoring function. Perhaps due to the tailwind of the COVID-19 pandemic, it ranked 10th.

This is a graph showing the percentage of LEBER users in their 30s.

According to a survey of LEBER users in their 30s, 90% of users have children. Since consultation is possible 24 hours a day from home, it may be that the number of users will increase further in the future, especially among fathers and mothers with small children.

Looking at other top apps, the "Eki-net App," which allows you to reserve bullet trains and limited express trains, ranked 7th, and the official Rockin' On Festival app "J Fes" ranked 9th. It's interesting that even with the same Shinkansen reservation app, the app used is different from that of those in their 20s.

For people in their 40s, three travel-related apps were ranked. This is probably due to the increased demand for travel that was previously mentioned. What makes it unique is that two of them are apps that can be used for travel scheduling. Mapple Link is an app that allows you to carry guidebooks in the form of e-books and has a sightseeing / food search function. The tabiori app is also a travel app that allows you to create and share travel bookmarks. It has comprehensive functions necessary for travel, such as schedule management and location-sharing functions.

Based on the above, it can be inferred that people in their 40s have a tendency to plan their trips carefully, and when doing so, they often refer to paper media such as guidebooks. And the reason why travel scheduling apps have been ranked this time is probably due to the shift from paper media to apps.

In fourth place among those in their 50s was "Saint Marc," the official app of the bakery restaurant Saint Marc, a sister restaurant of Saint-Marc Café, famous for its chocolate croissants. This store has a higher price range than Restaurant Saint-Marc Café and features services aimed at hotel-level hospitality.

Below is a graph showing the percentage of app users by age group.

It can be observed that it is gaining support mainly among people in their 50s.

The following graph compares the annual household income of users in their 50s for the official app of Restaurant Saint Marc and its sister store Saint Marc Café.

Compared to the Saint Marc Café app (red), users of the restaurant Saint Marc app (blue) have a higher household annual income.

From the above, you can observe that within the Saint Marc brand, the image and customer base are established.

First, the travel-related app "AirTrip," which allows you to compare and purchase cheap flights, ranked 6th.

One app that stands out used by people in their 60s is the app in 8th place.

Previously featured on a MANAMINA article, is the American fashion brand SHEIN. It offers fast fashion mainly targeting young women in their teens and 20s, but the official SHEIN app ranked for the list of apps popular among those in their 60s.

Looking at the trends in the percentage of SHEIN app users in their 60s, we can see that although there are ups and downs, there has been an upward trend in recent years.

In addition, this is a graph that shows the inflow source of users in their 20s and 60s on the official SHEIN website, as a percentage.

20s

60s

Looking at the second graph, which shows the source of the inflow of users in their 60s, we found that the influx of users in their 60s (yellow-green) from affiliate advertising has increased sharply since April 2022, when SHEIN app users in their 60s began to grow steadily. This may be due to SHEIN's strategy of overturning the image of "for young people."

The official Skyticket app, a service that allows you to search and book cheap flights, ranked 7th. This can also be assumed to be due to the increased demand for travel.


The graph below shows the transition of the number of Skyticket users in their 70s and over. In 2022, we can see a stable increase in users in their 70s and older.
While Shinkansen reservation apps were ranked among those in their 20s and 30s, flight reservation apps were ranked high among those in their 60s and older, so it can be said that there are many people in their 60s and older who want to enjoy outings, shorten travel time, and enjoy air travel.

In addition, the official app for Tokyo Disney Resort, ranked 9th. This is a comprehensive app for Tokyo Disney Resort that allows you to collect information about the park and make various reservations and purchases.

The following shows the trend of the number of users in their 70s and over for the Tokyo Disney Resort app.

Looking at the trends in the number of users in their 70s and over, the number of users has gradually increased since around April 2022. In anticipation of the easing of the COVID-19 pandemic, leisure activities such as theme parks, which are expected to cause close contact, may be attracting attention as an option of travel.

This time, we surveyed the latest trend apps for 2022 by age group from their 20s and older. As a result, the following trends were observed:

・ The usage scenario of the "Travel & Regional Category" app differs depending on the age group.
・Apps related to the My Number Point business attract attention
・ Campaigns that address contactless lifestyle helped acquire new customers with cashless apps

It was a very interesting trend that can be inferred that the changes due to COVID-19 is having an effect. For some time to come, carefully watching the impact of the pandemic is likely to be one of the tips for deciphering trends in apps and services.

▼This research uses data from Dockpit, an online behavior analytics tool. Dockpit allows you to access online behavioral data (updated monthly) via your browser so you can research competitor websites and trends. There is a free version of Dockpit, so if you are interested in using it, please register below.