Manga app case study: Number of users & demographics among growing manga apps

First, we will look at the changes in the number of users over the last two years for the five manga apps with the largest number of users.
(For data analysis, we will use Dockpit , VALUES' online analytics tool)

We look into "LINE Manga" and "Piccoma," manga apps with the largest number of users among e-bookstore type services that offer a variety of manga, and "Shonen Jump+ (Shueisha)," "Magapoke (Kodansha)" and "Manga One (Shogakukan)" which are manga apps provided by publishing companies.

As shown in the graph below, the number of manga app users is growing steadily, indicating that the industry as a whole is growing. The e-bookstore-type services "LINE Manga" and "Piccoma" particularly have a large number of users, but the growth rate of "Shonen Jump+" from March 2022 onward is also noteworthy.

Let's start with the demographics of manga app users.

A gender comparison shows that the e-bookstores "LINE Manga" and "Piccoma" have a high percentage of female users, while the publishing companies "Shonen Jump+," "Magapoke," and "Manga One" have a high percentage of male users. The industry as a whole seems to have many users of both genders.

In terms of age, "LINE Manga" and "Piccoma" have the largest number of users in their 30s and a high percentage of users in their 40s and older. On the other hand, “Shonen Jump+," "Magapoke" and "Manga One," have many users in their 20s.

The data on the average number of days per month that each app is used will be used to determine how much each app is used.

As shown in the graph below, "LINE Manga" and "Piccoma" was used for more than 15 days in a month, while "Shonen Jump+" and "Manga One" had around 12 days. Among publishers' apps, "Magapoke" has been performing well with an increasing trend in the number of days the app was activated since March 2022.

"LINE Manga" and "Piccoma" do not limit the publishers, which may be a good fit for users who like to casually read manga they like in their free time.

Now, we will analyze "Shonen Jump+" in detail. Its number of users has been growing since 2022.

A look at the number of "Shonen Jump+" users by age group shows that the number of users in their 20s has grown significantly.

The work that became popular on "Shonen Jump+" in 2022 was "SPY x FAMILY." You can read all the episodes of "SPY × FAMILY" for free only on "Shonen Jump+." (As of September 2022)

Also, the popular manga "Chainsaw Man," which had been serialized in "Weekly Shonen Jump," was moved to "Shonen Jump+" in July 2022.

We investigated the manga app industry, whose user base has continued to grow over the past two years.

The survey covered the e-bookstore services "LINE Manga" and "Piccoma," as well as five manga apps provided by publishers "Shonen Jump+ (Shueisha)," "Magapoke (Kodansha)," and "Manga One (Shogakukan)." The number of users for all of these apps increased, with "Shonen Jump+" showing the most notable growth.

In terms of user demographics, "LINE Manga" and "Piccoma" have many female users, while "Shonen Jump+," "Magapoke," and "Manga One" have many male users.

In terms of age group, “LINE Manga" and "Piccoma" had the largest number of users in their 30s and many users in their 40s and older, while "Shonen Jump+," "Magapoke," and "Manga One" had many young users in their 20s.

When we checked the usage status of each app using the monthly average number of days of app activation, we found that "LINE Manga" and "Piccoma" were used frequently. In contrast to apps offered by publishers where users wait for updates to their favorite manga, e-bookstore-type apps that do not limit the publishers that can provide their manga may be great for those searching for and reading manga in their spare time.

We also found that the number of users of "Shonen Jump+," which has been increasing since 2022, is increasing among users in their 20s. Major content such as "SPY × FAMILY" may be attracting younger users.

【Case Study Overview】
・With the cooperation of research participants nationwide, analysis based on online behavioral data and attribute information of searchers
・Online behavioral analysis period: September 2020 - August 2022
* The number of research participants is estimated based on the occurrence rate of VALUES' panel of participants and based on the domestic net population

▼ For this analysis, we used online behavioral analytics tool Dockpit. Dockpit uses monthly updated behavioral data to analyze keywords and research trends all within your browser. There is also a free version, so if you are interested, please register from the link below.