Fiksu launches FreeMyApps to drive paid iOS downloads

Mobile user acquisition platform Fiksu is rolling out FreeMyApps, a new solution offering users free access to a selection of full-version premium iOS apps in exchange for sampling free, ad-subsidized apps.

According to Fiksu, FreeMyApps users download free "sponsor" apps to earn credits they can redeem for paid iOS apps, a model designed to help developers and marketers drive consumer traffic, increase purchase rates and boost word-of-mouth interest. FreeMyApps leverages proprietary algorithms to optimize the mix of advertising traffic from ad networks and real-time bidding exchanges, employing a traffic enrichment layer to improve relevance.

Mobile application downloads in the U.S. increased from 3.8 million in September 2011 to a record 4.91 million in October, a 29 percent month-over-month leap, according to Fiksu's latest App Store Competitive Index, issued late last month. Fiksu credits the download surge to the release of Apple's (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPhone 4S, noting that the Index experienced download increases as high as 70 percent during the iPhone 4S launch weekend and 40 percent jump during the post-launch period compared to the weeks prior to the smartphone's retail launch.

Fiksu adds that mobile marketing costs remained high in the days immediately following the iPhone 4S's debut, dropping in successive weeks due to decreased costs in traffic. By the end of October, the firm's Cost per Loyal User Index (which measures the cost of acquiring a loyal user for brands who proactively market their apps) netted out to $1.47, a 12 percent decrease compared to September's all-time high of $1.64.

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