Gartner Forecasts Money Transfer, LBS to Dominate in 2012

• Posted: Friday, November 20, 2009
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• Author: pradhana
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• Filed under: Market Survey

By Jason Ankeny

Money transfer applications, location-based services and mobile search will reign among the top 10 mobile application categories of 2012 according to a new forecast issued by market research firm Gartner. Basing its predictions on each app category's projected revenue, loyalty, business model, consumer value and estimated market penetration, Gartner anticipates that most consumers will use no more than five mobile applications at a time, with most opportunities coming from niche market apps.

"Consumer mobile applications and services are no longer the prerogative of mobile carriers," said Gartner research director Sandy Shen in a prepared statement. "The increasing consumer interest in smartphones, the participation of Internet players in the mobile space, and the emergence of application stores and cross-industry services are reducing the dominance of mobile carriers. Each player will influence how the application is delivered and experienced by consumers, who ultimately vote with their attention and spending power."

Money transfer ranks No. 1 on Gartner's 2012 hit parade, contending the service's lower costs, speed and overall convenience boast strong appeal to users in developing markets. Gartner believes the LBS user base will grow from 96 million worldwide in 2009 to 526 million in 2012, crediting its ability to meet a range of needs spanning from productivity and goal fulfillment to social networking and entertainment--mobile search, meanwhile, is listed third due to its dramatic impact on technology innovation and industry revenue.

Fourth on the list: Mobile browsing--according to Gartner, browsers will be available on about 80 percent of handsets shipping in 2012, compared to 60 percent of devices in 2009. Mobile health monitoring is fifth, followed in descending order by mobile payment, NFC, mobile advertising, instant messaging and mobile music. [FierceMobileContent]

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