From among Start.io’s 500+ consumer segments, notable data shifts were detected in several key segments. Here are trends that may impact mobile advertising strategy in the new year:

Baking and cooking: There was a 16% increase in the usage of baking and cooking-related apps in 2021 compared to 2020. This points to a continued trend of at-home hobbies, which became popular during shelter-in-place orders during the pandemic.

Meditation: The stress of the pandemic has taken a toll on mental health worldwide. This is reflected in the increase of 30% usage of meditation apps in 2021 versus 2020, indicating that people are engaging in wellness behaviors at a higher rate.

DIY: DIY saw a huge boom during the pandemic, and it shows no signs of abating yet. 2021 saw a doubling in the usage of DIY apps compared to 2020.

News: There is no indication of “news fatigue” among consumers, even after two years of pandemic updates. In 2021, there was an increase in 12% of news app usage compared to the previous year.

Careers and employment: The Great Resignation is well underway, and this is reflected in mobile app usage around careers and employment - there was a significant 27% jump in career and employment apps usage between 2020 and 2021.

Wedding planning: As the world opens up, couples don’t want to wait anymore, and this can be seen in the 57% increase in usage of wedding-related apps in 2021 compared to 2020.

With the help of Start.io data gathered from half a million integrated apps and 30 billion SDK downloads, businesses can gain accurate, powerful insights about audience behavior and drive smarter mobile advertising in 2022. Click here to read more insights about mobile audience and app usage data from 2020 vs. 2021. To explore audience data by consumer segment and region, please visit the Audience Segments hub. Start.io is a mobile marketing and audience platform. Start.io (formerly StartApp) empowers the mobile app ecosystem and simplifies mobile marketing, audience building and mobile monetization. Start.io’s direct integration with over 500,000 monthly active apps provides access to unprecedented levels of global first-party data, which can be leveraged to understand and predict behaviors, identify new opportunities and fuel growth.  For PR queries, reach out to: [email protected] Source: Start.io