Men spend more on purchases in freemium apps

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Men are spending an average of 31% more than females every time they make an in-game purchase in a freemium game on their mobile phone.

Males aged between 25-34 spend the most on in-app purchases, said app market analyst Flurry in a September 16 blog post.

The average amount paid per transaction in freemium games (games that are free to download but encourage players to make in-app purchases to access extra game features or levels) by males aged 25-34 was $16.40 while females within the same age bracket spent an average of $12.00.  

The gender gap was the most evident between 25- and 34-year-olds, but the phenomenon was evidenced across all age brackets.

Despite the difference in spending habits, Flurry found that the average time spent playing freemium games on mobile was “relatively evenly split among males and females, with 18-34 males (coincidentally considered the best target for hardcore games) representing the largest group about a third of all players.”

A recent survey by market researcher Nielsen found that females were more likely to use social networking apps like Facebook and Twitter on their Android-powered smartphones than males, while the opposite was true for apps such as Google Maps and Gmail.