Frost: App Stores Are the ‘Farmer’s Market’ of Content Distribution

The rash of companies following Apple to market with mobile application storefronts – Nokia, RIM, Microsoft, Google (Android) to name a few – has resulted in a new model of mobile content distribution. According to Frost & Sullivan, these new digital stores create a new type of direct-to-consumer relationship that connects consumers to a specific brand that provides them with an easy way to purchase and download apps for their cell phone.

Frost & Sullivan likens these app stores to a farmer’s market, “where people can purchase fresh products and homemade food, eliminating the middleman and the additional costs associated with buying through an intermediary.”

The success of Apple’s iTunes App Store, which saw 200 million downloads in its first 100 days, is not only due to the well-known brand, but also because mobile users are increasingly recognizing that they can personalize their mobile experience, Frost reports. Familiarity with the Apple brand and direct access to any iPhone app they could possibly want has definitely turned out to be a winning combination.

According to the company, as more new mobile app stores open their virtual doors, the competition will come from the quality of the applications, ease of interactivity and affordable pricing models. And, we’d like to add, it will also depend on the popularity of the platforms that the individual stores support.

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