Apps to be a $15 billion business by 2013 says analyst

Analytic firm research2guidance has just stopped working on their abacus and have figured out that sales in application stores will go from the $1.94 billion recorded last year to a hefty $15 billion on a Global basis by 2013. Part of the reason for the increase is explained by the large jump in smartphone users from the 100 million total in 2009 to an expected 1 billion by 2013. One area where there is plenty of opportunity is in the field of corporate apps. To date, only 10% of Fortune 500 companies offer customers an application to use on a smartphone. Of those companies with an app, 91% use it to for access to a core product or for promotion. The remaining 9% use it as a stand alone product. Companies like Bank of America offer an app that allows its customers to bank from a handset while GEICO uses its iPhone app to assist those with road trouble.Some restaurants like Pizza Hut allow you to order a pizza through a downloaded application. With $15 billion possibly up for grabs in 3 years, thjis is money that companies both big and small are going to want to get their hands on. You can expect big growth in the corporate aisle of the app stores over the next few years.

source: research2guidance via TechCrunch