If you did a little more shopping on your phone in 2014 than usual, you're not the only one. According to mobile analytics firm Flurry, shopping apps exploded over the last year, growing 174 percent over 2013 use. But just about every kind of app had more people using it, by 76 percent on average — continuing a long trend powered by growing smartphone numbers. This doesn't necessarily mean people spent more money on clothes and coffees via their phones, but they sure did open up those retail apps a lot more. Especially, the data shows, during lunch hour and after dinner.
Utilities and productivity apps, led by Microsoft Office, also more than doubled in use, followed closely by messaging and fitness (tied with travel). Other categories, like games and music, didn't grow as much, possibly because they are already extremely popular. "We’ve witnessed another explosive year of growth in mobile and have entered a new phase of the mobile revolution where we get down to business," read Flurry's blog post. "We can’t wait to see what 2015 brings."
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