APP SNAPPING AT INSTAGRAM, TIKTOK’S HEELS

THE battle for lucrative teenage attention is ramping up in 2022, with Snap Inc‘s local boss declaring her company’s Snapchat app is well-positioned to steal Australian market share from the likes of TikTok and Instagram.

Kathryn Carter, who has been leading Snap’s Asia Pacific operations for nearly five years, says the company has just posted its most successful growth quarter in years.

“The growth we’ve seen from both a commercial and consumer perspective (last) year has been pretty extraordinary,” she said.

“From a consumer perspective, we’ve had the highest increase in net new users in the most recent quarter than what we’ve seen since 2020, and there are more Snapchatters using Snap in Australia than ever before.

“And what’s really pleasing is that they’re using it 40 times a day, and they’re using it for longer as well.”

Ms Carter said time spent on gaming was up 140 per cent, year on year.

“We want to ensure our users are able to have fun and play with their close friends and the platform provides a really private and safe and positive way to do that,” she said.

“Especially in the environment of the last few years, you haven’t been able to communicate with your friends in person, so being able to do it through Snap is the next best thing. And the impact has been an increase across all of the metrics that matter.”

Recent statistics released by American think tank Pew show that social media competition is tight, with 76 per cent of 18 to 24-year-olds reporting themselves as Instagram users, with Snapchat usage at 75 per cent of that age cohort and TikTok at 55 per cent.

Ms Carter said Snap’s own internal statistics showed that 95 per cent of

Snapchat’s audience report that they felt happy while using the platform.