Image source: generated by Unbounded AI

Genmoji’s early downloads were not impressive. However, starting from November 2, Genmoji began to gain popularity rapidly in the United States. On November 10, it topped the download list of the iOS graphics and design category. As of November 17, it had dominated the category list for 8 consecutive days. As of the time of writing, more than a month has passed, and Genmoji is still ranked second on the list. Currently, the total number of downloads of the app in the United States has reached 590,000+ times, and the number of downloads in November alone was as high as 29.80,000+ times.

Genmoji download status in the United States｜Image source: Diandian Data

Although it is not unusual to reach the top of the category list, because in the ten days since the traffic increased, the product sales volume Also rising. As a non-essential editing application, Genmoji has quickly converted some revenue, and its global cumulative revenue currently exceeds US$70,000. According to incomplete statistics, in the Emoji track, which is now relatively difficult to monetize directly, Genmoji ranks third in revenue in the past 30 days, of which about 49% comes from the United States.

Using Emoji is a popular demand with a huge audience and a large number of developers entering the game. However, every time someone in the editorial department discusses it, it is the kind of product that makes money in a short time but is difficult to last. AI and Emoji, a love-loving and painful theme, are combined together, and several aspects are superimposed, so we decided to use Genmoji to find out.

Genmoji’s revenue in the United States｜Image source: Diandian Data

What failed to escape the cycle is that in the process of our observation, starting from mid-November, Genmoji’s sales preceded downloads Volume began to decline and fell back to a relatively low level. In the days before the publication of this article, although its download volume had rebounded several times (presumably due to the subsequent investment in ASA advertising), it quickly declined again, as did the sales volume. Rapidly growing in volume and quickly being “abandoned” by users, why did Genmoji take advantage of it, and why did it fail to retain users? The Emoji track behind it is a market segment with huge users. What is the current situation? Based on curiosity about these questions, we started with Genmoji and tried to answer these questions.

1. Taking advantage of Apple’s Genmoji, the number of downloads in a single day hit a new high in the past six months

Let’s first define Emoji. In China, we often use “emoticon packs” to refer to all content that expresses emotions sent in social communication apps. However, in fact, “emoticon packs” do not all refer to overseas Emoji, alsoIncluding memes (using pictures, animations, and text to convey information), stickers, gifs, etc. Emoji refers specifically to pictures (symbols used on web pages and chats) composed of faces, cars, flags, food and some other symbols. They are different from the memes and stickers mentioned above. They are concise and simple. The sizes are uniform and the outlines are all based on a basic circle.

The difference between meme, sticker, gif and Emoji

Looking back at the history of Emoji, it was just a set of pixel symbols at first. In 2011, Apple built-in Emoji characters in the iOS 5.0 version. "Image Language" thus reaches a large number of users around the world. Developers saw the potential of Emoji applications. Between 2012 and 2016, an Emoji application craze ensued. Applications such as Facemoji and Emoji+ that met users' personalized Emoji needs sprung up like mushrooms after a spring rain.

Tiangonggongqiao strives for innovation every day. In the second half of 2022, AI Wenshengtu software took the lead in igniting the popularity of generative AI. Many manufacturers keenly captured the trend of AI and began to create AI Emoji products. It will be launched one after another in 2023, but at that time the model capabilities were still limited, and it has not made much splash in the market. Emoji application products have become a "sunset industry" that is still being developed by a small number of developers but lacks output.

Time flies to June 11 this year. At the 2024 WWDC Global Developers Conference, Apple announced the introduction of a new feature called Genmoji for the iOS 18 system, which once again ignited the popularity of Emoji products. Emoji products, which have been dormant for a long time, have made new moves in the market. Since September, a large number of new products focusing on "AI+Emoji" have emerged, such as Gemoji - AI Emoji Maker, AI Emojis, Dreamoji - Genmoji maker, etc.

Some AI Emoji products

What’s interesting is that although they have taken over Apple’s work to a certain extent, among the many new “AI+Emoji” products, only There is Genmoji, a product that will be released at the end of 2023.

Out of curiosity, the author selected 7 products with relatively good downloads on the Emoji track for comparison, 5 of which are purely for Emoji. To be honest, judging from the November data, it is very difficult to get through in making Emoji.

The best ones are two apps that are not purely for making Emoji (such as personalized keyboards, puzzle games, etc.)Function), Facemoji’s revenue in November was $130,000+, and Emoji+’s monthly revenue was $4.80,000+. The data for pure Emoji is rather ugly. Except for Genmoji, whose global DAU is around 5W, the data of other apps are not very good. In terms of download volume and sales, Genmoji also leaves them far behind. In the pure Emoji field, Genmoji’s performance is not easy.

Part of the global market data of Emoji APP in November

But behind this rare achievement, there was initially 0 launch. When we first saw Genmoji, the app's page on Sensor Tower noted that the app was not promoted on any ad networks. There is no purchase volume, but it dominates the list.

After checking all channels, the only possibility is in the comment area about iOS Emoji on X.

A sharing post on the X platform about Apple’s Emoji symbols has received 1.8 million views and 640,000 likes. Readers who often visit Under this post, some netizens asked the blogger: "Where did you find these symbols? Are there any other similar apps?" Interestingly, the author has not found any apps on major social media platforms before. Related information appeared in the reply to this comment. A user recommended Genmoji, the protagonist of this article, to the netizen who asked the question.

A netizen on the The volume and revenue have both shown rocket growth since November 9th. On November 12th, the download volume exceeded 70,000, which was the highest single-day download volume in the past six months.

Coupled with the fact that it has the same name as Apple’s official function, Genmoji’s data has soared rapidly.

2. Focus on minimalism and fit the usage scenario. What next?

When I opened the page, I couldn't help but sigh, "This is simply a minimalist dream app!" The entire interface of Genmoji is very clean and tidy, with only two main menus, namely Emojis generation and Emojis search, which roughly correspond to two functions, making emoticons and a searchable emoticon library. Among them, generation is placed first, which is the first function that new users see after successful registration. It covers four columns: novice guide, my Emojis, my Emoji package, and installed Emoji package.The specific function breakdown is shown in the figure below.

Function breakdown of four columns

Compared with other feature-rich and even complicated main menu pages such as Emoji+, Genmoji is easier for new users to get started.

The homepages of the two applications, the Emoji+ homepage on the left and the Genmoji homepage on the right

In the core AI Emoji generation function, the basic mode of Genmoji is very simple, mainly providing users with two There are three ways to generate Emoji, namely text generation and image generation. Users only need to click "Generate Emoji (Emoji Generation)" to select the generation method, choose to enter content in the text box or upload a photo to generate the corresponding Emoji. For example, when I typed “Cat with sunglasses” into the text box, I quickly got a cool cat emoji wearing sunglasses. If you are not satisfied with the cat’s hair, the color of the sunglasses, the cat’s expression, etc., the App also thoughtfully displays other related Emoji for users to choose from.

Sunglasses cat and other related Emoji generated based on text

If you are still not satisfied, Genmoji also supports players to modify Emoji, such as using the Remix function to modify the text, such as changing it to Pink sunglasses.

Remix function demonstration

After users generate emoticons, they will eventually be used on social/communication platforms. Genmoji allows users to directly store the Emoji they generate or search into iMessage. and other social platforms.

Share function usage demonstration

In short, among the many homogeneous Emoji products, Genmoji focuses on the "high road to simplicity", focusing on user-friendly use and designing Emoji symbols. One core function. The author compared and tried several applications with high download volume. In addition to the generation and search functions, the main menu does not have more other ways to play Genmoji. Among the many Emoji Apps that are already very complicated, the operation process gives me the most feeling. good.

However, it can also be seen that the App quickly falls back after a short period of peak traffic and turnover, which makes it feel like it has been abandoned by users. Genmoji, which made some money some time ago, also started advertising ASA, but its traffic and revenue rebounded briefly and then fell again. Since its generation function requires payment, it is difficult for the author to fully test the actual generation effect of the product. Why was Genmoji so quickly “abandoned”? You may also need to start with user feedback and find reasons for the misalignment between product functions and user needs.

3. GEnmoji cannot retain people. Even if Apple does it, the result may be the same

Provide users with a large number of Emoji choices and allow users to create their own personalized Emoji images , is a function that most Emoji products have. Compared with ordinary Emoji products, the only difference between Genmoji and Genmoji is that it has an additional AI drawing function, which is only available to paid users. However, the monthly subscription price is US$2.95 and the annual subscription price is US$9.95. Compared with other similar products that purely make Emoji, such as Emoji AI - Packs for Genmoji, the monthly subscription fee is US$9.99, and the weekly subscription fee of AI Emojis is US$3.99. The cost of the app can be said to be very “conscientious”. This may be one reason why traffic can be quickly converted into income in the early stages of arrival.

However, the affordable price has not continued to convert paying users. On the contrary, many users feel that it is not worth the money. Referring to the low-star reviews in the app store, we found that user dissatisfaction is mainly concentrated in the following two aspects. :

1. The effect of AI image generation is not up to standard, and some users have reported problems such as generation errors and inability to generate images. For example, some users wanted an Emoji of a sun, but got an Emoji of a yellow-haired devil; in addition, under the Tusheng Emoji function, some users said that when they uploaded a photo of multiple people with different skin tones, they could not accurately identify it. To generate the corresponding skin color, I don’t know what kind of large model Genmoji is calling, but it is obviously not capable enough.

2. The product is unstable, and multiple users reported that it often crashes back to the homepage when using it. For example, some users said that they were always prompted with errors and could not download existing Emoji packages.

Some user comments

The picture-generating function, which is the main point of difference and payment point, has been criticized, and the free function of downloading Emoji has also failed, which may be one of the reasons for the decline in its data. one. After all, as mentioned above, Genmoji did not place any ads in the early stage. Its download growth may have benefited from user recommendations, in addition to borrowing from Apple. Nowadays, the product itself needs to be optimized and users give a large number of low-star reviews, which may play a role in negative publicity.

Among the 13 ratings, there are 9 negative reviews

Dandian data shows that the App’s RPD in the United States in November was only US$0.06, and the value remained basically unchanged before and after the fall. Even if Genmoji subsequently launched ASA ads to attract more targeted customers, RPD did not increase.

In addition to the Genmoji product itself, looking at the entire Emoji track, we will find that AI and Emoji may not be the same when put together.There won't be much of a chemical reaction. Emoji is a big demand, but the track behind it is very "interesting". Basically, it can be summarized that the demand is huge, the supply is also abundant, and it is "scattered" everywhere.

Adobe's "Creative Future: Global Emoji Trends Report" shows that about 92% of users around the world frequently use Emoji, mainly in messaging apps and social media. However, due to differences in cross-cultural interpretation, people from different regions, ages, and cultural backgrounds may have completely different understandings of the same Emoji. For example, I send a skull to express fear, but young people in the United States use it to express laughter. On Reddit, some people think that the cake Emoji is a lie, some think it represents good quality, and some think it is just cake.

Reddit netizens have different understandings of cake Emoji

Although there is a rich Emoji library, in addition to chatting with relatives and friends, in order to avoid ambiguity, there are not many commonly used Emoji types. . Emojiall data in recent months shows that the usage rate of smiley and emotional Emoji is 30.94%, the highest.

Emoji usage in 2024｜Image source: Emojiall screenshot

Meltwater’s 2023 Emoji usage list compiled for 12 social media platforms including Instagram, Twitter and Reddit It shows that among the thousands of Emoji symbols, the top ten are classic ones that are well-known to the public, such as crying with laughter, hands folded, etc.

Emoji usage in 2023｜Image source: Meltwater screenshot

Previously, according to statistics from the Unicode Alliance in 2021, the top ten most frequently used Emoji in the world are also laughing, crying, crying, "Old" symbols such as hearts, and the top 100 Emoji symbols account for about 82% of the usage of Emoji symbols.

Emoji Usage in 2021

This means that there are indeed a large number of users behind Emoji, but for various reasons, the scope of Emoji used by users is very limited (excluding meme, etc.), which leads to the fact that at the public level, users’ actual demand for Emoji is not to obtain massive Emoji or to produce “personalized” Emoji.

The author asked three friends around me who like to use Emoji. They said that although they would be interested in the AI ​​Emoji function, they prefer to use ready-made, universal Emoji to meet their daily communication needs. This is also reflected in user feedback on Apple’s new Genmoji feature.

Negative feedback from some users

And as it continues toWith the development of the public, the emoticons in public awareness and use are not only Emoji, but also various memes and stickers. They are constantly emerging and "scattered" everywhere with popular dramas and popular trends, such as free gif galleries, When shared in the community, users can save and use it easily, which means the supply is more abundant. Nowadays, emoticons such as gifs and stickers have “replaced” Emoji and become the “main force” in communicating with our relatives and friends.

Giphy interface

Genmoji, which uses the generation of further enriched supplies as a selling point, has experienced a small wave of craze, which may be more due to user interest triggered by Apple's leading demonstration role. The two are almost Synchronously, you can see that the popularity of the broad word AI Emoji is lower than that of Genmoji.

The popularity of Genmoji and AI emoji in the United States in the past 12 months | Image source: Google Trends

But if we add Emoji itself, the popularity is completely different.

The popularity of emoji, Genmoji and AI emoji in the United States in the past 12 months | Image source: Google Trends

In fact, when our perspective returns from trends to more micro-level user behavior In itself, users use Emoji or memes to express emotions. The biggest problem between this demand and abundant supply may lie in "connection" rather than allowing users to "produce".

First of all, production is for use. Although there are many existing Emojis, most of them have similar or vague meanings. It is very difficult for users to find them when using them. This may also be one of the reasons why the commonly used Emojis are highly overlapping. . Netizens on the Judging from the response of user groups, this demand is not an individual phenomenon, but has a certain universality. This may be one of the segmented needs that are not fully met in the Emoji track. Developers may need to consider how to help users quickly select and retrieve the right Emoji, instead of blindly letting users create new ones and only capturing users' curiosity about creating personalized Emoji. Sooner or later they will get "bored".

X user screenshots | Intrusion and deletion

Furthermore, the driving force behind users using these interesting emoticons (referring to various Emoji, memes, stickers, gifs, etc.) , it may be due to the occasion (the atmosphere needs to be festive), it may be some kind of popular element (popular TV series, animation, celebrity memes), cats and dogs (human-like moments), except for the first holiday atmosphere group, the AI ​​generation does not How much room for play there is in AI The ability to generate pictures has been significantly stronger than last year, allowing AI to understand "memes" and "jokes".The essence of the emoticon package, generating it and placing it in the appropriate place in the emoticon package is still somewhat difficult for AI, let alone generating the Emoji style.

Written at the end

As an AI that specifically serves Emoji Application, Genmoji experienced a wave of gratifying traffic, which also converted into revenue. When it thought that PMF might have run through, it began to invest in ASA, trying to further continue the trend, but users ran in the opposite direction. We didn’t even wait for the big manufacturers to crush us.

This negative case will also further amplify the issues of how to think about the boundaries of AI capabilities, AI-generated products added to products, and whether it can really meet user needs. As for the AI ​​Emoji products that have been launched in large quantities in the past two years, few have really considered how far AI can play in the Emoji track where the global MAU limit of the product is 2612,000+ people (Emoji + personalized keyboard) and the monthly revenue limit is 260,000+ US dollars. value.