Smartphone users who also own a tablet spend an average of three times more on apps than those without the second device, according to Analysys Mason.

Analysys Mason’s European and US Connected Consumer Survey found that the proportion of smartphone owners that spend more than €5 per month on apps is nearly three times higher for tablet owners.

In addition, more than 60 per cent of tablet owners have paid to download an app for their smartphone, compared with 40 per cent of non-tablet owners.

The research also found that those with high-end devices are more likely to buy apps, and that iPhone owners are twice as likely to buy apps as other smartphone users.

The difference in app spend can be partly attributed to the fact that tablet owners generally have more disposable income than non-tablet owners and more likely to own a top-end smartphone.

App purchase activity also depends on the length of time people have owned devices: 60 per cent of consumers who have owned their device for less than six months spend more than €2 per month on apps, while the figure is 50 per cent for those who have owned their device for longer.

Analysys Mason also found that 53 per cent of smartphone users had never bought an app when the research was carried out in October 2012. This figure differed between platforms, with 30 per cent for iOS users and up to 66 per cent for those using other platforms.

With multi-device ownership driving app spend, Analysys Mason suggests operators bundle app vouchers with multi-device tariffs to encourage users to have more than one device connected to their network. The synchronisation of app libraries across smartphones and tablets would also provide a boost.

The report suggests that the gap in app spend between tablet and non-tablet owners is likely to narrow as tablet ownership becomes more common.