For US app developers, the global markets might just be the best place to get more users. “Adoption curves are way slower in other countries,” according to Matthaeus Krzykowski, CEO of Xyologic, an app store search service, at the “Global App Marketplace” panel at AppNation. Janis Zech, Co-Founder and Chief Revenue Officer of SponsorPay recommended that those who wish to promote their apps globally should carefully research countries that will give them the most growth by looking at “population, distribution of platform, GDP and determining “local sweet spots.” In most European countries, the number of downloads needed to get into the Top 25 is much lower than the US, providing a great opportunity for US app developers to rise to the top.
Zech and Krzykowski agreed that European users commonly download English apps, making translation unecessary depending on the app. “If there’s not a lot of text in the app, they don’t care if it’s in English,” Zech said. However, developers could gain an edge by translating the app description. “A minimum of localization will give you an edge.”
When going into new markets, one must proceed with some caution, however. “The US, North and South America, and Western Europe are basically one ecosystem,” continued Zech. “Russia, India, China, and Japan are all different.” Sponsor Pay operates in 20 countries, and failed in Russia until they partnered with a local company. “Sometimes you have to do that,” he said, given the nuances of individual markets.
In Japan, where Sho Masuda, VP of Marketing and Sales at Gree, a 25 million strong mobile social gaming platform, is from, “TV is great for promoting apps,” since there are only six channels. He also mentioned that the Japanese tend to like action games more than in the US. Wherever you decide to market your app, Masuda said, “focus on ROI of acquisition,” and look at the greatest opportunities based on the data.
