App market in China, a flourishing business in China

Nowadays in China, the mobile apps business can be very profitable. Concerning this field, the market offers a lot of opportunities because the country counts one billion mobile devices.  Indeed, in 2017 Chinese people spent approximately 200 billion hours on apps. Therefore, launching a business in app stores, app ads, and mobile commerce can be very lucrative.

Who are the users?

In China, people spend over 90 % of their free time in apps outside of games. The app is used mostly for communication purposes such as the Wechat platform.  Chinese people spend much more time than European consumers checking prices, engaging with brands.

This kind of mobile behavior will win momentum as leading e-commerce brands like Taobao introduce new app features, like one-touch ordering directly from a photograph, and refine tactics, including push notification remarketing.

Non gaming categories

Video players and Editors are very used and they generate a lot of money. Indeed we notice that Chinese people really enjoy the video and live streaming apps. In addition, there is a significant number of local apps that are emerging. We also have to mention the importance of system tool-type apps also known as productivity app that are downloaded by many people. Can It stem from that China has the largest and fastest-growing app economies? The number of downloading in 2017 which is actually 119 billion shows the popularity of this kind of app. This fact can also be explained by the fact that a  new regulation was passed in 2016, forcing gaming app creators to be approved by China’s State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film & Television (SAPPRFT). E-commerce apps show huge opportunities since there are 713 million e-commerce app users. This amazing market is the result of diverse market dynamics.  The mobile payment ecosystem favors that.

Gaming App

According to a report by the ministry of industry and information, China’s app stores reached 4 million in 2017. Gaming apps are the most downloaded apps in China. We can count approximately 1.2 million gaming apps available in China’s app store which represents a quarter of Chinese mobile apps.  Despite the new regulation passed in 2016, gaming apps keep going. Indeed, 974 apps have been approved in January 2017.

Payment app

The app market is very vast and it also includes games that are actually enormous. Alipay and WeChat pay are the leaders on the market. Both have a share of 90% of this market while traditional payment networks such as MasterCard largely participate in mobile payments. Mobile payments are fully integrated into business in China. These facilities of payment go beyond simple transaction utility because they also integrate directly retails. It permits the collection of data and establishes a good strategy to increase sales. Actually, these apps enjoy significant confidence from users regarding security.

Google play vs Apple store

Despite the recent effort of Apple to develop hardware, when one looks at software Android remains stronger to offer interesting devices. Consequently, it dominates the market. Tencent app, 360 mobile assistants, Baidu mobile assistant, Oppo soft ware assistant, and Huawei app market are the 5  top Android apps.

How to market a Chinese app in China ?

You are in China , so speak chinese , write chinese and think chinese !

One of the strongest shackles that you have to face while starting an international business may be the language. Our agency is composed of native Chinese speakers that is able to translate your app. Indeed, reading, write and speaking Chinese is a must if you want to be successful with your app. You need to make sure that every button is in Chinese in order to make it easier for the user. If having content in Chinese seems to be logical, it is essential to think about a Chinese name for the app. But choosing a name has to be the result of a long and deep reflection n because you need to see the competitors and also to adapt to the local market before taking your decision. Remind that Chinese people really appreciate names with real meaning.

Optimize your app thanks to an efficient design

Connexion is very slow in China. The speed of China’s mobile networks remains very bad compared to other developed countries and even less efficient than other Asian cities like Japan or Korea. This is one of the reasons why you need to elaborate on a non-heavy design and we can help you with that. If there is too much data, the app will load very slowly and Chinese people are not very patient. Consequently, this technical aspect has to be considered very seriously.

 Be pro active on Social media

Entering social media channels permits you to use your profile information and friends list on other apps. Integrating social media is a must but not Facebook or Twitter because they are not allowed in China. It is essential to be present on the most famous ones such as Sina and Tencent Weibo, YouKu, or WeChat.

If you want to develop a mobile app, but you don’t handle all the details, don’t worry GMA can help you to develop this project. You only need to contact us.