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4 KEYS TO OPEN THE CHINESE MOBILE MARKET

Posted by: Caring
Category: Blog

The Chinese app market is the largest and one of the most profitable mobile markets in the world, and it’s poised to be the top mobile market across all categories in just a year or two as more and more of its citizens go online. With over 780 million mobile users already online, app developers would be crazy to not start thinking about getting into the Chinese mobile market.

However, the Chinese mobile market is very different than other markets around the world. There are a few things that developers need to do differently in order to be successful in China:


ALTERNATIVE APP STORES

A significant portion of China’s mobile market share is taken up by Android users, but unlike in the West, Google Play doesn’t have a presence in China. This means that Android developers have to choose from dozens of third-party Android app stores in order to get their app in front of Chinese Android users. The major stores are run through big Chinese companies like Tencent and Baidu, but there are many more smaller stores that developers should research when deciding where to publish their apps.

iOS developers will have less of a problem with this because the App Store has a small presence already in China. However, the number of Chinese iOS users is still small compared Android (although they do tend to pay more than their Android counterparts).

TRANSLATION

China’s English speakers are concentrated mainly in the larger coastal cities, so the majority of mobile users are going to be Chinese-only speakers. This makes translating your apps into the Chinese language a big priority.

Many app developers opt to change the names of their apps specifically for the Chinese market (like Uber) in order to appear higher on Chinese language searches.

It’s also important for developers to think about translating any text within their apps for the Chinese audience. Since China has a variety of languages (Cantonese, Mandarin) and dialects, it is usually best to contract a local translator (a friend or a professional translation company) instead of using a free translation service like Google Translate.

WORK FAST

The size and scope of the Chinese market make it easy for copycat developers to pop up once your app starts gaining users. This is something that is very common in China and that almost all developers need to deal with.

The best way to stay ahead of these copycat apps is to update and improve your app constantly. This will keep users interested and keep you ahead of your competition. Even simple updates like adding a few new items or upgrades can be a big help.

Another way to deal with this issue is to have local partners who have connections to local app store editors. This will help speed up the process of reporting any copyright violations and keep your copycats from gaining traction on the app stores.

TAP INTO SOCIAL AND UNCONVENTIONAL PROMOTION CHANNELS

Just like in western markets, social media is huge in China. However, instead of Facebook and Twitter, users in China are on Weibo and WeChat. To really kick off your marketing efforts in China, create accounts on these sites and start building buzz for your apps. These are also great channels for distributing promotions and product announcements.

Chinese users also tend to be more receptive to more old-school marketing techniques. These can include physical coupons and flyers handed out in the street or at conferences. While these methods would be ignored in western markets like the US, Chinese users are open to grassroots marketing methods like this, especially when combined with promotions and discounts.


Though the differences in the Chinese market may seem overwhelming now, it is important to remember that it shares one important quality with other mobile app markets: user experience is king. Before worrying about translation and optimizing for the Chinese market specifically, you need to make sure that your app experience is seamless and provides value to the user. If your app doesn’t resonate with users, the 4 tips above won’t be of much help!

 

Author: Caring