While the smartphone market may be slowly plateauing worldwide, the app market is still on the increase. As App Annie has noted previously, “all companies need to view themselves as app publishers, irrespective of their mobile strategy”. While the significance of apps for the future of engagement is clear, one thing that’s not always as clear is the best way to target new audiences, or indeed, where to find the next big untapped market.
App Annie has an answer for that one too: Taiwan. In a new post, the app market analysts peg Taiwan as the next billion-dollar market for app publishers. While Asian markets typically prefer Asian-developed apps – for their cultural awareness and sensitivity to Asian UI tastes – Taiwan stands out as a big market that also happens to be quite amenable to Western apps.
Regional bias
As App Annie notes, “some app economies, like Asia, tend to favor locally produced apps, as their publishers are more attuned to cultural preferences and references. This can make it much tougher for Western apps to see success in Asian app markets, as the level of localization and culturalization required to succeed can be cost-prohibitive”.
It can be much tougher for Western apps to see success in Asian app markets, as the level of localization and culturalization required to succeed can be cost-prohibitive.
For developers looking to break into a new market, low risk entry with potential for high yields is critical. Localizing apps can be massively expensive, and even then there’s no guarantee of success. Having a single app that appeals as broadly as possible is a much better approach, and Taiwan looks to be the next big market on which app developers should focus.
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