The Android app store has 3.8 million apps followed by 2 million apps in the iOS store. Amid such neck stiff competition, how will you differentiate your app from the millions out there?
Here’s a lesser known fact. Even though English is perceived as the most widely spoken language in the world, the surprising fact here is that it is native to only 5% of the world’s population and is actually used by only one-third of the people globally.
Additionally, according to Statista, the top 5 countries with the highest number of smartphone users in 2017 were:
- China with 720 million smartphone users
- India with 300 million smartphone users
- The United States with 226 million smartphone users
- Brazil with 79 million smartphone users
- Russian Federation with 78 million smartphone users
This means, your app users today could be in any part of the world. And while your app may be globally available, it may not necessarily be ready to hit the global market.
A report by Common Sense Advisory states that 75% of customers prefer to buy products in their own language. Thus, localizing your app based on the geography, country, and market would make sure that the app is acceptable locally, to that region.
App Localization refers to attuning the elements of your app such as language, icons, currency, date and time, colors and pictures to suit the cultural needs and behaviors of your target audience.
Localizing will maximize the reach of your product or service by customizing your app and catering to different users in different regions with varied preferences. It further allows you to go beyond your base and access a global market.
A study by Distomo showed that localizing apps resulted in 128% more downloads per country and a 26% increase in revenue for each country due to app localization.
What’s even more incredible is that this will increase your sales via downloads and hence give you an edge over the competition.
Want more proof? Facebook is available in 101 languages; Gmail is available in 58 languages, Twitter in 34 languages and Pinterest in 31 languages.
They are customized, diversified and localized according to the local target audience.
This infographic by iScribblers shows you how to win international market using app localization.
