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As developers look for new markets in which to hopefully turn their app ideas into the next Flappy Birds, the subject of China repeatedly comes up in conversation. The sheer size of the market combined with its relative inaccessibility for most Western developers given Google Play’s irrelevance there, creates a mystique about China that has many a publisher chomping at the bit to find a way in. As we prepare to extend our distribution offering into China, we’d like to share with you our thoughts on key things to consider if you’re planning on entering the Chinese marketplace.

About a year ago, AppFlood published an informative piece highlighting 10 top Chinese app stores that included the likes of 91 Hiapk, Baidu Market and Wandoujia on the list. They followed that up this year with an excellent piece on how the revenue shares breakdown in the Chinese market. Both of these pieces will provide to you the basics of how business is done in China.


Armed with that knowledge we strongly recommend that you don’t stop there but dig deeper and take into account the following considerations as well:

– If your app has in-app purchases then you’ll need to integrate the SDKs required by the stores you plan to submit to. For games, almost every store has their own specific SDK. For non-game apps there’s a bit more flexibility;
– Does your app rely on Amazon Web Services? While they are making a concerted push into China, our resources put AWS availability at 60-70% right now;
– Do you plan to publish under your own name? Some stores will allow it and others require a Chinese publisher of record;

– Plan to localize for language and for cultural differences, especially if you’re a games publisher;
– Store reporting is in Chinese…better get a translator;
– Feature placement and promotional campaigns need to be negotiated directly with the stores;
– Do you plan on tracking and/or responding to reviews?

 

This is just a partial list of things to weigh as you consider entering China with you app. So, while China is quite appealing for many very good reasons, it would be foolish to underestimate the amount of work required to effectively manage the Chinese market. CodeNgo is actively working to build new services and partnerships that will reduce the barriers to supporting the Chinese market for our clients. We hope have more for you on this very soon so stay tuned!!

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ASO
For any app publisher, acquiring new users is consistently an area of focus. For those publishers with larger budgets, trialing many different channels is of paramount importance. Medium and smaller size developers find that they need to be more creative and focused in their efforts but regardless of the size of the publisher, finding high quality users remains a significant challenge. With that in mind we’ve compiled a list of the top quality user acquisition channels based on our experience and discussions with developers.

Facebook Mobile Ads
The Facebook Mobile Ads product has taken the market by storm. Facebook’s reach plus their targeting capabilities make Facebook ads second to none as a tool for acquiring users. The downside for most developers is that the big publishers all recognize the power of Facebook ads and thus bid up the cost of acquiring users beyond the budget of most small developers. If you know who you’re trying to reach and have the resources to invest then you can’t go wrong with Facebook.

Ad Networks
Yes, I know this is a very broad category. There are a plethora of ad networks out there from large global players like Admob, Tapjoy and Leadbolt to regional networks like Vserv and a bit of everything in between. Targeting capabilities, while not at the level of Facebook, are typically pretty good. In addition, most ad networks have moved beyond the simplified banner ads that typified most ad networks several years ago and offer more native-like ad units. The key to successfully finding the right ad network for your app starts with understanding who your users and who you want to acquire. Once you know who your valued users are then you can seek to find ad network partners who can help you to acquire those users.

Cross-Promotions with Other Apps
This should be a part of every app marketer’s tool kit and should be at the top of the list for most smaller developers. The reality is that paying for downloads is expensive and the large publishers have driven up the cost on the most effective channels. Developers need to network and reach out to other developers serving the same audiences that you want to reach. Consider using tools like Xplode from Iddiction that allow you to easily connect your own apps to drive installs and also connect with other developers to grow your installs together. Whether it’s using new tools or building your own ad network with other developers the old fashioned way, cross-promotions can offer the best ROI for cash strapped publishers.

App Store Optimization
ASO has certainly become the rage over the last year or so and for good reason. With the proliferation of services like MobileDevHQ, Appcodes, Searchman and more, effective ASO strategies and tactics are easier than ever for developers to access. ASO experts like Stefan Bielau are sought after speakers at developer conferences and forums. Research suggests that over half of all visitors to app stores do not come with a specific app in mind and use the search function to find the apps that they end up downloading. If you’re a smaller developer trying to compete with large publishers on the top key search terms then you’re setting yourself up for failure. Effective ASO is an iterative process so don’t expect it to be a silver bullet. Invest some time in keyword research each week and give prospective users a better chance to discover your app. And don’t forget to have an awesome screenshot on offer when they find you!

App Localization
For far too many developers, localization is an afterthought. They build an app in English, submit it to iTunes or Google Play and check off worldwide distribution and then hope. For serious developers, app localization should be a standard part of developing your app. We recommend starting with your app descriptions to test which markets your app appeals to and then extending from there to the strings inside of the application. At CodeNgo we’ve partnered with Tethras, one of the leaders in app localization, to make it easy to translate your app at the same time that you’re submitting to app stores. Distimo and others have reported on the benefits of localization already. Take advantage of this low hanging fruit and see your app downloads soar.

Expanded Distribution
If your app were a beverage you would want it to be available wherever thirsty patrons shop. The same should be true for your app. While iTunes is the only real game in town for IOS, Android publishers have access to hundreds of stores. In China, where Google Play doesn’t play, you have no choice but to consider alternative stores. Collectively these alternative stores drive billions of downloads and the One Platform Foundation estimates that you’re more than 20 times more likely to be featured in these alternative stores than in Google Play. With services like CodeNgo available to help you manage all of these stores efficiently, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t get your fair share of those users.

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There are more than 30 different app stores for Android; for some of them statistics are available and for some of them they are not. We have collected almost all available information and have tried to answer the question:

Does it make sense to spent time submitting my app to alternative Android appstores?

Android-Appstore-Market-Overview

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Now that the new Developer Economics survey is coming to a close (make sure you participate by clicking the link at the bottom of the article!), it is a good time to reflect on some of the key messages from the previous survey. Developer Economics 6th edition was the largest ever research conducted on the app economy, with over 7000 developers participating.

The report goes in lengthy details on developer’s choice of platform. This is of course typically lead by the revenue potential of each platform, which paints a quite dismal picture:

Developer revenue distribution (Source: Vision Mobile)

The poverty line, defined as making less than $500/app per month, dominates for most platforms, except for iOS where the majority is above the line. We do believe the data is skewed here, given the vast number of app developers out there, but either way it paints a picture of non-iOS developers having to put more effort into the marketing to make money.  Then again, this could be that there simply are a lot more Android devices and developers out there, and as Vision Mobile put it, could be a reflection of that iOS is the upmarket store and Android the outlet.  But for platforms like Microsoft, the explanation could be that simply the developers on the platform are more hobbyists than professionals, thus there are less quality apps available.

But somehow we don’t think the answer always lie in the mix of developers on the platform or the quality of the apps for that manner.  While normally quite brilliant in their analysis, Vision Mobile goes to say in a follow up article on which app store to choose that “if reaching an audience is an important part of your hobby creation then building an Android app and publishing on Google Play is the obvious option.” Not quite so with 1 million apps available.  In fact, the only obvious reason for publishing on Google Play is that you kind of have to be there to appear in searches + it helps your publishing in other stores.  But there is nothing obvious about Google Play as your only choice – unless you don’t mind being below the poverty line.  The only example of an alternative app store they give is with Amazon, where they point out that developers who also include Amazon make higher revenues. Pardon us for stating the obvious. If Coca Cola only distributed in Safeway they would clearly make less than Pepsi. But with a consumer product, reach does not always equate to being in the biggest stores, but being in the most stores.

So besides reach, what else can you focus on to get above the poverty line? Well, games are a good start. In 2013, according to Vision Mobile, mobile games accounted for 40% of downloads but 75% of revenues.  Vision Mobile estimates the market for games on Google and iTunes to be around $10bn, while AppAnnie and IHS puts the number at $16bn, a tripling from the year before.  Given the lack of market coverage for Google and poor payment options available in iTunes, it is likely that the market is significantly larger than this.  But signs are also showing that games may no longer keep it’s dominance, with non games expected to be 51% of revenues in 2017.  So the good news for those below the poverty line? This market is going to get a whole lot bigger!

p.s. An interesting digression. $500/month would:

– Put you 1/4th of the way to be above the poverty line in the US
– In India, would put you above the official poverty line by a factor of 41!
– Would earn you 6.7 times more than half the world’s population on average

—-

Take the new Developer Economics 10-minute survey and win cool prizes! VisionMobile has launched a new app developer survey and is looking into opportunities and challenges in the app market. The results of the survey will be available as a free research report in July, while respondents can win great prizes, including an iPhone 5s, a Galaxy S5, a Sphero, a Lego Mindstorm robot, a Raspberry Pi Ultimate Starter Ki, a Das Keyboard – and more!

What’s your take on the latest trends in app development? Which platform(s) should a developer choose to make money in today’s competitive market? Which is the right revenue model for your apps? Are you using any dev tools? Take the developer survey and have your say on the top app developer issues – contribute to the research and find out how your opinion stacks against other developers’.

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From Samsung:

To stimulate interest and promote development in the Samsung Apps ecosystem, we have been using a new profit distribution rate to better benefit our sellers since November 1st of last year. Profits from applications with In-App Purchase 2.0 have been distributed with a rate of 80 percent for the seller and 20 percent for Samsung. As previously announced, this rate will be effective until April 30th of 2014 and the previous rate (70:30) will apply from May 1st of 2014.
We encourage more frequent use of In-App Purchase as the profit distribution rate for In-App Purchases will be adjusted once more within this year.
You can find information about In-App Purchase 2.0 at the following URL.
http://developer.samsung.com/in-app-purchase

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Let’s face it, your app is probably a commodity. As noted by Wikipedia, “a commodity has full or partial fungibility; that is, the market treats its instances as equivalent or nearly so with no regard to who produced them.” In basic English it means that your product can be easily replaced in part or completely by another to satisfy the needs of the market. For 99% of apps out there this means that if a user doesn’t find your app, they’ll pick another one that they think fills the need they’re looking to satisfy. This the same whether your app is a game, a productivity app or any other category.

As the app ecosystem has evolved the challenge of reaching consumers for app developers has grown more and more difficult. From a technical perspective the promise of reduced fragmentation hasn’t panned out even with so many OSs already sitting in the graveyard and others staring the grim reaper straight in the eyes.  Any app discovery gains won as a result of consumers migrating to two primary OSs have been swamped by the sheer volume of apps developed and now available in the main app stores. Imagine walking into Walmart and there being 1 million items stocked on the shelves. How would anyone find your product?

In the world of physical products, unless a manufacturer has an established brand or a ton of resources, they don’t launch their product in Walmart yet every publisher rushes to get their app into iTunes and Google Play. Since getting on the shelf is the easy part, it’s much more important to get people using your quality app wherever it is they choose to shop than it is to drive people into the iTunes or Google Play stores. Getting on their shelves is a basic requirement but far from sufficient for success. Remember, your app is a commodity – if it’s not available when and where users are shopping then it’s a missed opportunity. We often hear the question “why does anyone use anything other than Google Play?”. In reality that’s precisely the wrong question to ask. The correct question is “Do you want your app to miss out on the 100s of millions of downloads that are taking place outside of Google Play?”

Coca-Cola supply trucks (Source: Reuters)

As with a softdrink, you will distribute in bottles, cans or cups (Android, iOS and Windows???) and you need to be in the grocery store, movie theater, gas station, vending machines (iTunes, Google Play, Amazon, carrier stores, etc, etc) as that is where the consumers are.

Even with a quality app, like any startup business, your odds of being successful aren’t very good. The One Platform Foundation’s Android AppStore Market Overview noted that alternative app stores significantly improve the chances of your app being discovered by consumers. “Submitting your app to alternative appstores will increase your chances of being featured by more than 20 times.” The job of any small business owners is to give their business the best chance to be successful in a highly competitive marketplace. This has never been more important than for app publishers today.

And being everywhere really means “Think global – act local”. Do not forget about language localization and the importance of this. Case studies from online gaming has shown that bounce rates can drop significantly and conversion and revenue drastically. For instance, 5% of the apps in Russia are localized, yet generate 70% of the revenue.

Finally, alternative app stores are here to stay. Why, you might ask, with Google and Apple holding such a monopoly? App stores are a key piece of the strategic plan for companies like Amazon, Nokia, Yandex, Samsung, Baidu and the list goes on. They’re investing in app stores for the long run. Enabling technologies such as the in-app commerce engine from Forbes Digital Media and innovations in app discovery that Amazon and others are driving will see shifts in both user behavior and the financial dynamics of this space. Apple and Google aren’t going anywhere soon but their grip on the consumer will lessen over time.

It’s about the consumer, not the store. Be where the consumers are.

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From Amazon

New Updates and Releases

Amazon Coins Now Available on Android

We recently extended Amazon Coins to all Android devices with Amazon Appstore installed. Amazon Coins is a way for Amazon Appstore customers to buy and enjoy Android apps, games, and in-app items for less. Customers can save up to 10% on apps and games by purchasing Amazon Coins, while developers continue to get their full 70% revenue share. Learn more about Amazon Coins for Android here.

SDK Update Available on the Appstore Developer Portal

We recently posted an update to the Appstore SDK. This update introduces two material changes. These changes include: Unity3D plugin and AdobeAir Plugin. Download the latest SDK to get the latest UNITY and Adobe plug-ins and remove the old plug-ins. Learn more about the update here.

Tips and Tricks

Setting Up the ADB Driver for Kindle Fire Devices

Setting up your Kindle Fire device for testing and debugging is a simplified process thanks to Android Debug Bridge (ADB) support. First, ensure your development computer has at least one package of Kindle Fire system images installed. This is critical because the package includes the vendor identification needed for ADB to recognize any of the physical Kindle Fire tablets. This is done through a series of easy steps. Read the full article on how to setup your ADB driver here.

Distributing HTML5 Web Apps in the Post PC World

In a world quickly moving toward mobile device adoption, there is a growing pressure for web developers to learn new languages in order to adapt to the ever-changing landscape of content delivery. For the past 16+ years, web has been the king of mass distribution. But now as app stores on mobile devices are driving huge monetization opportunities, how do web developers stay competitive in this new “post PC world”? The key is to understand how you can maximize your web app’s potential in the distribution vs. monetization model. Read the full article here.

Tracking Events Using the Amazon Mobile Ads API

When displaying ads in your apps and games, you may want to know how often you are actually displaying ads to your users, what types of ads are being displayed, and how your users are interacting with an ad. Thankfully, the Amazon Mobile Ads API includes events that can aid you in understanding performance of ads displayed on your apps. You have the ability to track when an ad is successfully displayed from the Amazon Ad Network, how long a user views an ad, and when your user opens or closes a rich media expandable banner ad. Learn more about tracking events here.

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From Samsung

Dear Seller
This is the Samsung Apps Seller Office.
Thank you for your continued support of the Samsung Apps Seller Office.The changes detailed below will be introduced as part of our ongoing commitment to service improvement.
 Effective from
– April 03, 2014 (THU)
 Major changes
Added Feature for Registering Screenshots for Each Language
– In the second step of the application registration, when additional languages can be added, a feature has been added to allow screenshots to be registered for each language.
(Before) Application Title, Description, New Features, Tags
-> (After) Application Title, Description, New Features, Tags, Screenshots
– When you register a screenshot for each language, that screenshot will be displayed in the application details page of the Samsung Apps Store when it is viewed in the relevant language.
If you have questions, select Seller Office > Support > Contact us for inquiries.
The Samsung Apps Seller Office continues to be dedicated to providing better services for our valued customers.

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When Nokia announced in Barcelona at Mobile World Congress that they were building a phone using the Android OS, it took a lot of people by surprise. Having previously chosen the Windows Phone OS as its platform choice, it was a curious choice to pursue and Android device as the “commoditization risk” had previously been a deal breaker. Nokia chose to mitigate some of this risk by forking the Android OS. This includes removing the Google Play store and supporting other app stores as well as removing & replacing Google APIs (and thus services like Google Maps and and plethora of others). For Google this is a strategy that they are seeing employed more often as both Amazon and Yandex are pursuing similar strategies when building on top of Android. What should developers see this move as good for them?

Nokia X (Source: Nokia)

First, even though Nokia has been decimated in many of the western markets, the growth of smartphones in these markets is slowing dramatically as they move closer to saturation. The real action is moving to emerging markets where Nokia still has a strong handset presence and high brand equity. Countries like Brazil, Mexico and India offer fertile ground for developers looking to find new consumers. We see Mozilla with their new OS targeting these same emerging markets as well.

Second, even with another fork in the Android OS, Nokia expects that 75% of existing Android apps will work on Nokia X without any modifications. Those that do require modifications, they’ll be relatively small versus those required to build for a different operating system.

Finally, it was the smart developers who took a chance on iOS before it launched that saw great rewards for taking that bet. While the Nokia brand is tarnished in many western markets, there are few opportunities left for developers to get behind big brands with established user bases in large markets. Nokia presents just that type of opportunity for developers. Make sure you don’t miss out on it.

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The American Diabetes Association states that over eight percent of Americans have been diagnosed with diabetes. If you’re one of the approximately 19 million Americans affected by this condition, you can use mobile apps to help manage your blood sugar and other issues you face on a daily basis. Since Android and iOS offer thousands of health-related apps, researching which ones are most helpful allows you to make an informed decision before installing them on your device.

Glucose Buddy for Android and iOS
The American Diabetes Association rates Glucose Buddy highly for its comprehensive layout and ease of use. With Glucose Buddy, you can log your medication, carbohydrate and blood sugar intake and automatically send a report in PDF format to your healthcare provider. The app offers the option to sync with an online database that stores your glucose tracking history and predicts your upcoming A1C hemoglobin level. Sending reports to your endocrinologist saves trips to the doctor’s office.

mySugr Companion for iOS
Two Australian type 1 diabetics created mySugr Companion as a fun way to log dietary and medicinal intake for diabetics. When you first start the app, you give your diabetes a name, and it becomes a cartoon-like monster that you have to tame. The app works like a game to keep your diabetic routine more interesting. It includes sound effects and icons to relieve the tedium of logging medication and food consumption.

BGMonitor Diabetes for Android
BGMonitor acts as a mobile alternative to a diabetic’s Bolus Wizard Calculator. If you take several daily injections, you can use this app to calculate your dosage by inputting your blood sugar and carbohydrate levels for the day. The app costs $2 and is only available for Android. If you have an iPhone or iPad, try the alternative RapidCalc app for iOS. It provides the same dosage calculations as BGMonitor.

IBGStart for iOS
Plug your blood glucose monitor directly into your iPhone to give it a graphical interface using the IBGStar app. While it’s only available for Apple devices, IBGStar gives you a comprehensive, intuitive view of your carbs, insulin and blood sugar mg/dl levels. The app is offered for free, but the accompanying glucose meter costs $99.99 at the Apple Store and includes 50 test strips. You can purchase a smaller version that includes 10 strips from Walgreens for $74.99.

Glooko for iOS
If you already have a glucose meter, you can sync it with the Glooko app for iPhone and iPad. Glooko allows you to skip the logging process by uploading information from your glucose meter to your device using a separate MeterSync cable. The information is also uploaded to an online database where you can view and edit it. While the software is free, a MeterSync cable costs $39.95, and if you use an AccuChek meter, you must purchase a $14.95 upgrade adapter cable.

With all of these great apps, you don’t need to struggle with logging your food intake or calculating your insulin dosages while away from home. Just a few small attachments allow you to automatically sync your data on the Web and your device.

Zane Schwarzlose is an SEO at Fahrenheit Marketing, an Austin web design company. Zane is glad he doesn’t have diabetes.