India is a big country. Very big. But did you know that they are now approaching the level of internet penetration that led to things exploding in the US and China? With 232 million internet users, it is the 3rd largest online market, and adds over 60 million users per year. And of course the action is on mobile. But Google Play is certainly not your only bet in this market.

Evidence certainly indicates India is at the verge of taking off:

Internet user penetration curve - US China India (Source: KPCB)

Source: KPCB Internet Trends 2015

If history is any indication, India is set to become a giant in online. China has officially surpassed the US in ecommerce, which really only took 7 years from hitting the catalyst threshold, and India may reach this point equally fast.  The catalyst driving this is of course mobile:

2Mobile as percent of internet traffic (Source: KPCB)

Source: KPCB Internet Trends 2015

Despite Android’s dominant presence (over 90% market share), you may think Google Play is the only game in town – but think again. Mobango, an app store focusing on the Indian market but with a global audience, passed 1 billion downloaded apps already in 2012. They claimed to have 37% market share of the game downloads in 2013, and when considering games is the biggest category in apps, is quite impressive.  There are also plenty of other app stores with traction in India, such as www.9apps.com and www.mobogenie.com.

Recent research from Deloitte suggests that India will hit 9 billion app downloads this year.  According to the Deloitte report, “the biggest bet is in the youth in the 16-30 bracket who form a substantial part of the mobile subscriber base in the country.”

Not to be outdone, consulting firm KPMG points out that India is #7 on the list in terms of the # of downloaded apps. Each subscriber will average 17 downloads during the year, of which 4 will be paid apps. And if you plan to advertise for your app, it pays if it has something to do with cricket:

People interested in cricket on Facebook (Source: Facebook)

Source: Facebook

So there you have it. Your 16-30 year old cricket fan could be your ticket to become an app kingpin. Either way, it’s time to rethink your product marketing strategy!

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