“Go big or go home”, they said. Nowadays, app businesses are very driven to penetrate the foreign market to seek international growth. The reason is that it offers more opportunities such as expanding market share and diversification.
Apparently, going global in the mobile app business requires these entities to go local instead.
Even though it is easy to distribute mobile apps globally, people in the industry must find ways to appeal to the staggering 6.64 billion smartphone users worldwide to be sustainable. They must deliver clear value propositions and positive app experiences to create purposeful engagement. But how?
App localization helps apps to connect with their users across the globe. According to Anca Greve from Slack, “Localization builds trust with our customers in a language that they understand with cultural references that are familiar to them”.
Befriending and Understanding the Locals
App localization objective is to deliver an app that appeals to the native in different regions worldwide as if it was initially made for their market. A business must understand its app users to break into a new and untouched local market.
For example, even though English is a universal language, not everyone is comfortable with English-speaking content. Japan, Korea, and China are among the top countries in the mobile app market that are vital to localize. The reason is that most of their users are less proficient in English.
Moreover, 65% of users in France, Germany, and Italy prefer to read content in their native languages even though they are versed in English.
But is the language the only thing that matters here? Well, it undoubtedly plays an important role. However, to create a good localization strategy, you have to think beyond that.
App developers must fulfill many aspects such as linguistic, cultural, and technical context. Remember that it has to create an authentic experience for the local users. They should not be the barrier to using your apps.
On the other hand, app localization has to be implemented as soon as possible. However, you must remember that one app might take longer to be localized than another. Localizing the hyper-casual game’s interface might take a shorter time compared to adapting the interface of finance apps.
You will have the chance to blow up your apps in the market if you play your localization strategy right.
Is App Localization Worth Trying?
There is no doubt that app localization comes with various benefits.
According to David Janner’s research, there is a significant difference in downloads before and after app localization.
He found that 76% of the total traffic before localization came from English-speaking countries. After the localization, the traffic from these countries went down to 10%. But, the total volume of downloads improved from 3,000 downloads to 23,000 downloads. An astonishing 767% increase.
Based on this study, it is definite that you will be able to acquire more downloads. As you are going into the local markets, you raise your app visibility to prospective users. Thus, getting new downloads to reach your ROI goal is not really a problem anymore.
Moreover, there is a huge chance that you will stay on top of the ranking on the app stores. One of the metrics to rank higher on the app stores are monthly active users. With all the downloads you get from these different regions, you are prone to increase your overall ranking and active user retention. Also, you will have a more stable global presence that will bring more quality clicks and improve your conversion rate.
Lastly, you can gain a competitive advantage over your competitors. Even though localization might seem like a common practice, not all app developers or businesses are thinking about it. It creates a possibility to lower the competition ranking on local keywords.
Final Thought
If you are considering localizing your apps, you better start now. It is not another worthless and time-consuming strategy that does not yield significant results. It guarantees your app presence and sustainability in the long run within the global market.
