With smartphone growth in western regions slowing down, businesses are seeking other avenues to expand their mobile presence. India, Africa, South America and other emerging nations hold promising potential and are being touted as high growth markets. However, there’s a significant difference in app development strategies deployed for western countries and such high growth markets and could be challenging for new entrants into the space.

What’s the Challenge?

The approaches that have delivered success in well-established markets cannot be duplicated here because there are a lot of constraints that stem from local market conditions, user preferences, the cost of cellular data, etc.

Here are a few guidelines you can use to overcome the challenges and use it to develop an app that excels in such market spaces:

1) Cut down the Size: If your app takes up more than 30MB of space, it’s too much. Unlike developed markets, consumer spending on data is minimal in developing nations. 15MB is a good measure to aim for.

2) Give Them Full Control: Do not restrict usage to cellular data or WiFi-only. Provide them full control and enable them to toggle between the two options as and when needed.

3) Split up Tests: Splitting test changes will allow you to observe what exactly impacts your download or usage numbers. Data-heavy features or modified content especially has to be tested to see how popular it is among target users.

4) Localize Distribution: Rather than solely relying on Apple app store or Google Play, consider teaming up with local carriers to expand your reach.

5) Go Freemium: Most users would hesitate to pay upfront costs for the app. You can instead utilize a freemium model, waiving off the initial costs and allowing users to control their purchases.

6) Get Creative With Rewards: Inducting programs where you convince users to do an action, such as visit adverts or fill surveys in exchange for a reward show real promise. Offer them something of real value such as extra data, cashback or anything else.

7) Flexible Subscriptions: If your business includes subscriptions, then keep it short and flexible. Instead of prolonged periods, offer users a chance to subscribe for a month, a week or even a few days. This model fits better with how users spend money in these markets.

If you need to succeed in the mobile space in high growth markets, you need to get creative and revamp your development strategy accordingly. Don’t know how? Reach out to Openwave Computing, a renowned mobile app development company in Singapore.