China?

Can someone explain me how to distribute apps in China and if it is valuable?
Does Google Play work in China? What ad networks can be used?
As Jimi said, is there anyone experienced? Thank you!

I don’t know if it’s true but some spammer told me, play is only on 10% of all devices

Probably true but only for China of course.

On iOS, the iTunes store remains the primary channel of distribution.

On Android, however, the situation is much more fragmented. alecman, your spammer was probably being optimistic with a guess of 10% of Android users using the Play Store in China. While the Play Store does work and function in China, its market presence is negligible. The majority of Android app downloads in China go through third party download sites and forums, like Baidu App Store, App China, d.cn Game Center, and others. While it isn’t difficult to get listed on these sites, it does require some specific knowledge of the Chinese Android ecosystem.

As to if its valuable? It is, if you have a good product and set your expectations accordingly. It is true that monetization of Chinese users of your app will be lower per capita, but with a projected 500 million smartphone users by the end of the year, the real value comes from an economy of scale. With the right promotion and a good enough app, the amount of users you can acquire is staggering. As the market continues to mature, those users will also begin to monetize at greater levels.

Full disclosure: I work for AdsYolo, a company that helps apps and app publishers thrive in the China market.

i registered at china app store “anzhi” today, but i cannot find a menu to upload my application, event with the help of google translate

poor me…

  1. Amazon Store start to distribute to China.
  2. Anzhi
  3. appchina.com - You can switch to English. :slight_smile:

I am in China now, the mobile app distribution stores are quite different from that in west. Most may already know it’s a very fast growing giant market with more flexibility.
Its app stores are very fragmented and if you want to promote an app here, You must know well about some social media which is very efficient and good way for app maketing, like weibo, renren, QQ…

You’d better read this article, hope it helps:)
10 App Stores in China You Really Ought to Be On

Very nice explanation.Also one simple and good way to enter Chinese market is just to find a trustworthy local agent partner like tencent, sohu…which help you localize your app and there are lots of successful examples. Like the big success of the American game “LOL” in China, almost every Chinese teenager knows this game:)

It seems not very easy for independent small developers…

And what about advertising? Do the traditional western networks like AdMob, StartApp, AirPush, LeadBolt and so on work and get some revenue in China?

Actually there are lots of affiliate network in China. Some networks is kinda different from the traditional western networks, it is like a platform provide to both advertiers and pubs which could effectively target the audience and get more users.

As far as I know, AdMob’s banner ads is doing not bad in Chinese market. some local ad networks like youmi.com, Adsmogo.com, dev.app.qq.com, casee.cn, domob.cn, madhouse.cn

you can go to their website for more details though.

But the 1st problem you have to face is how to obtain Chinese players

ways of app marketing here in China is quite different from that in the States or other European countries

You need to make full use of local social networks, like weibo, qq, renren, weixin…to fully interact with Chinese players.

Also it’s sometimes necessary to use some shady tricks like “shua bang” which means you buy higher rank in those app stores by making fake install number or fake reviews…

It’s no easy anyway…cooperating with local agency companies may be the easiest way to crack this huge complicated market…

Independent App Stores
AppChina
Anzhi (can’t access it currently)
Gfan
Hiapk

Liqucn
Wandoujia
eoemarket
Mumayi
StarAndroid (can’t access it currently, are actually a shop)

Internet Portal App Stores
Baidu
QQ (didn’t know they got a store as well)
360
163

Manufactories App Stores
Xiaomi
Huawei
Lenovo (pretty high download numbers, would be my favorite)
Meizu

Telecom App Stores
ChinaMobile
ChinaUnicom

Hi, I am Amanda from appstochina.com. We provide app distribution and promotion services in the Chinese market. Do you want to distribute your apps in Chinese market at present? Hope we can cooperate. [email protected]