Smartphones have become an important aspect of our day to day life. However, when it comes to the widespread adaptation of the apps is concerned, localization of these apps assumes a lot more importance. The Indian businesses and developers seem to have understood the essence of this need, and it shows up in the way the mobile apps with the local content has been on the rise.
The localization of Apps – a fact file
The Economic Times states that the apps with notional content, but in the regional languages has bee on the rise. In fact, the fact that more and more of the common Indians have been using a smartphone has been one of the prime reasons for this rise in localized apps.
As things stand as of now, there are over 45 million Indians who use the smartphone apps in their native language. Surveys have suggested to the existence of over 600 million users who do not want to use the apps on their smartphones as they found there are not many options for them to access in their native language.
Given the fact that there are over 860 million subscribers across India and only 125 million among them consider English as an option for communication should have a great say in need for the localized apps and services.
Are there ventures in this direction?
Well, yes. There are several options available as of now. Many Indian developers and business houses have understood the need for the localization of their apps and thus have been focussing in that direction.
The Mad Rat Games is a good example there. They develop the games created specifically for the Indians. Initially venturing into the education sector, the company has now moved ahead into the other sectors like games and has been quite successful enough. The fact that the startup has been able to raise funds from the likes of Blume Venture Advisors should speak volumes about the success that they have been able to achieve.
When it comes to the social media sector and the instant messaging services, AddaChats should be one of the prominent options. The app is available in ten Indian languages and focuses on the vernacular sector more than being focused on the English speaking society. It lets you communicate with the strangers from your region. Also, it also lets you check out the trending videos from your area. You can even share shayaris, jokes, news, and gossip in your language rather than being dependent upon a foreign language. The app has been popular enough and has gathered over a lakh active users on the platform. A complete review of AddaChats you can read here
There are other valuable examples as well. Plustxt, Hazel Media, AddaChats, Mad Rat Games and Newshunt are just a few examples and the fact that they have been successful shows the essence of localizing your apps for a better reach.
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What drives the Localisation Drive?
Well, India is a country of 1.2 billion people and has diverse cultures and languages. This should provide you with immense advantage in catering to the specific category in a chosen genre for a single region and become successful.
A significantly powerful online presence is yet another factor that should drive the localization apps to attain a better standard. Studies have suggested that India has close 500 million Internet users. This amounts to around 35 percent of the total Indian population as things stand as of now. This speaks volumes about the essence of localization and the impact that can have on improving internet usage in India. With the growth in the infrastructure, we would expect more, and more Indians are joining the Internet access bandwagon. When that happens, most of them will look ahead for the content in their own local and native languages. The Indian Mobile Association has estimated that the native speakers among the smartphone users have been growing at a rate of 47 percent. That should be a great market for those looking to enhance their market share further.
India is a country with diverse cultures and languages with over 1500 languages spoken here. Of them, only 20 percent are fluent in English. With around 23 languages being used officially, though it may not be feasible to develop your app in all those, you can use the option for at least around 8 to 10 of them.
The Concluding Thoughts
With the software professionals and skilled workers being available in a large number, India can be one of the best options to open up to the wider market. Localize your apps and websites and strive ahead to make the most out of the benefits that it would offer you.
We would just want to conclude that the localization of your apps should indeed prove to be a great option for an enhanced market reach.