Chinese apps slip in market share in India, 'desi' players dominate install volume: Study

Chinese apps have slipped in terms of market share in 2020 in India, where 'desi' ones climbed up the ladder dominating the install volume, according to a report. Semi-urban areas fuelled the growth of India's app economy, and domestic apps dominated the mobile marketplace, beating out foreign players, said 'State of App Marketing in India in 2021' report, launched by AppsFlyer, a global leader in mobile attribution and marketing analytics.

Country Manager of AppsFlyer India, Sanjay Trisal said while Chinese apps have slipped in terms of overall market share (29 per cent), Indian apps leveraged this opportunity by dominating the install volume (40 per cent) in the country in 2020. Apps from Israel, the United States, Russia, and Germany made further inroads into this rapidly growing market and are in line to challenge China, he said.

The study analysed 7.3 billion installs that were recorded in India from January one to November 30, 2020, including 4519 apps covering entertainment, finance, shopping, gaming, travel, news, food & drink, and utility verticals. The data sample also includes 933 billion app opens and 3.0 billion remarketing conversions, an AppsFlyer statement said. Demand from semi-urban areas fired up India's app consumption, it said.

States with predominantly semi-urban areas emerged as the new sweet spots for mobile usage. Uttar Pradesh, which is India's most populated state, led the market in non-organic installs (NOI) at 12.10 per cent, leaving behind Maharashtra at 11.49 per cent "due to the impact of lockdown". Owing to the availability of cheaper mobile data and handsets, tier 2, 3, and 4 cities saw a rise in mobile usage in gaming, finance, and entertainment.

"Closer to home, it is encouraging to see tier 2 and 3 markets provide tough competition to the metros when it comes to gaming, entertainment, and fintech. Regional content is a key by product of this trend, and it will be the next big pivot for app marketers", Trisal said.