Grab your cell phone for a second (we know you’ve got it nearby). Then count how many apps you have installed. Next question: how many of those are in your native language?
You might already know that people prefer to use products they can easily understand. And the same is true of apps: your app might have a five-star rating and great reviews, but users won’t download it unless it’s available in their language. Your motto needs to be “More is more”: the more languages you offer, the greater your chances of success. Here are the three most important reasons why.
More visible apps
There are 1.8 million apps in the App Store and more than 3 million in the Google Play Store. That means the chance of anyone simply stumbling across your own app is pretty low. But the more language versions you have available, the greater your visibility – as measured in the number of downloads – will become. According to the statistics, the download rate of a localized app is up to 128% higher per country than a non-localized one. Each download improves your app’s ranking, and with it your organic reach.
More international users
Is your app in English? Then it’ll give you access to 32% of the world’s consumers. That’s not bad, but if you add another seven languages, you could reach a full 75% of global customers. The most important languages for app growth by GDP are English, Chinese, Spanish, German, Japanese, French, Arabic and Portuguese.
More active use
90% of all mobile activity takes place in apps, not in the browser. And users can be merciless, frequently downloading apps only to delete them again a few minutes later. So your content needs to grab them as soon as they download your app – and for that, they need to be able to read it easily. A CSA Research survey found that 72% of users spend most of their time on content in their native language. Hardly surprising: a localized app is easier to use, feels authentic and increases trust. The result is higher engagement, particularly when not only the language but also the design is adapted to the target market.
What does this mean for your app? Users will use it more, recommend it to their friends and leave feedback – which you can then act on to provide an even better user experience with the next update. It’s a virtuous circle that can boost your active users in just a few weeks.
Have we convinced you to make “More is more” your new mantra? Supertext offers user-friendly assistance in more than 100 languages.
Explore our app translation process.
Or discover our localization hub through a demo.
Cover image via Twenty20