While mobile connectivity unites people around the globe, app usage varies significantly among various cultures. With this in mind, The Practice team were interested to discover just how differently we in the West use our smartphones as opposed to those in the East- and what can we learn? 

In emerging markets, it’s interesting to note that app download growth in Brazil, Russia, India and China rose a staggering 80% year over year between 2013 and 2015, perhaps indicating that these are a relatively new concept, especially when it comes to connectivity. In fact, results showed that the top sectors for growth were utility and communications- something that is on the rise with improved WiFi and data speeds in these areas. And for the same period in smaller emerging markets including Vietnam, Thailand, Egypt and Argentina, download growth rose by 60%. In comparison, developed markets such as the US showed growth is slowing. While this is the case however, usage and revenue generation from apps is increasing here, showing that while new downloads remain stagnant, Western areas are spending increasingly more time and money on existing apps.

When it comes to messaging apps, we in the West tend to use those such as WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger solely for chatting, sharing images, videos and links- after all, that’s where functionality ends. In Asian markets however, messaging apps are vastly more sophisticated. Take WeChat for instance- China’s most widely used messaging app which includes a multitude of services and features all under one roof, particularly when it comes to e-commerce. Transactional features enable users to house their credit card data, purchase directly from online businesses, use make cashless payments, and perform actions such as ordering a cab or booking a doctor’s appointment. It’s no wonder then that according to CINIC, Chinese smartphone users rely first and foremost on instant messaging apps, with search engines and online news apps the next most popular mobile tools. And other than WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger, the most successful messaging apps were all first launched to Asian markets- these include Tencent QQ, WeChat, Line and Kakaotalk, which have a current combined user base of over 1.8 billion.

While WeChat and its counterparts work extremely efficiently in Asian markets for instance, we’re not sure whether they might have the same holding power amongst UK or US audiences for example. If we examine our own mobile usage, many of us tend to rely on a multitude of different apps for our needs, rather than one. While it would make sense to use just one, it’s clear that we in the West have built up brand advocacy on several platforms already- WhatsApp for instance to chat with contacts, Uber for cabs, and an array of well-designed retail apps for shopping on the go. Introducing the convenience of having all these services in one place sounds ideal, but would it work in reality? Last year’s findings for the UK revealed that 72% of mobile users here primarily used retailer apps, with mobile banking, messaging apps and digital wallet apps ranking second, third and fourth respectively. It seems as though we’re currently a nation of multiple app users- might having one for all one day change this?

That might be the case with the evolution of Facebook Messenger, which we examined in a recent post. Just a few weeks ago at the F8 Developers’ Conference, the site announced that it would soon be introducing chat bots to the app, which could be used by brands for interacting with customers. Retail brands for instance would be able to use these to help followers make purchasing decisions, order items directly, and receive tailored recommendations. Media publications would be able to send live news updates and recommend popular stories for instance, while weather platforms would present timely forecasts. Bots would therefore essentially eliminate the need for multiple apps. While we can see this being hugely beneficial, only time will tell if we’ll latch on to this technology, and whether our existing apps can still survive if brand bots become widely used.

What do you think is the biggest point of difference when it comes to mobile usage between cultures? And what do you think we can learn from other markets? We’d love to hear your thoughts, so please tweet to us @PracticeDigital and share your comments on our Facebook page.