There are worldwide app stores such as Apple’s App Store and Google Play, mobile marketing platforms like AdMob, or other services for them to reach audiences outside China. Fortumo, as a mobile payment solution though, drops in this category. The Estonian company has reached partnership with telecom operators in 80 countries to help app developers collect payments for one-click in-app purchases through carrier billing. What needs developers to do is embed the Fortumo SDK. Fortumo, of course, takes fees based on payments processed.
Fortumo set up its China office in early this year. The company agrees with many that, compared with bringing foreign apps to China, it may be easier to export Chinese apps to foreign language markets, especially developing markets.
At present Chinese apps, big or small, are very willing to test the water of overseas markets. As we discussed, reasons include that they think their development skills are well-polished, and users in the rest of the world are more willing to pay for apps or in-app content or services.
Fortumo has already had 28 developer partners in China using its payments solution. Today it launched a program, Fortumo Expand, trying to have more Chinese developers on board. It covers Android, Windows Phone and Windows 8 platforms.
Approved apps will be translated into foreign languages such as English, Spanish, Portuguese and Russian, placed onto Fortumo’s partner app stores, and get testing. Windows Phone& Windows 8 developers will be offered free ad credits for in-app advertising on AdDuple. The whole package of offerings is for free for one application by each developer. Those who’d like to submit more than one can get a discount for additions.
Fortumo thinks advantages it has can bring Chinese apps to fast-growing developing markets like Latin America they otherwise need to spend much time and money to reach. In a Latin American country like Brazil, users speak Portuguese and credit cards are not widely adopted.
Leave a comment