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Among six messaging apps, WeChat saw the biggest
upptick in usage in Japan and South Korea last month versus a
year earlier, boosted by its gaming, e-commerce and multimedia
capabilities, according to data on Android smartphones tracked
by Mobidia. An analysis by the mobile analytics firm compared
the amount of time users spent on Tencent's WeChat, Naver's
Line, Daum Kakao's Kakao Talk, Blackberry Messenger and
Facebook's WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger.
WeChat's inroads in Japan and South Korea could help ease some
investor anxiety over Tencent's overseas expansion after the
Chinese company said it had not gained as large a footprint in
Western markets as in other countries. Competition is rife,
particularly in tech-savvy Asia, as messaging apps fight to
stand out by combining messaging functions with other offerings
ranging from cartoon stickers to online shopping. Line said this
month it is launching its "Cheap Sure Sure" online grocery
delivery service in Thailand, its No.2 market after Japan.
The biggest battlegrounds in the Asia-Pacific are China,
Australia and Indonesia, though India is garnering more
attention as the local cost of smartphones falls, middle class
wealth increases and wireless infrastructure improves. India is
the fastest-growing market in the region, the Mobidia data
shows, led by WhatsApp, and with Kakao Talk not too far behind
at No.2.
And there will be casualties. Last month, Facebook Messenger
usage plummeted in nine out of 10 Asia-Pacific countries, the
Mobidia data shows. Samsung Electronics, which once held lofty
ambitions for ChatON, said it will discontinue the app in all
markets on March 31.
GRAPHIC: Messaging app usage: http://link.reuters.com/nad24w
(Additional reporting by Se Young Lee in SEOUL; Editing by Neil
Fullick)
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