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Ask HN: Why doesn't my ios app perform on the US market?

3 points by bornonthebull ↗ HN
Hi there,

I've developed an app which sells pretty well all over the world - I can't make a living out of the revenue but I am still happy. The app performs pretty well in most of the (wealthier) countries, but underperforms in the US and Canada. This is where I need the help of the HN community.

=> Why does my app suck on the US market? Is there an obvious reason I don't see?

What I mean by suck on the US market: http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/585/screenshot20120828at155.png/ The US just makes 2.8% out of my total downloads, although it should be a huge market.

iTunes Link: http://itunes.apple.com/en/app/id473512078?mt=8 Some public analytics: http://www.appannie.com/app/ios/minipedia-offline-encyclopedia-wikipedia-reader

The app has an average rating of 4.25 with 280 reviews worldwide. The average rating in America is 4.0 with 16 ratings. I am using a freemium model and make my profit through in-app sales.

Thanks, Bobby

9 comments

[ 3.7 ms ] story [ 31.9 ms ] thread
nicknyc
Rethink, or try removing, the word "Encyclopedia" in the app's title
bornonthebull
Okay - is it too uncommon?

Any idea what a good title would be? I placed keywords like Offline, Wikipedia and Encyclopedia in the title.

olegious
Minipedia-Wikipedia Offline
nicknyc
In my mind, an encyclopedia is a reference book at the library. I don’t need one and I’ve never paid for one. They’re huge and come in volumes, they’re out of date, slow to use, etc. That doesn't describe your app or the value it provides, right?
pixelcort
Are your competitors' apps available in these other countries that you're in?

If not, that might explain the discrepancy.

bornonthebull
They are available in these countries as well...

Since it's an offline app I thought the 3G / WiFi coverage might be way better in the US than in other countries. Might this be one issue?

pixelcort
Not sure about U.S. and international 3G / WiFi coverage.

I'm assuming your app is localized into a bunch of languages. While your competitors' apps are available in these countries as well, are they also localized into commonly used languages?

helen842000
Just a thought but wondering if the abundance of free wifi, fast home internet access & unlimited data plans for iPhones in the US mean that they're less likely to be without internet access - so wikipedia is always available.

Personally here in the UK, I find data charges quite expensive so I limit my access. Also I don't have accessible wifi at work so I'd probably find the offline feature quite useful! Where as I know my friends in the US are most of the time pretty well connected. Everytime I speak to them they're streaming audio, video or both!