Is Japanese app Line the next Whatsapp

Line is a Japanese app for instant messaging on smartphones and PCs. Very popular in some parts of the world by users who exchange text messages, graphics, video and audio media. It also allows you to make free VoIP calls, and hold free audio or video conferences. The messaging app already reached 10 million in Mexico and 300 million worldwide, is Line the next WhatsApp?

It started in June 2011 as a form of communication after the tsunami in Japan. In January of this year exceeded 100 million, in summer 200 and now just over 300. It wants to leave behind escalating users to focus on the time spent with them in Line.

The target market for the app is very broad , because it’s being used by young parents, elders , family group. Among the keys to success in some parts of the world like Spain surprisingly is the sales of stickers, highlights the greed of the Spaniards. Also Whenever WhatsApp doesn’t work people sought alternatives, Line is the alternative lots of people or starting to use.

Since its release , Line has been multiplatform. The same profile can be used in mobile, tablet and computer. Use in tablet is the fastest growing with computer usage being the least , despite the convenience of typing.

The next step was to secure the expansion building official profiles as FC Barcelona and Real Madrid, whose success has gone beyond its estimates more than 12 million followers. Kukuxumusu , with more than 700,000 , was among the first Spanish brand to explore the sale of its stickers. This brings together two lines of business , selling digital goods ( stickers ) and collection to have official profiles . The Sony records uses it to promote their artists and communicate with fans. Paul McCartney has more than seven million followers.

Latin America is one of its foci of interest. In Mexico more than 10 million members already. Colombia and Chile are growing fast, is campaigning hard in Brazil and Argentina. However, in 2014 Line wants to grow in France , UK and Germany .

Then comes the turn of the United States where certain amount of uptake is already happening by Asians and Latinos. It’s an organic growth and It grows without effort, but Line has not done anything to speed up the adoption in the USA.

Profiles In Line officers are more active . We content directly , usually on video, without having to click on links . Everything happens within the application and before that on the big screen , but the key will be when more and more brands will start using it to seek interactivity and a clear return.

The board insists that television commercials with famous actors , as in the case of Hugo Silva , do not harm an account of positive results: ” In the last quarter it had revenues of 115 million worldwide . This figure is 58% higher than the previous quarter. 50% come from purchases within games . 30% of the purchase of stickers and 20% of such agreements with other companies. Within this chapter includes the sale of pens, notebooks and figures with their pets. A line of business, physical objects , causing furor in Asia, but for now does not arise in Spain .

This amalgam Line service makes an interesting platform , but with a great number competitors . For example , King , creators of the fashion game , Candy Crush Saga and skype.

The fact of having video call, Skype is the biggest competitor.

Since the introduction of a plank -style timeline over 67 million of our users use it. The difference compared to Facebook timeline is that on facebook anyone can see your timeline if it is set public but with Line, the timeline is only available to someone nearby or family contacts that have been given your mobile number.

Line does not care to acknowledge that the phenomenon Snapchat (automatic disappearance of messages in seconds ) is a completely new model, which can outgrow it.

Among the challenges faced is the security of communications , which are always encrypted. According to the company, they have no interest in knowing anything about what the users nor what they shared. We only have their email and phone number. The coded messages pass through the server and only the recipient can see it.

To emphasize their potential it has more than 6,000 engineers available from NHK , the parent company of line and the creator of Naver , the leading search engine in Asia . Line itself has 350 full time employees but when there are projects they have reinforcements , support and help from the parent company.

The most common criticism Line has to do with the decline of the battery. Issue, which is being fixed in the newer version.

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Posted by Yamin Malik on Nov 27 2013. Filed under Latest News, South Asia. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.