Amazon Appstore Expands To Nearly 200 Countries

Amazon has announced the global expansion of its Amazon Appstore for Android, which will see the digital marketplace expand to nearly 200 countries.

The Amazon Appstore competes with other stores on the mobile platform, including Google Play, stocking apps and games for Amazon’s Kindle Fire range and other Android devices. It launched in the US in 2011, and has since been made available in the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain and Japan.

This latest expansion means that developers can sell their apps in markets such as Australia, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, India, South Africa, South Korea and even Papua New Guinea and the Vatican City.

Amazon Appstore goes global

“Allowing developers to target distribution of their apps and games in even more international countries is yet another important milestone as we strive to serve consumers and developers globally,” said Mike George, vice president of apps and games at Amazon.

“Many of our existing developers have localized their apps and games for international consumers, and we look forward to working with new developers that have been waiting to bring their apps to more Amazon customers across the globe.”

Amazon said registered developers will have their apps automatically made available for download internationally unless they specify otherwise and has boasted of strong support for its marketplace.

It claimed app creators are benefiting from strong monetisation thanks to the success of the Kindle Fire and its large customer base. It also cites features such as one-click purchasing, in-app purchasing and Gamecircle as contributing to higher average revenue per user (ARPU) rates.

“We’ve integrated with Amazon’s In-App Purchasing and GameCircle APIs, which was a breeze,” says Keith Shephard, CEO of Imangi Studios, creators of popular game Temple Run. “We’ve seen significantly higher customer engagement with Temple Run since the integration, making the few, short steps worth it. We’re looking forward to following the Amazon Appstore as it expands into more international countries.”

There are benefits for users too as, unlike Google Play, apps are tested by Amazon and backed by customer support, meaning increased protection from malware and poor quality applications.

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