Challenges in Entering Application Markets among Software Producers in Developing Countries

Abstract

Smart devices, such as smart phones and tablet computers, have rapidly conquered the world with millions of users. The success of a few developers and the low entry barrier to the application marketplaces of these smart devices have led to the offering of hundreds of thousands applications by thousands of software producers. Although the average revenue at the marketplaces is seen to be low for western developers, it might be highly lucrative for developing country software producers. However, only a few of these are known to offer their products for worldwide markets. Furthermore, we argue that easy access to creating and selling applications might help the developing countries bridge some of the gap between them and post-industrialized countries. In this initial study, we present a conceptual framework which can be used to analyse the obstacles of developing country software producers to enter to the marketplaces. Some initial implications can be made based on the framework.

Keywords: Application Marketplace, Digital Divide, Developing Countries, Newly Industrialized Countries, Google Play