Japan’s LINE app, which has seen some massive growth spurts recently that have taken it far beyond the 300 million users it had in November, is apparently looking to enter the Chinese market according to the WSJ.
The expansion plans will go into full effect this year and will include a local team that will be recruited to develop localized content and features. This is good for LINE since China has the potential to be one of its largest markets.
a local team will develop localized content and features
That’s not to say it’s without competition. In addition to China’s own WeChat / Weixin that has 300 million active users, the company also has to content with WhatsApp, Viber, and other competitors who have some presence in the region.
Listing in the Tokyo stock market could help the company raise money to expand internationally. The company had $5.1 billion in sales last year, so this would go a long way in funding expansion.
When it does launch, LINE will be bringing its creator’s market and sticker shop to China, and will sell localized stickers and features (and very likely games). LINE has also been marketing itself via popular Korean television shows, and it has seen “significantly” higher downloads as a result.
LINE is currently available for iOS, Android, and Windows Phone. The company also recently launched its sticker shop on the Windows Phone platform.