Line crowned as undisputed market leader in Japan by eMarketer
eMarketer has crowned Tokyo-based mobile messaging app Line as the undisputed market leader in Japan, with the market research company predicting that an estimated 50.2 million people will use the service in 2017, equating to 92.8% of mobile messaging app users in the country.
Line is the the undisputed market leader in Japan, according to eMarketer
The company says more than 85.0% of Japan’s smartphone users will access their Line account at least once per month and by the end of the forecast period in 2021, that figure will rise to 89.3%.
eMarkter also estimates that mobile messaging app users in Japan will total 54.1 million in 2017, accounting for close to three-quarters (73.1%) of mobile internet users. Japan also has a solid mobile social network user penetration, which will reach 36.9% of all Internet users.
Line recently launched its first AI assistant Clova and Line Works, a messaging platform for work that will challenge Facebook, Microsoft and Slack.
“For businesses looking to engage mobile users from Japan, Taiwan, Indonesia and Thailand, Line is the best bet,” said Cathy Boyle, eMarketer’s principal analyst of mobile.
“While Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp pose a real threat to the app’s user growth worldwide, Line’s marketing opportunities currently outclass the competition in its four core countries.”