Insight

Notes from the Japanese and Korean app markets.

Research, ASO know-how and lessons from the campaigns we run — written by ASO and Growth.

ASO Audit: Airbnb Japan

The Airbnb app has achieved the 24th position among Travel category apps in the Japanese App Store. While this accomplishment is noteworthy, a closer examination of its App Store Optimization (ASO)…

Matching Apps in Japan: Icon Trends

In our previous discussions, we delved into the dynamic world of dating and matching apps in Japan, unraveling the threads of promotion, ads, and keyword trends. Today, we embark on a visual journey,…

ASO Audit Report: adidas

“adidas” on App Store Japan (As of: Nov. 13, 2023) The adidas app currently holds the 3rd position in the Sports Category on the App Store in Japan. In assessing its App Store Optimization (ASO)…

Dating Apps in Japan: Keyword Trends

With the festive season approaching, Christmas stands as a unique time in Japan, known for its association with dating and romance. If you’re read our article about Christmas in Japan, you’d know…

The Unique Traditions of Christmas in Japan

While Christmas is not recognized as a national holiday, since only about 1 percent of the entire population identifies as Christian, it is a festivity that is highly celebrated. Despite its origins…

Puzzle Games in Japan: Screenshot Trends

In a previous discussion, we delved into the icon trends prevalent among puzzle games in Japan. However, the visual representation of a game goes beyond just its icon. In this article, we will focus…

ASO Audit Report: H&M

“H&M – we love fashion” on App Store Japan (As of: Nov. 7, 2023) The H&M app, currently holding the 21st rank in the Shopping Category within the App Store Japan, shows potential for improvement in…

Privacy Push: Meta Faces EU Ban on Targeted Advertising

Just as Apple announced its plans to require “Privacy Manifests” to more proactively monitor and enforce their long-held policy that prohibits fingerprinting last summer, and Google planning to…

Kinro Kansha no Hi: The Japanese Thanksgiving

Known as ‘勤労感謝の日’ (Kinrō Kansha no Hi), Thanksgiving in Japan stands as a recognized national holiday. The focus of this day centers around worker appreciation, highlighting the exchange of gifts…

aix: App Growth Awards 2023 ASO Company Finalist

In an exciting announcement, aix Inc., the company behind ASO index, proudly reveals its nomination as a finalist in the ASO category at the renowned ‘App Growth Awards 2023,’ the world’s largest…

Puzzle Games in Japan: Icon Trends

Previously, we delved into the common trends in the promotion and advertising of puzzle games in Japan. This time, let’s take a look at the top ranking Japanese puzzle games creatives, starting with…

App Store Screenshots: TikTok Japan VS Korea

Japan and Korea, neighboring countries with a perceived likeness, are often recognized for their shared traits. Despite their geographical proximity and cultural overlaps, both nations maintain…

ASO Audit Report: IKEA

The IKEA app, currently positioned as the 35th ranked app (at the time of writing) in the Shopping Category within the App Store Japan, demonstrates a fairly good performance in App Store…

Puzzle Games in Japan: Keyword Trends

In the ever-evolving landscape of digital entertainment, Japan has emerged as a veritable puzzle paradise. Renowned for its rich gaming culture, the Land of the Rising Sun has unequivocally embraced…

Dating Apps in Japan: Promotion/Ads

In the ever-evolving landscape of technology and relationships, Japan has emerged as a fascinating arena for the promotion of dating apps. In a society deeply rooted in tradition and cultural…

Puzzle Games in Japan: Promotions/Ads

The mobile gaming industry continues to thrive as one of the most lucrative sectors in the tech world. In 2022, the battle for user attention and engagement through advertising intensified, with…

Japanese Autumn Trend: Kinmokusei?

In the midst of the digital hustle and bustle, a subtle yet enchanting topic dominated Japanese X (Twitter) yesterday (October 12, 2023) – “金木犀 (kinmokusei).” A seemingly simple word, but one that…

Play Store’s Promotional Content and Its Impact on ASO

As the mobile and application market continues to grow, the major app stores, App Store and Play Store also have continued to evolve. One of the major improvements these stores made was to provide…

App Store In-App Events: Its Benefits and Effects to ASO

In today’s digital age, mobile apps have become an integral part of our lives. Whether it’s for entertainment, productivity, or communication, there’s an app for nearly everything. As app developers…

Autumn Marketing in Japan: Traditions and Festivals

Autumn in Japan, known as “aki,” is a season steeped in cultural significance and rich traditions. In this article, we will delve into the customs and festivals that make autumn a special time in…

What Makes ASO Hard and How to Overcome It?

In a world where mobile apps are the heartbeat of our daily lives, getting noticed amidst the face-paced digital landscape is a challenge. As app marketers, we understand the huge importance of App…

ASO index Step-by-step Guide: App Market Insight

We’ve come to the last menu of the ASO index! In this article, we’ll uncover more powerful features ASO index has to offer. Let’s have a recap of the other menus we’ve already talked about. We’ve…

ASO index Step-by-step Guide: Keyword Analysis [Part 2]

Previously, we went over the Keyword Tracking feature of ASO index for part 1 of the Keyword Analysis panel of ASO index. If you haven’t read through that article yet, you can read it here. In this…

ASO index: Step-by-step Guide: Keyword Analysis [Part 1]

In the previous articles, we covered the step-by-step guide for ASO index’s App Overview and ASO Lab. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at the Keyword Analysis menu of ASO index. The Keyword…

ASO index Step-by-step Guide: ASO Lab

Last time, we guided you through the App Overview panel of ASO index. This time in this article, we’re going to discuss everything about ASO Lab and the power that it holds in helping you understand…

ASO index Step-by-step Guide: App Overview

Today, we’ll walk you through a step-by-step guide on using ASO index… To guide you better, we’ll divide this step-by-step article series into 5 parts – App Overview, ASO Lab, Keyword Analysis part 1…

Introducing ASO index: Taking Your App to The Top

In the ever-evolving world of mobile apps, staying ahead of the competition is the key to success. That’s why we are thrilled to announce the release of ASO index, your all-in-one App Store…

iOS 17 New Features and ASO Notes

It’s September again! To most people in Japan, it signifies the start of autumn and the time to eat “Yakiimo” or Japanese sweet potato… But for tech-enthusiasts, specifically Apple fans, it can only…

The Release of iPhone 15 Series

Apple just released its newest products – the iPhone 15 series, Apple Watch models and Airpods Pro 2 earbuds – and the anticipation among tech enthusiasts couldn’t be higher. Was the wait worth it?…

Why ARPU in Japan Surpasses Other Countries

In the world of mobile apps and gaming, one metric stands out when it comes to financial success: Average Revenue Per User (ARPU). While ARPU can vary greatly across different regions, one country…

What’s the difference between SEO and ASO?

In today’s digital world, where websites and mobile apps are vying for attention, being visible to potential users is like shining a spotlight on your online presence. Imagine you have a website that…

ASO index Developers’ Remarks

aix Inc. and its R&D team has felt the need of developing an ASO tool that makes ASO more understandable, allows more profound keyword optimization in Asian languages, and provides access from…

WWDC 2023 and Apple’s New Vision

Apple hosted this year’s WWDC on June 5th, 2023, and as usual, the event’s opening started with a keynote video, introducing new Apple products and upcoming updates for their software. More sessions…

What You Need to Know about Japan’s Mobile Market

Japan’s mobile market is a dynamic and innovative powerhouse, characterized by its mobile-first approach, app-centric behavior, and tech-savvy consumer base. The market reached approximately $103.6…

What Koreans Searched For in 2022

The year 2022 has been another dynamic year when many countries decided to live with COVID-19 and started opening up the barricades. Yet Russia broke a war against Ukraine in February, and it is…

iOS 16 and How It Affects ASO

Every September, Apple announces and releases new products and software updates. On September 13, 2022, Apple rolled out iOS 16, and this software update has drawn as much attention as new products,…

Google’s Helpful Content and Its Effect on ASO

Google has launched a new update on its search system, called “Helpful Content.” As Google is the world’s largest search portal that transfers 5.6 billion searches per day, so the newly-added search…

Breaking Grammar Rules in App Stores

The previous articles were about the Korean and Japanese languages and how their linguistic characteristics may affect how users search apps on app stores. Yet the articles were written for…

Ceaseless Growth through the Synergy of ASO and ADs

At Least One Major Keyword on Both iOS and AOS Point Income is an application, developed by Fivegate Inc., through which users can accumulate points when they purchase an item on their smartphones or…

Skyrocketing Search Visibility, Fueled by ASO

Hellobot is a chatbot application, developed by Korea’s app provider, Thingsflow Inc. This chatbot provides various charming characters that tell users fortunes with Tarot cards, astrology, and…

Case Study: VideoMonster

VideoMonster is an application that provides video editing tools and motion graphic templates. Its developer is located in Seoul, South Korea, and attempted to succeed in the global market. It…

Hangul and How It Affects App Search in Korea

The app market in South Korea has been growing fastly, and now it is the third largest app market in East Asia, following China and Japan. Statista has projected that the number of app downloads in…

The Uniqueness of Japanese Language

One of the most popular topics in the world of ASO is localization. Localization is essential when you want to expand the reach of your app to global. Just as you attempt to learn a couple of phrases…

Check Your ASO Score!

App Store Optimization(ASO) is an app marketing strategy that aims to increase an app’s search ranking and maximize its downloads. Applying ASO also brings more users as it is expected to increase…

Non-ASO Measures that Double the ASO Benefit

The algorithm of app stores is calculated by various factors, so it seems appropriate to implement ASO from diverse angles. While Meta Keyword Optimization is a must-to-take measure, other strategies…

RSO Advanced: How to Enhance Rating

A previous article, “CRO Advanced: How to Convert Visitors to Users,” introduced a strategy that increases the number of downloads and discussed optimizing the creatives (e.g. screenshots, icons,…

CRO Advanced: How to Convert Visitors to Active Users

Article, “MKO: Advanced: How to Select the Perfect Keywords for Your App,” had introduced Meta Keyword Optimization as a strategy that makes your app to rank at high in the search result so its…

ASO Is Essential for App Marketing. But What Is It?

Have you ever thought about how many apps exist? The data collected by statista (statista(apple),statista(Google)) in Q1 2022 shows that there are 3.8 million apps in Apple App Store and 3.3 million…

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Find your North Star in Japan & Korea.

Tell us about your app. We’ll show you where growth can come from.

mkt@aixinc.io+81-050-5799-3680Tokyo · Seoul