- Intro
While it is true both Japan and Korea are exotic to most western countries, Japan and Korea have various differences from each other. These two countries are geologically close, yet not close enough to make them one identical country. Rather, they have two distinct cultures of their own, so it is safe for any app developer or marketer to think that two different marketing approaches are necessary to successfully attack these major markets in East Asia.
This article will introduce two apps and compare the screenshots of each app in Japan and Korea’s Apple App Store to understand the differences between them and hopefully provide a hint for app marketing success in Japan and Korea. The first app is Between, a chat app solely designed for couples, and the second app is Genshin, an RPG game widely played around the globe. Comparing these app’s screenshots showed that Korea used fewer letters than Japan, while Japan used more visual contents in screenshots. In addition, the emphasized message of screenshots was different: Korea focused on storytelling, while Japan focused on delivering information. You can read more to find out the details behind this discovery.
Contents
Letter Count
The first notable difference between screenshots in app stores in Korea and Japan is the number of letters. Because Korean and Japanese are two distinctive languages, the letter count difference was perhaps caused by the language difference, but the gap between the letter counts and the space in screenshots derived from it are still noteworthy.
Image Source: Between (KR) / Between (JP)
The two screenshots on the left are the first two screenshots displayed on Between‘s product page in the app store Korea. It is easy to notice that there is a spacious room in these screenshots, as only 10 letters are used. On the other hand, the screenshot on the right is the first screenshot in the Japan app store, and it has almost no space in the screenshot. Moreover, it includes more than 50 letters, and the centric text uses a different font style. As the screenshots above clearly show, Korea screenshot has fewer letter counts than that of Japan.
Image Source: Genshin(KR) / Genshin (JP)
Just as in Between, Genshin‘s screenshots also had notable letter count differences. The screenshots above are the second screenshot of Genshin in each app store, and the Korea screenshot has 17 letters, while the Japan screenshot has 37 letters. In addition, the Korea screenshot used fewer words but varied font size and used bold font to emphasize certain texts, while the Japan screenshot does not have much font variation; only several letters are colored with gold to convey the important message. Though the letter count difference in Genshin screenshots does not lead to a notable difference in spaceーboth screenshots have relatively the same space and similar compositionーthe fact that the letter count in the Korea screenshot is less than that of Japan still accords with what has been discovered in Between‘s screenshots.
Visual Contents
The second difference that deserves attention is the usage of visual contents in the screenshots. Japan screenshots add more visual contents like icons and character illustrations compared to Korea screenshots. Just as Between‘s screenshots below display, the Japan screenshot includes icons showing the app’s feature, in-app profile icons, a chatting box image, and a couple’s photo, while the Korea screenshot only shows the app’s main screen which is mainly constituted by a couple’s photo and small icons.
Image Source: Between (KR) / Between (JP)
The same difference can be found in the screenshots of Genshin. While the Korea screenshots of Genshin only include one character illustration and one in-game photo, most of the Japan screenshots have two character illustrations and two in-game photos. The last screenshot of Genshin in the Japan app store has multiple character illustrations, but it is a pattern unique to the Japanese game market, so it seems more appropriate to discuss it separately instead of including it as a sample for visual contents comparison. Yet even with this screenshot excluded, the Genshin screenshots in the Japan app store clearly have more visual contents than the Korea screenshots.
Image Source: Genshin(KR) / Genshin (JP)
So far, this article discussed two differences between Korea and Japan screenshots. The graphs below show the average letter counts and the number of visual contents of each country’s screenshots. Take a note of the following graphs before moving on to the next point.
The Message of the Screenshots
The last difference between screenshots in Japan and Korea app stores is the message they convey. The difference in letter counts and visual contents actually has derived from what each screenshot mainly wants to communicate with users. The Korea screenshots focus on storytelling and user involvement; on the other hand, Japan screenshots mainly deliver information and introduce the features of apps.
The first two screenshots of Between (refer to the above)in the Korea app store only used 10 letters and one photo of a couple. By reducing the words and visual contents, these screenshots convey only two sentences: “썸이 끝났다”(Flirting is over) and “연애의 시작”(Love has begun.) “Flirting is over” and “Love has begun” seem like sentences cited from a romance novel. It tells a story and makes the users a story’s main character. As a result, this app builds intimacy with the users and provokes involvement with the app.
On the other hand, the first Japan screenshot used more than 50 letters and multiple visual contents, and with the support of them, the screenshot conveys various information and features regarding the app. It conveys the performance of the app by copies like “カップルアプリ利用者様3500万人”(more than 35 million couple users have used our app) and “No.1.” Moreover, the icons at the center of the screenshot introduce the app’s features, such as album, calendar, anniversary, and free phone call. So it seems this screenshot attempts to increase installs by demonstrating how good the app is and what it can do rather than invoking sentiment by storytelling. Below are other screenshots of Between.
Image Source: Between (KR) / Between (JP)
Though both screenshots are about Between‘s calendar feature, the message each screenshot conveys is different. Just as discussed above, the Korea screenshot attempts to build intimacy with the users by storytellingー”서로의 스케쥴도, 둘만의 데이트도 함께 쓰는 캘린더”(A calendar just for two of us – personal schedule and date schedule can be shared)ーwhile the Japan screenshot simply says “2人の予定が一目でわかる”(Check the schedule for two of us at a glance). What the Korea screenshot emphasizes is that the calendar is made just for the couple, while the Japan screenshot mainly depicts the convenience of the couple calendar. The difference in the message is more intensified in Genshin‘s screenshots.
Image Source: Genshin(KR) / Genshin (JP)
The Korea screenshots of Genshin are full of storytelling and messages evoking user involvement. The screenshot on the left is the last screenshot of Genshin in the Korea app store, and it says “세상은 더는 불타지 않을 것이다 그대가 신의 자리에 오를 것이기 때문에” (The world will not burn anymore, for you will be enthroned as a god), and other screenshots include copies such as “더 큰 모험의 세계로”(Start the journey to the world of greater adventure), “운명과 마주한다”(Face your Fate), “원소의 힘을 사용하라”(Use the power of element). These copies are like invitations to the Genshin world and allow users to feel they are already interacting with the game.
On the other hand, the copies in Japan screenshots are more informative rather than storytelling. The screenshot above has a copy addressing the game has “high-end 3D graphic quality that is as good as anime.” Other copies include “かけがえのない仲間たちと壮大な冒険の旅へ”(Go on an adventure with invaluable friends), “どこまでも自由で広大な幻想世界(テイワット)” (Explore the wide fantasy world freely), and “「元素」反応を駆使した新感覚アクション” (a new style action using “element” reaction). Although some copies have the impression of user involvementー”Explore the world” or “Go to an adventure”ーit is not as evoking as the Korea screenshots, and the copy, “a new style action,” still delivers the information rather than inviting the user to be the one who uses that element reaction.
Voice Actors and Actresses in the Japanese Game Market
Before going into the conclusion of this article, there is one last thing that deserves attention regarding what the screenshots convey in Japan and Korea app stores. As mentioned above, the last screenshot of Genshin in the Japan app store shows a unique pattern of the Japan game marketーit shows a long list of voice actors and actresses who participated in the game and emphasizes that the game is “fully-dubbed.” The position of voice acting in the Japanese market is an interesting theme and deserves thorough research, so it is better to dedicate and article for this theme. For now, it will be enough to make a note that sharing the list of voice actors and actresses accords with the idea that the Japan screenshots are more informative than those of Korea.
Image Source: Genshin (JP)
Outro
Though Korea and Japan are geologically close and have had many points of contact throughout history, they have more differences than similarities, and those differences are big enough to affect app marketing. So this article introduced some differences that can be found in the Japan and Korea app stores and mainly focused on screenshots of Between and Genshin. And it has been discovered that Korea screenshots had fewer letter counts than Japan, while Japan used more visual contents, so that Korea screenshots can emphasize telling a story derived from the app and that Japan screenshots can deliver more information about the app. Although the differences discussed in this article were quite clear and straightforward, it merely attempted to grasp a hint at the success in Japan and Korea’s app markets. So it would not guarantee a quick growth, yet it will certainly suggest a better direction.
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