In China, not all mobile apps are made equal
New studies show that users in different Chinese cities prefer different mobile apps
Chinese cities are markedly different from one another, and a life in southern Guangzhou is a far cry from a day-to-day existence in northern Harbin, with both cities featuring massive variations in cuisine, regional dialect and environment.
New data promulgated by the Horizon Research Consultancy Group of Beijing has revealed that differences in Chinese cities extend even further beyond these obvious discrepancies, and can be seen in the apps installed on the mobile devices of smartphone users, which vary dramatically depending on region.
Residents living in first and second tier metropolises like Beijing, Shenzhen and Shanghai tended to use mobile apps that were designed to help them find taxis, locate good restaurants or decide on sightseeing locations.
Apps that let users read restaurant and shop reviews, such as mainland favourite Dianping, were widely used, and mobile taxi apps have constantly been in high demand in crowded Chinese cities like Beijing, where hailing a taxi is notoriously troublesome.
In contrast, smartphone users living in third and fourth tier cities like Dandong and Shantou were less inclined to use mobile apps designed for tourism and transportation, particularly since their cities were smaller and less crowded.
These users preferred to play games or watch videos on their phones, and a 24-year-old state worker named Su Jing said that people living in smaller cities usually relied upon word of mouth when it came to finding good local restaurants or sightseeing activities.