Samsung‘s global communications platform ChatON, has reached a global subscriber base of over 100 million users. Launched in October 2011, the service hit the 50 million mark in May 2013, subsequently doubling to 100 million just four months later.
ChatON’s explosive growth can be attributed to its availability in international markets and supported OS platforms. ChatON can be accessed through PCs, Samsung feature phones and all major smartphone operating systems – Android, iOS, BlackBerry and Windows Phone.
With a Samsung account ID, users can sign-in on up to five different devices.
ChatON has experienced steady growth in India, China and the US, and also becoming popular in Europe and the Middle East. The service supports 63 languages in 237 countries worldwide. In India, ChatON supports 10 regional dialects, and Samsung plans to support 13 dialects by end of 2013. In line with its drive to deliver products that meet specific local requirements in the markets it ventures into, Samsung has also introduced Ramadan Anicons (animated icons) in the Middle East market.
In Malaysia, Samsung unveiled a local television commercial and a partnership with Starbucks in July this year.
Another key factor in ChatON’s meteoric rise is the fact that it comes preloaded on most major GALAXY devices – front its debut in the GALAXY S III to the GALAXY Note II, GALAXY S4, GALAXY Note 3, GALAXY Gear and GALAXY Camera.
The competition in the messaging space is certainly hotting up. WhatsApp still dominates with over 300 million monthly active users. China’s WeChat is a strong contender with over 70 million users outside of China (in China, then have over 300 million users under the brand Weixin). Japan-based LINE passed 200 million users mid this year. ChatON also competes with Korean startup social messaging app KakaoTalk which surpassed 100 million users also in middle of this year. BlackBerry’s crown jewels, BlackBerry Messenger (BBM), has over 60 million users worldwide.
With its multi-device, multi-platform strategy coupled with improved features and a big marketing push, ChatON is in a good position to further grow marketshare.
