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The Chinese and American Tech Apps Winning the Next Billion Users

The global competition for emerging market users

201910 min read
Archive Notice: This article was originally published on macropolo.org on 2019. MacroPolo was the Paulson Institute's in-house think tank (2018–2024). This archived version preserves the original research for continued citation and reference.

As smartphone penetration reaches saturation in developed markets, the tech giants are battling for the next billion users in emerging economies. Chinese apps have some surprising advantages.

Emerging Market Fit

Chinese apps like TikTok, SHEin, and Transsion phones were designed for price-sensitive, mobile-first users—a better fit for emerging markets than products designed for affluent American consumers.