Short video app TikTok extends reach in global markets, sees in-app purchases surge more than 200 per cent
- In-app purchases were up 222 per cent year on year, hitting US$18.9 million globally
The social short video app TikTok, developed by Beijing-based Bytedance, attracted 188 million new users worldwide during the quarter ended March 31, a 70 per cent jump year on year, according to a recent report by research firm Sensor Tower.
The rapid growth was mainly driven by India where 88.6 million new users downloaded the app during the period.
TikTok also saw an in-app purchase hike of 222 per cent year on year, hitting US$18.9 million globally, excluding purchases from China’s third-party Android stores, said Sensor Tower.
The app, which allows users to customise videos with a variety of effects, including adding short music sound bites, was the third most installed app during the first quarter, just behind Facebook’s WhatsApp and Messenger.
TikTok is the first Chinese app to make significant headway outside its home market. Analysts attribute its rapid expansion globally, including in the US, to its overseas acquisitions such as musical.ly, which Bytedance merged into TikTok.
