Amazon expands Appstore for Android to European market

August 30, 2012 | By Jason Ankeny

Amazon is extending its Appstore for Android to consumers in the western European market, enabling mobile software developers to target international consumers via localized storefronts customized for each nation's audience.

Amazon will retain the Appstore for Android brand for its new U.K. store--in Germany, France and Italy, the brand will give way to "App-Shop," and the Spanish outlet will operate as "Tienda Apps." All stores open today, complete with localized content and promotions alongside signature features like the Free App of the Day program, customer reviews and one-click payments.

Android developers may also leverage engagement tools such as Amazon's new GameCircle services, which support leaderboards, achievements and syncing across devices, as well as commerce and payment capabilities including in-app purchasing and subscriptions.

Amazon Appstore for Android opened to U.S. consumers in March 2011. The storefront promises a user experience rooted in the company's e-commerce and marketing expertise, highlighted by a series of automated marketing features extending Amazon's signature product recommendation engine to mobile software merchandising, as well as a Bestsellers section to further improve consumer discovery. Unlike the rival Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) Play storefront, Amazon Appstore for Android tests all apps before introducing them in the store, guaranteeing a positive user experience and protecting consumers from potentially harmful situations.

Android developers consistently generate substantially greater revenues per user in the Amazon Appstore than in Google Play, according to data published earlier this year by app store analytics firm Flurry. For every $1 yielded by Apple's (NASDAQ:AAPL) pacesetting App Store for iOS, Amazon Appstore drives an average of $0.89 per user, while Google Play earns developers just $0.23 per user, Flurry reports. The company credits Appstore for Android's success to Amazon's digital retail prowess, noting Google's strengths are its search tools and advertising technologies.

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