UC Browser, the flagship mobile browser of UCWeb, an Alibaba Group company, has touched a new milestone, becoming the world’s second most popular mobile browser with 17.42% market share, according to StatCounter – an independent web traffic analytics service.
The recent achievement coincides with the browser’s consistent rise in its overseas markets, as it clocked in more than half of mobile browsing market share (54.42%, per StatCounter) in October 2015 in India and attained a share of 49.05% (per StatCounter) in October 2015 in Indonesia, the second and third populous country in Asia. Both India and Indonesia have become the new frontier for mobile Internet, driven mostly by the rapid growth of their connected population. The popularity of UC Browser attributes to its fast speed and easy access to local content and services, as well as the powerful distribution network UC Union, a global mobile traffic and monetization platform.
Commenting on the achievement, Mr. YU Yongfu, President of Alibaba Mobile Business Group, of which UCWeb is a part, said, “In addition to our leading position in home turf China, overseas growth has contributed significantly to UC Browser’s ascent to become the world’s No.2 mobile browser. By providing a one-stop mobile browsing gateway, UC Browser makes mobile services conveniently accessible, helping improve and reshape the mobile lifestyle of our users worldwide. We will continue to reach new users through unique localisation and personalisation efforts.”
UCWeb has been seeing exciting success in emerging markets, long dominating mobile browser market in China, India and Indonesia, the three most populous emerging markets globally. All these three countries have a total population of 2.8 billion, accounting for over one third of the world’s population. UCWeb also boasts of the number one spot in Pakistan (33.76%, October 2015, StatCounter percent) and has been seeing encouraging performance among other countries.
UC Browser’s strength is its signature cloud-enabled browsing technology that can compress data by up to 60%, ability to compress page to provide faster page loading & data cost saving along with localized content, catering to each unique market. Deep localization and strong synergistic partnerships with local content providers has boosted downloads and engagement with the browser. Last December, UC Browser surpassed 100 million daily active users (DAUs), propelling it into the elite group of apps that includes Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and so on.
