Ask HN: Why doesn't my ios app perform on the US market?

[bornonthebull]

Hi there,

I've developed an app which sells pretty well all over the world - I can't make a living out of the revenue but I am still happy. The app performs pretty well in most of the (wealthier) countries, but underperforms in the US and Canada. This is where I need the help of the HN community.

=> Why does my app suck on the US market? Is there an obvious reason I don't see?

What I mean by suck on the US market: http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/585/screenshot20120828at155.png/ The US just makes 2.8% out of my total downloads, although it should be a huge market.

iTunes Link: http://itunes.apple.com/en/app/id473512078?mt=8 Some public analytics: http://www.appannie.com/app/ios/minipedia-offline-encyclopedia-wikipedia-reader

The app has an average rating of 4.25 with 280 reviews worldwide. The average rating in America is 4.0 with 16 ratings. I am using a freemium model and make my profit through in-app sales.

Thanks, Bobby

[helen842000]

Just a thought but wondering if the abundance of free wifi, fast home internet access & unlimited data plans for iPhones in the US mean that they're less likely to be without internet access - so wikipedia is always available.

Personally here in the UK, I find data charges quite expensive so I limit my access. Also I don't have accessible wifi at work so I'd probably find the offline feature quite useful! Where as I know my friends in the US are most of the time pretty well connected. Everytime I speak to them they're streaming audio, video or both!

[pixelcort]

Are your competitors' apps available in these other countries that you're in?

If not, that might explain the discrepancy.

[bornonthebull]

They are available in these countries as well...

Since it's an offline app I thought the 3G / WiFi coverage might be way better in the US than in other countries. Might this be one issue?

[nicknyc]

Rethink, or try removing, the word "Encyclopedia" in the app's title

[bornonthebull]

Okay - is it too uncommon?

Any idea what a good title would be? I placed keywords like Offline, Wikipedia and Encyclopedia in the title.