Once again, we are here to nudge you out of winter’s sleep with the most refreshing news of the early spring: SmartyAds has partnered with KaiOS -- the largest feature phone traffic source. This direct integration will provide you with a unique opportunity to advertise across global feature phone markets that gather plenty of high-quality unique visitors.
What is KaiOS?
KaiOS is a mobile operating system designed for simple budget phones that stand in between button phones and smartphones (have basic media functions and Internet access). A typical KaiOS phone has a 256 MB of memory, buttons and a screen with a diagonal of approximately 3 inches. Such a phone also supports Wi-Fi, 3G, 4G, navigation but is much cheaper than Android which makes it popular in developing countries like India, USA, China, Vietnam.
Why KaiOS is popular?
Although residents of the developing countries don’t have high incomes, they also want to keep up with all the benefits of the mobile market like e.g, the Internet. Not having access to the resources, they find themselves in a situation where smartphones are too expensive, but the button phones are too primitive to satisfy basic customer needs. The other target niche is represented by older people who are used to button phones and need only calls, messages, high battery longevity, and Internet access. KaiOS appears to be the only mobile operating system that works with these feature-phones and thus, with unique global audiences.
KaiOS as a new advertising niche
Striving to conquer the largest unexplored market geo niche like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and other Asian and African countries, manufacturers shifted their attention to the featurephones. Slightly more functional than button phones, but easier and more affordable than smartphones, they satisfy the needs of the large marketing segments globally.
| Average KaiOS marketing performance | |
| Full-screen CTR - 12.3% | Time per session - 2.26 min. |
| Banner CTR - 1.9% | D30 retention - 16% |
| App installs - 8 mln+ | KaiStore visits - 10 mln+ |
| Conversion rate - 51% | KaiStore visits per user per month - 6 |
KaiOS store is actively developing, it has many popular games, social and entertainment apps like YouTube, Twitter or WhatsApp. What’s also important, the demand for such devices is stable, so even giants like Google invest funds in them ($22 million in 2018).
Worth to point out, KaiOS supports third-party applications downloaded from the official repository. This distinguishes it from other software pieces that only have a web browser, a couple of social network clients and several games that can’t be installed.
Plus, it is expected that the number of apps in the store will only increase with time, leaving great in-app advertising opportunities up for grabs! Knowing that KaiOS is a niche product designed for a relatively narrow audience, we decided to help our advertisers leverage this opportunity. Explore the new regions of the world where you can find the new audiences, advertise with engaging digital ad formats to achieve better ROI, retention and user loyalty.
