Line is one of the better known WhatsApp competitors out there, and even though it doesn’t quite have the user base of the latter, it has developed strong revenue streams. Its gaming platform, Line Game, generates 60 percent of its total value whereas stickers account for over 20 percent. Over 1.8 billion are sent daily, and while only Line’s partners could design and sell them previously, the Line stickers shop has now been opened up to all designers.
Designers can now list their own stickers, revenue will be equally split with Line, so not only users get a whole new collection of stickers, Line gets yet another revenue stream. The company has been working hard in scaling its offering, as well as increasing its presence out of Asia in crucial markets such as Europe and North America.
Line has revealed that it is developing a voice calling service, essentially a Skype competitor, which will allow users to call cellphones and landlines. Initally the service will only be launched in the U.S., Japan, Mexico, Spain, Thailand as well as the Philippines. Users can already make voice and video calls through Line itself, but this service will be completely separate and will integrate with Line. Enterprise users will be able to connect the apps to their CRM and marketing channels.
Filed in . Read more about Line.