Great Wall Club bets on potential in India

Great Wall Club Inc, the company behind the Global Mobile Internet Conference, is ramping up resources to help internet companies to enter India, betting big on the potential market.

The Beijing-based company held the GMIC in Bangalore, India on Nov 16 and 17. The event, themed Mobile Infinity, attracted 66 exhibitors, over 6000 attendees in the mobile internet industry, and 229 media representatives, the company said.

Company Co-CEO Hao Yi said: "the platform aims to connect mobile industry leaders around the globe and facilitate their localization in the Indian market."

It brought together high-end member companies, like Chinese tech giants Baidu Inc and Alibaba Group Holding Ltd, and shared global resources in the cutting-edge mobile technologies, he added.

India has become a sought-after place in recent years. An increasing number of Chinese internet companies are reportedly heading for the market, pinning high hopes on the mobile business there.

China's outbound investment in India was forecasted to reach a minimum of $5 billion from 2015 to 2018, a more than fourfold gain in the cumulative investment value in the past 15 years from 2000, Ministry of Commerce research fellow Xu Changwen wrote in a research note.

Baidu Inc, after setting up an office in the outskirts of the Indian capital of New Delhi last year, will continue to work on its mobile-advertising DU Ad Platform to meet the locals' needs, said Li Weilin, Baidu's head of global marketing.

He found that a partnership with Great Wall Club Inc had played an important role in accessing the Indian market.

"GWC is a great partner, very knowledgeable about Baidu's international strategy and the Indian market. And it is always ready to offer a tailored service to facilitate our localization there," Li added.

India became the world's second biggest mobile internet market after China, as its mobile internet users increased to 325 million, according to data compiled by the Beijing-based developer SHAREit Technologies Co Ltd.

Data indicates the market still has plenty of room for growth. For instance, the amount of smartphone shipments was forecasted to top 369 million in 2018, up 24.66 percent from 2015.

Dozens of barriers, however, stand in the way - beyond the obvious cultural barriers of the Indian market.

Kika Tech Inc, a Beijing-based input method developer, has been putting great efforts into expanding its offline retailing presence, ensuring system compatibility and building local networks, said its vice president and head of operations and growth, Ma Xuefeng.

"Through the conference, we hope to promote our brands across the whole country, and build a closer relationship with local smartphone vendors and telecom carriers, as well as other Chinese counterparts," Ma said.

The company started to make inroads into India in the middle of the year. Ma said Kika reached millions of daily active users on average in India, and the number is projected to exceed tens of millions in 2017.