Global Firms Must Be Mindful About These Aspects Prior to Designing Apps for India India accounts for 10 pct of Uber's rides globally

California-based ride sharing app Uber Technologies has recently launched a set of new features on its rider and driver app. Starting November 2, the new app is rolling out globally on iOS and android platforms over the next few weeks.

On this occasion, Entrepreneur India seized the opportunity to chat with Christian Freese, GM for Uber Bangalore on Wednesday. Freese, joins the India team from Uber Germany and its was interesting to understand what he thought about the app market in India.

What should global companies consider before designing apps for the Indian market?

I think firstly they should think of mobile first even though we see a couple of players hold back on this. I think India is changing at a very rapid pace and adopting a wide range of technology, he said.

Freese also added that international companies, like Uber, should emphasize on having local teams with a local engineering talent in place. "We built and engineering team here in India that sits in Bangalore and this shows the commitment from our end and our emphasis on local specifications," he adds.

Today, India contributes about 12 percent of total trips globally, which is massive, Freese claims and sees this contribution increase in 2017.

While Uber and Ola are continuously trying to up their game in a price sensitive Indian market, Uber has now decided to allow API integration of its app with other mobile apps in a bid to improve consumer experience.

Freese said that every market is price sensitive and the company considers this aspect before making any changes on their platform.