Third-party input method market： users’ needs are upgraded, and the input experience is more personalized and intelligent.
Analysis on the Current Market Situation of Third-party Input Method
The growth rate of users’ market has slowed down, and user experience has become the core of competition for third-party input methods.
According to the data of Analysys Qian Fan, in November, 2021, the overall monthly user scale of third-party input method in China reached 714 million, and the penetration rate of active users reached 68.5%. Since 2020, the growth rate of overall user scale has remained basically stable, with the quarterly average active users remaining above 860 million, and the quarterly user usage time exceeded 35 billion hours. The growth trend of the third-party input method market in China has slowed down, and it has entered the stage of stock competition. High-quality user experience has become the core of competition for users to compete and enhance their stickiness.
The TOP3 pattern is stable, and the iFLYTEK input method continues to optimize the user experience scale and leads the growth.
The Matthew effect of the third-party input method market in China is remarkable. The three input methods, sogou input method, iFLYTEK input method and Baidu input method, occupy more than 95% of the market share, and the three-legged pattern is stable. From the perspective of user scale, at present, sogou input method still maintains the first-Mover advantage, and iFLYTEK input method ranks second; However, the iFLYTEK input method has greatly improved the user experience with many upgrades, such as caring for elders mode, intelligent photo input, off-line input mode, AI voice input recognition framework update and so on, and achieved the highest user growth rate in the industry.
Focus on user experience optimization: AI technology is improved and the intelligent voice input experience is further upgraded.
With the continuous upgrading of AI technology, people’s requirements for input methods have already been upgraded from basic input to intelligent service ecology, and intelligent voice input has gradually occupied a wider market. The application of third-party input method not only strengthens the technical application, improves the accuracy and input efficiency of speech recognition, but also continuously optimizes the user experience and meets the personalized needs in multiple scenarios, which has become the key for head manufacturers to win users and develop continuously.
1. Multi-scene improves recognition accuracy.
Thanks to the improvement of AI technology, the speech recognition accuracy of input method has been significantly improved in various scenarios. At present, the latest iFLYTEK input method adopts a new generation of speech recognition framework, which realizes the speech input without dead ends in the whole scene. Users can accurately write long paragraphs by moving their mouths, and the input efficiency is greatly improved.
2. Multilingual switching meets different needs
The major input methods have completed the construction of multilingual functions such as multi-dialect input and foreign language conversion, meeting the voice input needs of different groups of people such as nonstandard Mandarin and mixed Chinese and English. For example, the number of language keyboards supported by sogou input method has jumped to 90+, and more users of small language keyboards can enjoy a smooth and efficient input experience in daily communication and foreign language learning.
3. Integrate creative functions to enrich the application experience
The third-party input method explores more diversified functions such as taking photos and AI assistants, which enhances the input experience and promotes the change of input methods; Among them, the iFLYTEK input method also upgrades the OCR in an all-round way, covering the functions of photo-to-text conversion, photo translation, efficient text archiving, and mathematical formula input, bringing more intelligent experience to users.
Key points of user experience optimization: expanding multiple intelligence scenarios and improving input efficiency experience.
Third-party input methods are equipped with AI assistants, which actively provide corresponding intelligent input functions for different groups and different scenarios, making users’ input in daily chat, shopping evaluation, online posting and other scenarios more convenient and efficient. Many scenario solutions are specially proposed for the needs of Z-generation users, and young users are still the main source of power for the future input method market.
Focus on user experience optimization: accelerate the integration of content and services based on scenarios and user perspectives, and create a new input ecology.
On the basis of deepening intelligent voice input and AI assistant, the third-party input method continuously expands the service boundary. IP skin cooperation and emoticon bag doodle realize cross-border joint name breaking, firmly grasp the "hi point" of Z generation users, in addition, there are functions such as weather forecast, hot information and built-in search that are beyond the attributes of input method tools, bringing convenience to users and fully embodying the "humanistic care" of input method, making input method more "human", further enhancing users’ emotional experience and creating an input method service ecology.
Usage of third-party input method users
User behavior: the third-party input method is sticky in the forefront of the whole network
Compared with the system’s own input application, the third-party input method has obvious advantages in technology, function and experience, so the overall third-party input method users are highly sticky, and nearly 70% of users have developed the habit of using the third-party input method. According to the data of Analysys Qian Fan, the user penetration rate and usage stickiness of the third-party input method are in the forefront of the whole network, and the average number of launches in the third quarter of 2021 reached 1,343 times, second only to social and communication applications, and much higher than other installed essential apps.
Portrait of users: Young users under the age of 35 and users with medium consumption power or above are the main body.
According to the data of Analysys Qian Fan, the proportion of male active users in the input method field is slightly higher than that of female users, but the proportion of female users in other fields of the whole network is slightly higher.
Most of the active users are young people under the age of 35, accounting for more than 75%. Young users are still the core users of input method, and meeting the personalized and diversified needs of young people headed by generation Z is still the direction of input method. At the same time, the proportion of middle-aged and elderly users over 41 years old is less than 10%. In the future, input method manufacturers will meet the input demands of the elderly group through effective aging transformation, and cater to the aging trend to continuously expand the scale of elderly users.
According to the data of Analysys Qian Fan, the consumption power of users in the input method field is mainly middle consumption and high consumption, accounting for nearly 70%.
User experience insight of third-party input method
Input method users need to upgrade and pursue more personalized and intelligent input experience.
Among the factors that users pay attention to the input method, voice input ability becomes the core concern in the basic input function. At the same time, users’ requirements for input methods are no longer satisfied with the basic input function, and they begin to pursue a variety of input methods, personalized experience brought by typical crowd mode and intelligent experience brought by AI assistants to meet the diverse needs of different people and different scenes.
A variety of input methods and other factors positively affect the evaluation of user experience.
In the process of using input method, multiple input methods are the most likely factors that affect the user experience and thus affect the user’s evaluation of input method, followed by the intelligence of AI input assistants and typical crowd patterns. For example, the main reason why users recommend iFLYTEK input method is that it can provide various input methods such as voice, and its strong intelligent input and typical crowd mode can bring good input experience and effectively improve input efficiency.
Voice input: users’ habits are gradually formed, and intelligent functions are used frequently.
At present, voice input has become the most mainstream input mode for users together with traditional pinyin input. More than half of users have used voice input as their daily input mode, and more than 80% of users think that voice input has greatly improved the input experience when it is inconvenient to type.
Among the common voice input functions of users, its intelligent functions such as intelligent error correction and personalized vocabulary are used at the highest frequency. The intelligent function of voice input can effectively improve the efficiency of voice input and optimize the user input experience, so it is favored by users.
Voice input: iFLYTEK input method leads by word of mouth, and users evaluate the efficiency of focusing input.
In the application of voice input, iFLYTEK input method has obtained the highest net recommendation value from users, which is obviously higher than other input method manufacturers, especially among middle-and high-income users. Users represented by the working population are highly satisfied with the voice input of iFLYTEK input method.
Users’ attention to voice input mainly focuses on recognition accuracy and fluency. In recognition accuracy, iFLYTEK input method’s user recommendation is obviously ahead of other input methods, and voice input efficiency is still the core requirement for users to use voice input.
Intelligent input: Intelligent assistants penetrate into daily use scenes to add interest to input.
Third-party input methods have been equipped with mature intelligent input assistants to help users cope with various usage scenarios, among which the daily chat conversation scenes have been deeply infiltrated. Users can effectively improve the input efficiency by using the functions of intelligent assistant’s picture matching/emoticon package and intelligent error correction in chat conversations, and at the same time increase the input interest, so as to obtain a more efficient and interesting input experience.
Intelligent input: iFLYTEK input method is highly recognized by users, and the intelligent error correction function affects word of mouth.
In the application of intelligent input, iFLYTEK input method has obtained the highest net recommendation value of users, which is much higher than the industry average and has high user satisfaction.
Users’ attention to intelligent input mainly focuses on intelligent error correction function, input efficiency and call convenience. Among them, iFLYTEK input method is higher than other input methods in intelligent error correction function, personalization and interest, and its input efficiency evaluation ranks first in the industry.
Overall evaluation: the overall reputation of iFLYTEK input method users is higher than the industry level, and the proportion of recommenders is obvious.
The net recommendation value of input method users in iFLYTEK reached 32%, which was significantly higher than the industry average. The recommenders accounted for more than 40%, and the user satisfaction was high.
The future direction of Z generation and silver-haired users or input method manufacturers
In the evaluation of input methods by different age groups, people under the age of 25 and people over the age of 55 show higher recommendation. As a whole, the Z generation is the main user group of input method, and the silver-haired group may be the blue ocean to be developed.
Sogou input method: expanding user usage scenarios through AI technology and hardware cooperation.
After sogou Input Method was formally incorporated into Tencent in 2021, the advertising revenue model was weakened, aiming at providing users with a purer input experience. In addition, the measures for user experience are mainly to expand and upgrade the original basic functions, expand the application scenarios of input method by using AI assistant upgrade and hardware combination, and integrate input method into more aspects of user life.
IFLYTEK input method: AI empowers the whole scene, and the voice, AI assistant and camera functions bloom more.
IFLYTEK input method keeps improving in input efficiency, and optimizes the user experience in all directions. In addition, based on the insight of scenes and crowds, frontier AI will be empowered with voice input, AI assistant, photo input and other product functions, which will continue to provide users with a smarter, more dynamic and personalized input experience and promote the development of the third-party input method industry.
Baidu input method: B-end and C-end exert their strength in both directions to upgrade the user’s intelligent experience.
Baidu input method focuses on the use needs of young users, and comprehensively enhances the intelligent experience from the aspects of customization, personalization and interest. At the same time, it cooperates with enterprises to expand the use scenarios of input methods in different fields and continuously expand the connotation and boundaries of input.
Future user experience trend of input method
Pay attention to the experience of minority users, and manufacturers promote barrier-free input.
The third-party input method industry in China is now in a mature stage, and it is particularly important to pay attention to the use experience of minority groups and vulnerable groups. Through measures such as aging adaptation and barrier-free input research and development, input method manufacturers let the elderly, visually impaired groups and others share the intelligent experience and scientific and technological innovations brought by AI technology.
The application of internal input has entered the battle, and healthy competition has driven the industry to develop positively.
China’s third-party input method market is divided into three parts, and the three major manufacturers continue to upgrade the user intelligence experience based on AI technology to obtain better development space; At the same time, Internet giants such as WeChat and Huawei have gradually introduced self-developed input methods around the issue of user privacy and security, or have a certain impact on the current stable pattern of the input method industry, driving the industry to pay attention to user safety and continuously provide a better and more efficient user input experience.
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