Creating Your Own Red Packet Cover On WeChat—The Ultimate Guide

January 13, 2022

It is a widespread custom for adults to gift red packets containing monetary gifts to children during Chinese New Year. However, in recent years, the habit of presenting friends and coworkers has transferred to China’s super-app, WeChat. As a result, the opportunity for brand visibility and interaction arose thanks to this behavioral change. Last week, we covered different ways in which brands can engage with their audiences during the Chinese New Year, today we will dig more into how to create your own red envelope on WeChat. 

What is a WeChat Red Envelope?

Tencent’s WeChat red envelope (or WeChat red packet cover – 红包封面) is a WeChat-based feature that was developed in China. But the concept itself is not new. In fact, it’s based on the Chinese tradition of hongbao (red envelope, or red packet), in which money is presented as a gift to relatives and friends. 

Tencent released the function in January 2014, and it has since grown in popularity, with Tencent reporting 2.3 billion transactions on the first day of 2016.

Users can give monetary presents to other users within a private conversation or group chat in the form of virtual ‘credits.‘ A user’s WeChat Pay account gets credited with funds that can be utilized to make purchases. 

WeChat offers two sorts of ‘red envelopes’: pairwise red packets, which send money from a private chat between two users, and group red packets, which distribute money in a group chat. After posting the ‘grouped’ red envelope to a group chat, the app assigns the amount in each envelope to each receiver at random. Fights for the biggest win of an envelope is a common and fun sight at the annual dinners across China.

Why Do Businesses Require Red Packets?

Moreover, there are other motivations for mobile payment companies to compete during this period, aside from the red packets being a cornerstone of WeChat’s development history. Because the Lunar New Year is the most important Chinese celebration of the year, there are more transactions than at any other time of the year. 

Thus a number of other brands, such as Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Versace, Burberry, and many more have incorporated the red envelope concept into their Chinese New Year’s marketing strategies. This year with more and more hype around red packets, payees are especially encouraged by brands to transfer ‘lucky money to a friend, thereby assisting the brand in expanding its brand awareness. Sometimes, like in the came of Gucci, users need to book their slot to receive the cover they can use via a mini-program to make it more exclusive. 

On the other hand, consumers may also receive a red envelope with a surprise discount after purchasing something in-store using WeChat Pay. These companies are often FMCG brands because a discount signals value and are generally not an incentive that luxury brands want to be associated with.

Step by Step Guide on Customisation Process of The Red Envelope

Step 1: Registered account and Required materials

Chinese mainland WeChat official account is open to everyone for registration: http://cover.weixin.qq.com 

Red Packet Cover On WeChat

Step 2: Submission for review

Check the official WeChat page for design requirements and specifics. 

  • Format: PNG / JPG / jpeg
  • Width and height: 957 * 1278 pixels
  • Size: ≤ 500kb

Red Packet Cover On WeChat

After you’ve finished customizing the red envelope, send it to the WeChat team for review.

Audit Cycle: The audit cycle is generally 1 working day.

Audit Result: The results will be published on your official WeChat account and sent over by mail after the audit is completed (WeChat envelopes). You can also check the status of the audit in my “seal” at the same time.

Red Packet Cover On WeChat

Step 3: Payment and refund

Select the number of users of the red envelope cover after approval and pay the payment item to create an order.

Price: The red envelope cover costs one yuan per piece.

Payment method: Payments can be made via Wechat, internet banking, or an offline transfer or remittance.

Refund: Only when the red envelope cover is removed from the shelf due to infringement, and there is a red envelope that is still within the distribution validity period and has not been successfully received by any user.

You will get a return for unused red envelopes at a rate of 1 yuan per piece.

Red Packet Cover On WeChat

Final Step

Step 4: Release cover

The cover can be distributed to the selected user after it has been properly purchased. It will expire after six months. Users will not be able to receive it after it has expired.

Distribution methods include:

  • QR code
  • Serial code
  • Link

According to the activity scenario, user group, collection rules, other factors, the customization party can choose the best distribution strategy.

Red Packet Cover On WeChat

Step 5: Trial cover

After each red envelope cover’s approval, ten trial covers for ten Wechat accounts can be obtained.

The cover is effective for two hours after scanning the code and can be used an unlimited number of times. The trial run expires after two hours have passed.

Red Packet Cover On WeChat

Step 6: User to use

Users can use the cover up to 3 months after they receive it as many times as they want. The received cover will automatically become invalid after the expiration date and cannot be used again.

 The red envelope display, which has been sent, will not be affected.

Red Packet Cover On WeChat

Step 7: Data analysis

Following the distribution of the cover, you can view real-time distribution data. You can also check data from the previous day, and cumulative statistics on the site. It includes:

  • covers purchased,
  • covers received,
  • red envelopes issued,
  • red envelopes opened,
  • how many times users accessed the red envelope details page,
  • how many times the users view the cover story,
  • and the number of times the viewers skipped the cover story.

Red Packet Cover On WeChat

Red Packet Cover On WeChat

Conclusion

Way to carry on traditions change these days. The one thing that has remained constant is the desire to enjoy the company of loved ones during this special time of year.

Also, around this time of year, the red envelope is a great way to attract a wide spectrum of customers and build your customer base. As a result, any company seeking to build a business relationship with the Chinese market should consider taking advantage of these prospects.

If you require further assistance with customizing your red envelope, please contact our team. We use our knowledge and expertise to help businesses build meaningful partnerships and develop their network among Chinese customers. For additional information, please contact us by phone – Shanghai or Hong Kong

You may also like

China’s Christmas: How It Has Evolved Over the Years

December 21, 2021

Christmas in China

Christmas has grown in popularity in Mainland China in recent years, despite the fact that it is not a national holiday. Its “celebrations” have little to do with religion, but that hasn’t stopped it from becoming a huge annual event in China’s main cities. 

Chinese people saw it as a new form of entertainment, with decorated Christmas trees, Santa Claus, and reindeers adorning the streets and businesses. It’s fair to say that many young Chinese millennials and Gen Z see Christmas as another “Valentine’s Day.” It is the time of the year when men prepare heartfelt winter gifts to win over their partners, while girls dress up in a variety of fresh outfits.

Christmas in China is more of a fun day to spend with friends shopping, ice skating, or going to Christmas pop up markets and movie theatres than it is a day to go to church and spend time with family.

Various promotional events are held during this season at shops and shopping malls to increase sales. On Christmas Eve, restaurants serve Christmas meals. Intriguingly, one of the Chinese Christmas traditions is to send apples as gifts to friends on Christmas Eve.

What brands can do:

As a result, this is an ideal opportunity for brands to leverage on China’s buying spree. Retailers and businesses can also start off the winter shopping frenzy and sales season because of the festival’s proximity to the Chinese New Year. Domestic brands, on the other hand, can seize the opportunity to develop a successful brand positioning plan that elicits positive emotional responses and builds a cool global brand image.

Here are a few pointers for brands looking to attract Chinese customers during the holiday season:

  1. Concentrate on China’s major cities.
  2. Make use of a variety of digital marketing channels
  3. Targeted online advertising
  4. Make campaigns finite
  5. Customize messages and GIF’s for the audience 
  6. Use a nice static or GIF greeting card to make festive posts
  7. Create stickers for people to use in their chat sessions
  8. Create large-scale campaigns

Some previously done festive campaigns by KRDS

1. KRDS X Montagut Full-scale campaign
Montagut wanted to spend Christmas with their Chinese fans. The key objective was to engage the audience throughout the holiday season in order to promote the new FW 2020 collection and attract a larger set of younger consumers. They intended to debut new collections in order to announce the arrival of new items and trends before the end of the year.

Our solution for elegantly displaying both the new collection and the festive spirit was an H5 WeChat game set in a French winter paradise. Because of its customised and dreamy graphics mixed with a captivating tapping gaming mechanism, this game was an instant hit with Montagut’s existing fans as well as approximately 10,000 new fans.

Read more about the campaign – Montagut in Collaboration With KRDS Invited Fans To Winter Wonderland

2. KRDS x Montagut – Interactive Post
This year, together with Montagut we wanted to leverage new possibilities within the WeChat article and created this interactive, creative post – fans can engage with the post elements by clicking, swiping or double-tapping different parts of the Christmas card to open new functions and more.

 

 

Please visit Montagut’s official WeChat account and see the full post here – Montagut Interactive Christmas post

3. KRDS x BNP PARIBAS – Christmas Voice Card Campaign
During the festive season, we created and delivered a unique WeChat Christmas card that BNP Paribas’ team, their clients, and partners could share with their loved ones to wish them a happy holiday season.

The solution proposed by KRDS was an H5-based Christmas wishes voice card. The card’s lovely design and voice feature made it a simple but incredibly personal Christmas card that everyone could send to their contacts on WeChat.


Christmas Campaign for BNP Paribas – PostChristmas Campaign for BNP Paribas – Greeting Card Mechanism

WeChat Stickers Creation for BNP Paribas

 

 

4. KRDS x Procter and Gamble – WeChat Article Greeting

5. KRDS x AkzoNobel – WeChat Article Greeting6. Other Clients
KRDS have also worked with other clients like Vivo, Hong Kong Disneyland, Meiji, BreadTalk, Toast Box, Volkswagen, AIA, Unilever, Sony, WWF & Grand Hyatt.

If you’re looking for a brand collaboration or need any further assistance please contact our team. We use our knowledge and expertise to help businesses develop meaningful campaigns and develop their network among Chinese customers. For additional information, please contact us by phone – Shanghai or Hong Kong

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You may also like

Montagut in Collaboration With KRDS Invited Fans To Winter Wonderland

December 17, 2021

The Christmas Wonderland campaign was one of several campaign collaborations with Montagut on the Chinese market in the last 3 years thanks to a continuous retainer partnership. 

Christmas in Mainland China

Mainland China has not been very big on Christmas in the past. It is not a national holiday and it has nothing to do with religion. It’s more of a novelty day, similar to Valentine’s Day than a religious holiday.

Don’t be fooled by the past, though: Christmas is becoming a more important occasion in most Mainland companies’ marketing calendars, and standing out above all the festive fever is becoming increasingly difficult.

The objective of the Campaign

But Christmas wasn’t the sole reason that Montagut wanted to celebrate with their fans in China. The main objective was to engage the audience during the Christmas season in order to introduce the new FW 2020 collection and to attract a bigger target group of younger consumers. They wanted to premiere new collections, with the purpose of communicating the advent of new clothing and trends before the end of 2019.

KRDS’s Solution

An H5 WeChat game set in a French winter wonderland was our solution for tastefully presenting both the new collection and the holiday spirit. This game was in instant popularity with Montagut’s existing fans as well as almost 10,000 new fans thanks to its bespoke and dreamy graphics paired with a compelling tapping gaming mechanism.

 

“This campaign was very fun and engaging. Beyond generating buzz and page views, KRDS was smart to find the right mechanism to attract a very high number of new fans” According to Candice Meyer, Montagut’s Head of Brand Image & Communications Asia.

Miriam Dabrowa, China Head of Strategy at KRDS Greater China, said: “With the new opportunities coming this year, and especially Montagut’s 140th Anniversary, we truly can’t wait to create new exciting content together”.

 

WeChat Campaign for Montagut – Post

 

 

WeChat Campaign for Montagut – Game Flow

 

WeChat Campaign for Montagut – Media Ads

 

Christmas Campaign for Montagut

You may also like

What Are the Most Important E-commerce Festivals in China?

September 28, 2021

China is not just the world’s most populous country, but it also has the most internet users. And with about one billion online shoppers, the country has the world’s largest and fastest-growing e-commerce market.

The Chinese e-commerce business has evolved significantly over the years, revolutionizing the traditional system for both customers and sellers. Needless to say, the e-commerce market exploded in 2020 as a result of COVID-19, particularly in China, causing an increasing number of firms to want to start selling online. 

And one of the market’s driving forces is the China shopping festivals, which is a massive retail event where firms slash prices in honor of Chinese culture, history, and plain old consumerism. Therefore, all international firms looking to grow their sales in 2021 and beyond should learn about China’s biggest and most important e-commerce festivals.

 

Here at the top 5 e-commerce festivals in China:

 

  • National Day/Golden Week

Golden Week, which commemorates the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, begins on October 1st with National Day and lasts until October 7th. It is China’s longest public holiday, and it generates huge business for international brands.

The total sales for overseas brands on Tmall increased by about 80% last year and several international cross-border e-commerce platforms also reported a significant rise in sales. Luxury brands in particular perform well during this time, with several companies reporting a 60% boost in sales in 2020.

 

  • Double 11 Shopping festival

The Double 11 shopping festival, also known as Singles Day, is the king of all global retail events. During the festival periods in November 2020, Alibaba and JD earned $155 billion in sales.

With more than 250,000 brands and 800 million consumers participating, last year’s sales were recorded as more than RMB 372.3 billion (US$56 billion).

 

  • 12.12 Shopping Festival 

Alibaba introduced the 12.12 or Double 12 Shopping Festival on November 12th in 2010 for customers who were still looking for good deals after Singles Day. The Double 12 shopping festival is one of the largest in the South Asian online buying marketplace and it is that time of year when careful planning and organisation can pay off handsomely for a seller.

Due to rising customer interest, the event resulted in a 4-5 fold increase in online traffic, 60% unique visitors, and a 2 second average order rate. Last year, 18,000 orders were placed in a single day, with an average spend of 125 SGD per customer.

 

  • Nian Huo Festival 

The Spring Festival, also known as Nian Huo, commemorates the Chinese Lunar New Year, which falls in the month of Jan-Feb

Since Chinese New Year is such a popular festival, discounts are available across a variety of platforms, though market giants like Alibaba and JD tend to attract significant crowds. This famous holiday brought in more than $155 million in retail sales in 2019, and sales of imported goods climbed by 2.3 percent year over year in 2020.

 

 

  • International Women’s Day

International Women’s Day, observed on March 8th, has become a lucrative shopping festival in China for female-oriented brands in China.

According to the Chinese Research Centre for E-commerce, 70% of Chinese women prefer to shop online rather than offline. As a result, this is an important e-commerce festival to participate in. Last year, Tmall’s “Own Yourself, Love Yourself” campaign aided female empowerment, garnering more than 600 million hashtag views on Weibo and 2.12 million comments.

 

Conclusion

Online shopping is an accepted part of life in China. Everything from fresh produce and seafood to appliances and automobiles are being purchased online.

Due to the high demand in the market, e-commerce platforms work hard to encourage online shoppers, resulting in China’s numerous shopping festivals. If you want to increase your brands e-commerce sales, you need to be aware of the major e-shopping festivals and plan your marketing strategy accordingly. This is why selling on Chinese e-commerce platforms is the most efficient way to increase sales among the Chinese audience. 

You may also like

Payment on WeChat, the Chinese new year Hong Bao success story

March 26, 2018

2018 is the ‘Year of the Dog’ according to the Chinese calendar and it was celebrated with grandeur. Families get together to celebrate New Year and tradition involves exchange of red envelopes with ‘lucky money’ along with positive wishes. With the modernization and technology advancements, this tradition is now also practiced via digital medium. It was in 2014, when WeChat, the mobile instant messaging service introduced the ability to send virtual red envelopes of money to your phone contacts via its mobile payment platform.

 

This year, WeChat witnessed a 15% surge in the number of people using the service as compared to last year. Close to 688 million people used the service on February 15th ( Eve of Chinese New Year) with Beijing, Chengdu and Chongqing accounting for the majority of the users. In a country where 95% of the population access internet through their mobile phones, more and more people prefer using WeChat to send red envelopes because of speed and convenience.

 

At the stroke of midnight on Chinese New Year, a shower of red envelopes or ‘WeChat Red Packets’ filled the mobile screens across China. Data shows that the highest number of red packets were exchanged amongst the post-80’s generation who accounted for close to 32%. Following them, were the post-90’s and post-70’s comprising of 27% and 22% generation respectively. These users were referred to as the ‘Red Packet Army’.

 

What’s more? WeChat was also able to track the fastest single user and the most generous user of the red packet. Apart from this, the time spent by users during their purchase was also tracked and the most active segments for WeChat pay were retail stores, dining and public transport.

You may also like