WeChat Archives

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

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

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NFT and Metaverse in China

January 4, 2022

What does the latest news mean for NFT and metaverse in China? China is one of the countries that has publicly maintained its anti-crypto position, ordering a statewide ban on all crypto-related transactions earlier this year and threatening defaulters with fines.

Not only that, but officials in the country have begun a crackdown on crypto mining activities, citing the detrimental environmental impact as one of the reasons why such activities will no longer be tolerated in the country.

However, despite a difficult year at the hands of China’s anti-crypto government and the Chinese central bank’s request that these be monitored, the country’s IT giants are optimistic about launching metaverse and non-fungible tokens (NFT) businesses.

Companies in the Metaverse Race

The majority of the businesses that registered for trademark registrations belong to the tech sector. This includes well-known brands such as Huawei and Hisense. The former filed a trademark application for “Meta OS”. At the same time, the latter filed many trademark applications in fields such as social services, advertising, and science.

Tencent, the gaming and Internet giant, has also gotten in on the act, filing nearly a hundred metaverse-related trademark applications, including “QQ Metaverse,” “QQ Music Metaverse,” and “Kings Metaverse.” Also, Epic Games, an American gaming company in which Tencent owns a 40% share, is moving forward with its own metaverse plans, maybe with Tencent’s help.

Alibaba has launched a new company called Yuanjing Shengsheng, with USD 1.58 million in funding. “Sources familiar with the topic” indicated that the new business will focus on metaverse, but did not go further.

Baidu’s Xirang

Baidu is not staying behind with its own metaverse launched last week and called Xirang, “Land of Hope” in Chinese, accessible through a virtual reality app. The biggest search engine in China cools down the expectations. Its representative said that “it could take up to six years for a full launch”.

Meanwhile, the e-commerce giant, JD.com has already issued its first NFTs and they’ve received a positive response. The fintech published five series of the JOY Dog character-themed tokens on its Lingxi platform with minimal fanfare.

RTFKT, a creator of digital goods such as virtual shoes and NFTs, was recently acquired by the international brand, Nike.

Also following White Castle’s entry into crypto, Applebee’s is introducing a new NFT every Monday this month.

In less than four months, a gaming brand has increased its total worth to $2 billion by joining the metaverse and NFT race. Also, NFTCN, a company that was founded in claims to have worked with over 1,000 Chinese artists and handled over 10 million RMB in NFT transactions. Similarly, many more tech giants and multinational companies are joining the Metaverse & NFT squad.

What Does This Mean for Chinese NFT and Metaverse Enthusiasts?

China has unquestionably established itself as a centre of technology innovation and progress. China’s inhabitants mostly lead the pack in terms of technological adoption.

This is especially true in the emerging NFT field. Google trends data shows that the country is one of the top three countries in the world for “NFT” searches.

According to Grayscale data, Chinese officials implying space surveillance simply means that residents of both countries may have limited access to the $1 trillion space potential. A total crackdown on the sector isn’t completely off the table.

We’ve seen brands experimenting with NFT-like offerings like e.g. Burberry sold NFT deers together with a limited edition scarf during the 11/11 shopping festival. It was also a part of Tmall’s Metaverse Art Exhibition. Drops of limited editions created by luxury brands very often spark enthusiasm from Chinese consumers especially when the concept combines an innovative approach. Despite that the usability of the tokens is quite low, the items sell out quickly and are in high demand.

Predictions

We believe that metaverse and NFT will only grow further in China despite the challenges and different factors and environments. Given the fact that all the Chinese Internet giants – BAT (Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent) are already launching their own metaverses and strong adoption of online payments (with virtual yuan rolling out by the banks). These are strong indicators of the potential of the online reality.

If you require further support with setting up your account 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.

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WeChat Stats 2021

December 29, 2021

Weixin, which means micro message in Mandarin, was the name given to WeChat when it first debuted in 2011. It began as a simple communication programme, essentially a Chinese equivalent to WhatsApp, as its name suggests. The platform was developed and owned by Tencent, a Chinese internet giant and one of the world’s most valuable firms.

WeChat began as a simple messaging network, but it has evolved into much more. WeChat has basically become the home screen for many Chinese smartphone users thanks to its mini programmes platform, which allows almost any operation to be accomplished from within the app.

That being said, if you want to extend your business into the Chinese market, you’ll need a strategy that centres mostly around WeChat marketing, with an emphasis on WeChat users.

Here are some interesting WeChat statistics to help you see how powerful this platform really is. After all, there’s nothing like hard evidence, right?

WeChat: Active Users
WeChat has a monthly active user base of about 1.225 billion people.

Since its release in January 2011, it has grown by leaps and bounds. It evolved to become an important aspect of people’s lives, allowing them to communicate with friends and family via text messages, voice conversations, and video calls.

The aggregate monthly active users of Weixin and WeChat reached 1.225 billion in December 2020, up 5% year on year. Every day, 45 billion messages are sent and received on WeChat.

WeChat: User Demographics
Almost 40% of WeChat users are between the ages of 25 and 35 years old. Females account for 42.8% of users, while males account for 57.2%.

25 % of WeChat users in China are between the ages of 25 and 30, while another 13.8 % are between the ages of 31 and 35. Users under the age of 24 make up the greatest age demographic (33.5 %).

This is closely followed by users over the age of 41, who account for 19.1% of the total. If your company caters to these demographics, WeChat marketing could be very helpful to you.

WeChat Pay & Mini Programs Stats
WeChat Pay is used by 87% of Chinese consumers to make online payments and WeChat Mini Programs are used by almost 400 million people every day.

WeChat Pay is the second most popular online payment service in China, trailing only Alipay. Men and women make up an equal number of users, and the majority of its consumers (34%) are between the ages of 25 and 34, with the second-largest sector (28%) being between the ages of 35 and 44.

More than 400 million people utilise Mini Programs on a regular basis, resulting in total sales (GMV) more than double in 2020. In addition, the average number of Mini Programs utilised per user climbed by 25% year over year, and the average transaction value increased by 67%.

WeChat: Market Share
WeChat probably accounts for 10-15% of the social media market, with over 1 billion active users. WeChat, on the other hand, is arguably the most popular social site in China, accounting for 34% of the country’s total data traffic

No other app in the world has this level of dominance in such a big market. In comparison, Facebook accounts for only 14.1% of North American traffic. In China, WeChat accounts for more than double that.

WeChat: Revenue
WeChat made 108.2 billion RMB in sales in 2020. In 2019, they received 82.3 billion RMB, compared to 72.7 billion RMB in 2018.

The 2021 stats for WeChat’s revenue is yet to be released, but with their constant innovation, its revenue is expected to rise again. This year, the Chinese messenger’s mini-programs facilitated 1.6 trillion RMB in annual transactions. If the increase in revenue attributed to their mini-programs is any indicator, they’ve had a fantastic year.

The Future of WeChat
WeChat will certainly be successful in China and will continue to expand. WeChat’s penetration rate in Western countries is expected to rise as well outside of the country. COVID-19 has hindered WeChat’s growth because of travel restrictions that prevent Chinese tourists from visiting. However, once the pandemic has passed, WeChat, particularly WeChat Pay, is likely to make a more serious foray into foreign markets.

In fact, Europe has been identified as a crucial growth region. WeChat Pay had been popular among businesses that serve Chinese tourists prior to the outbreak. As a result, the number of merchants accepting WeChat Pay in Europe climbed by 3.5% in 2019. Around 11% of Chinese overseas tourism was spent in Europe.

Conclusion
The stats presented above is rather remarkable and demonstrate how strong WeChat has proven to be. So, if you haven’t already considered incorporating it into your entire marketing strategy, now is the time to do so.

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WeChat for Beauty/ Makeup Sector

November 9, 2021

Thanks to rising disposable incomes in urban areas, consumers in China are increasingly interested in health and beauty products such as cosmetics, perfumes, fashion accessories, and vitamin supplements.

The Chinese beauty, cosmetics, and grooming market is second only to the US in terms of size and maturity after several years of rapid expansion. Although some newbies to the industry have begun to climb the rankings, foreign brands continue to outperform domestic players.

Beauty Brands and WeChat

Brands in China are turning to the WeChat app to move beyond generic marketing and into a more personal level of connection, interaction, and targeting. Many people are discovering that using WeChat to take a customer-centric strategy produces greater results than merely posting and sharing blogs and other information.

Offering unique deals and exclusive content to subscribers, samples for testing, live event invites, games and competitions with rewards, and loyalty programmes are all examples of connecting with WeChat.

Why WeChat for Digital Marketing?

With so much growth expected in the cosmetics industry, it’s critical for companies to establish brand recognition in China. WeChat accounts for 47% of all mobile time spent and has 1.1 billion daily users, so it goes without saying that this app is critical for organisations looking to expand their digital presence in China.

WeChat has accumulated a vast amount of user data as a result of its many capabilities and large community. In marketing, this translates to extremely useful data for Paid Media initiatives. In fact, many Chinese businesses begin their digital presence on WeChat before developing their own website or app.

How can WeChat Benefit your Beauty & Service Business?

Subscribers can get discounts, rewards, games, entertainment, interactive experiences, and other perks.
To fine-tune and optimise targeting based on interest, divide the audience into categories.
Customers can be geo-targeted and informed about upcoming in-store deals and specials.
Provide customised beauty solutions for each customer.
Interact and communicate with people one-on-one rather than in groups.
Provide a personalised answer to questions and inquiries (as opposed to automated).
During occasions that involve gift-giving, promote and offer extraordinary one-of-a-kind gifts (such as Chinese New Year).

Conclusion

WeChat Ads are a hot trend in China for breaking through and winning over the audience. WeChat offers a wide range of utilities and targets, making it a wonderful chance for businesses and marketers looking to break into China.

While WeChat has a lot of potential for beauty firms, getting started can be difficult. Get in touch with our team if you need assistance with this. We use our experience and knowledge to help businesses establish a digital marketing plan that better targets and communicates with Chinese consumers. Contact us via phone or email for more information.

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Podcasts in China

November 2, 2021

Despite the fact that podcasting has been around for almost two decades in the United States, with more than 41% of adults aged 18 and above listening to a podcast at least once a month in 2021, it is still a relatively new industry in China. Listeners in China are more familiar with government-controlled broadcasting and state-owned public radio than with on-demand audio content from private creators.

Ear Economy in China

However, in recent years, the internet audio business, also known as the “ear economy,” has grown rapidly. Podcast listening has become a regular fad in many young Chinese consumers’ lives.

As a result of the expansion of commuter culture and easy access to different media content. Given the pervasiveness of smartphones in Chinese culture, all audio-visual content is now mobile-friendly. This is one of the factors that can be used to explain why podcasts are becoming more popular.

Chinese podcast listeners are estimated to reach 85.6 million by the end of 2021, second only to the United States. Nonetheless, given China’s massive population, this only accounts for 6.1% of the country’s population, indicating that there is plenty of room for the market to expand.

The Growing Popularity of Podcasts in China

China’s low adoption isn’t due to a lack of interest in digital audio. In this sense, Chinese consumers have a wide range of options, including ebooks, audio live streaming, social audio, and karaoke, all of which fight for ear time.

Regardless, China’s desire for podcasts—which is defined as any audio-first serialised episodes that can be accessed via digital streams or downloaded, as well as heard as podcasts via video platforms—is apparent.

Chinese tech companies, including some of the country’s most well-known digital giants, are jumping into the booming audio category, establishing dedicated “podcast” sections. Tencent Music and Entertainment, for example, has recently been promoting “long-form content.”

Chinese Podcast Listeners’ Demographics

The root of China’s developing podcast market is a growing demand for tailored, personalized, and individualised media tastes as a result of economic liberalisation and urbanisation. The thriving sector includes a wide range of themes, from travel to hobbies — and everything in between.

In terms of audience, over 68.2% of respondents live in top-tier or coastal cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, according to the PodFest China 2020 Chinese Podcasting Listeners and Consumption Survey. The majority of podcast listeners are under the age of 35, with more than 88.5% being under the age of 35.

Podcasting is also popular among the well-educated, with 86.4% of listeners having a bachelor’s degree or more, but only 28.6% of short-video users had attended college.

Conclusion

China’s podcast sector appears to have a bright future. In 2019, China’s podcast sector generated US$193 million in revenue, making it the world’s fastest-growing podcast market. The market is expected to grow at a 37.3% CAGR before 2024, reaching a total value of US$689 million in 2024, owing to increased listener numbers, making China the world’s second-largest market if the revenue target is met.

However, the market expansion will need to be closely monitored in the future. With only 6% of the population reporting that they listen to podcasts, there is a lot of room for expansion. As a result, starting a podcast for your company could be a wise decision for the future of your business.

Do you think starting a podcast is simple? Well, think again. You do need considerable support and guidance. Hit us up to get the ins and outs sorted professionally and launch a cohesive campaign.

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China’s Weekly Overview

October 26, 2021

Does Your Brand Need a Weibo Profile?

Many international companies begin their Chinese social media presence with a WeChat official account, but having a Weibo account can also help them gain awareness.

Weibo posts are visible to more users and non-followers than WeChat posts because of a distinct feed structure. However, as Weibo is one of China’s oldest social media sites, new platforms are appearing all the time. It’s best to assess target audience behaviour and then invest funds and effort into the most relevant combination of social media, depending on the target demographic.

Link: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/VGp5wjodQJ_tDkHhgelQFQ

Bilibili Marketing Guide: E-commerce, KOL Promotion & Ads

Bilibili, a famous youth-oriented video streaming and sharing network, is thought to be the most similar to Youtube. However, Bilibili’s distinguishing characteristics and distinct community culture set it apart from its western equivalents.

The bullet comments mechanism, which displays all incoming comments on the screen, is one of Bilbili’s most noticeable features. Chinese viewers prefer watching films with live comments because it gives them a greater sense of belonging and sharing. This sense of belonging contributes to the platform’s growth: Bilibili is used by one out of every two young people in China. Young individuals under the age of 35 make up 86% of the 202 million Monthly Active Users on the network.

Engagement rates also benefit from this feeling of community: users spend more than 80 min per day on the platform, generating 4.7 billion interactions per month. Bilbili now offers official KOL collaboration, e-commerce integration and ads solutions.

Link: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/QFI34y5qjRJ7OiPK22rLgA

Brands invest in Metaverse

From Bloomberg, the scale of Metaverse will be 800 billion USD in 2023. In this double 11, there are not just real products, we also meet some new friends from Metaverse. Small holds an online exhibition called the Metaverse Art show, users can search in Tmall the keyword and then enter in the Show.

For example, Burberry launched a digital elfin, which is unique and in limited edition, you can buy this and get a limited scarf. Tmall also collaborated with the other 9 brands and released Musical Instruments. One brand created just one instrument and the users can buy it.

All these NFT products were made by the Ant Chain, the Alibaba blockchain supplier. They design, produce digital products for the brands, and also provide the cochain and distribution.

Link: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/JMCsZPs61DmGYA6gD3pP-g

Kuaishou brand advertising multi-form help live marketing

Eye-show: Excellent exposure drainage — Open screen Eyemax straight to the broadcast room. Eye-show is mainly suitable for strong brand promotion, new product launch and other scenarios. In the past, high-quality entry data was favoured by advertisers.
Feeds – show: Video streaming native scene – a single column of information flow straight to the broadcast room. The product form can meet the marketing demands of the brand-customer information flow directly to the live broadcast room. At the same time, based on the basic ability of the brand information flow, the material can be saved to the customer’s personal home page for a rich promotion, laying a foundation for the subsequent content marketing.
Simple broadcast room: Fully immersive live streaming experience –A single column of information flows straight to the studio and then escalates. Brand information flow new live fully immersive style — advertising style simple studio and through the show live broadcast real-time images in a single stream, achieve the purpose of life for heating, the real-time image lead to the recommended flow, further shorten the user to watch live path, native display optimization experience, and expand the clickable region into the air.

Link: https://wemp.app/posts/b7ea071a-ed55-457e-96fe-f9aa69b7d1a0

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WeChat for Education Sector

October 18, 2021

With the growing competition in the foreign education market, education brands are looking for new ways to attract Chinese students, such as incorporating e-learning courses, offering home and distance learning, and establishing physical campuses in China, among other things. As the educational landscape becomes more digitally disrupted, most educational marketers have begun to embrace digital platforms and compete in the brand and marketing area.

With over 1 billion registered users till Q1 2021, 780 million using WeChat Moments and 400 million using Mini Program, WeChat can be greatly beneficial to education sectors.

How does WeChat benefit the education sector?

One of the most difficult challenges for educational institutions such as colleges is building an efficient content marketing strategy that communicates to all of their various audiences.

WeChat advertising comes in handy in this situation. Because of WeChat’s developed digital ecosystem and vast user database, it is a common tool for education brands to leverage in their digital marketing plan. Marketers may use WeChat’s smart data capabilities to execute targeted ads and obtain vital consumer insights.

Creating well-developed, highly detailed personas — fictional characters that encompass a certain target group or demographic, based on market research and genuine data – is one of the first steps in constructing an efficient content marketing strategy for educational organisations on WeChat.

Here are some ways education sectors can leverage the WeChat platforms:

Product Promotion
WeChat advertising is helpful in guiding visitors to online sale sites when a business is launching a new collection or wants to promote hero products and stimulate direct sales through its marketing.

To advertise its Chinese EMBA courses, the Chinese University of Hong Kong conducted a WeChat marketing campaign. The ad’s creativity enticed users to schedule a one-on-one inquiry session in Guangzhou or Shenzhen. Users were routed to the university’s official website when they clicked on the ‘details’ button.

WeChat advertising is applicable to a wide range of scenarios, and brands can discover the appropriate solutions based on the characteristics of various sectors.
Lead Generation Campaign
In its ad structure, WeChat advertisements can enable simple sign-ups for lead generation campaigns. During the campaign, user conversion can be successfully boosted, which can also lead to increased brand recognition.

A WeChat moments ad intended at increasing the number of direct sign-ups for an education service company that provides counselling and help for students choosing international universities. The ad presented the major selling features of its service and offers with a basic creative and provided a list of its partnered schools and colleges throughout the world.

Others
WeChat also provides other services like selling webinars or one-on-one coaching sessions, selling books and products, translations, etc. Students can see everything from scientists teaching quantum physics to professors providing writing tutorials for college applicants. Amateur enthusiasts can also learn from mountaineers, hikers, and photographers.

Conclusion

The development of mobile technology has ushered in a new era of informal, personalised, lifelong learning outside of the classroom. However, when it comes to efficiently implementing mobile learning, we’re still figuring it out.

WeChat is installed on practically every other person’s smartphone in China, as it is widely used in almost every field of life. This is the only app that overseas students in China use. As a result, any company looking to establish a presence in China’s education market should consider starting with a WeChat account and leveraging the available tools.

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WeChat for Travel Sector

October 12, 2021

Everyone who has ventured into Chinese marketing knows that WeChat, the mobile app and social media platform with over one billion monthly active users, is the place to be.

WeChat has spent the last decade trying to make its users’ lives easier. In China, it has become a “one-stop” store for social and transactional events.

Businesses can promote themselves on WeChat by requesting an Official Account or partnering with other parties. You can generate content on the WeChat service account and directly communicate with and sell to your followers and consumers if you have an Official Account. Its vast features have shown to be advantageous to many business sectors.

How does WeChat benefit the Travel sector?

When it comes to travel, China continues to be the world’s largest outbound and inbound tourism market. In the past years, the number of domestic trips in China surpassed six billion, suggesting a ten-fold increase in comparison to ten years ago.

Travel agencies and hotels must discover innovative ways to give a holistic brand experience to their customers as the new generation of Asian travellers becomes more tech-savvy and knowledgeable.

WeChat & WeChat ads provide the global tourism sector with a real potential to communicate with locals without needing to physically be present in the country.

Some of the WeChat tools that can be leveraged by the travel industry are:

Check-In Service

China Southern Airlines has launched a WeChat mobile check-in service that allows passengers to skip the airport check-in wait. Once customers follow the airline on WeChat, they will be greeted with a message and instructions. Passengers must respond to the notification after which they will receive an electronic boarding card that can be printed at the airport’s self-service check-in facilities.

Price Comparator Function

On their WeChat account, Shangri-La Hotels is presently offering a price comparison function to help consumers get the best value for their vacation. Customers must choose a destination, a hotel, check-in and check-out dates, as well as the number of guests/rooms. The hotel price comparison search engine will then offer you the best rates for the hotel you’ve chosen instantly.

Smart Hotel Room

To improve WeChat customer service and introduce the concept of the Internet of things, Wechat launched this tool. This innovative technology transforms the WeChat app into a remote that allows visitors to manage all aspects of their room, including lighting, thermostats, and curtains, as well as lock and unlock doors. Customers must download the most recent version of the WeChat app, scan a room-specific QR code from the hotel room, and follow the particular instructions to use this service.

Other available tools include Online Booking Service, Loyalty Programs, Location-Based Service (LBS), Flash Sales, etc.

CONCLUSION

As China develops, the number of Chinese tourists continues to rise. With rising market demand and more inventive business models and development spots, China’s tourism sector appears to have adapted to the current condition of frequent epidemic prevention and control.

With the help of different tourism fairs and expos, China’s cultural tourism business is recovering, providing more chances and benefits to the global tourism industry. As a result, WeChat is the ideal medium for foreign tourism organisations trying to reach Chinese tourists.

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WeChat for B2B Sector

October 4, 2021

We’ve always heard that WeChat is a wonderful tool for marketing to customers. But what about B2B marketing on WeChat?

B2B Marketing on WeChat

Since the B2B e-commerce sector began to flourish in 2013, B2B businesses have had to adapt their marketing strategies to stay up with the ever-changing channels and platforms. Because marketing methods vary swiftly in China, western approaches may not produce the best outcomes for B2B companies. As a result, determining the best platform for building relationships and generating leads is crucial.

Tencent’s Super App, WeChat, provides the ideal ecology for B2B businesses. WeChat, which has over 1 billion monthly active users (MAUs) and 80 million public account followers, may help businesses expand if used effectively. Many Chinese people no longer carry business cards to networking events, meetings, or conferences. They merely scan each other’s QR codes on WeChat.

Businesses may conduct one-on-one direct conversations with their customers, as well as one-to-many messaging possibilities inside groups, multimedia communication, and mobile data sharing, all of which make WeChat a useful and successful corporate communication tool.

WeChat also has a multitude of built-in features, such as stock ordering and administration, quizzes, and lessons, to name a few. To get the most out of this platform, make use of as many relevant features as possible. Furthermore, the WeChat app makes any work-related information more engaging, fascinating, and enjoyable. As a result, every company’s marketing efforts should include WeChat B2B platforms.

Types of WeChat accounts

First and foremost, you will require a WeChat official account. Businesses can use a WeChat official account to communicate with customers and boost brand awareness.

The 3 types of WeChat official accounts are subscription, service, and corporate.

Both subscription accounts and service accounts are appropriate for B2B marketing.

Since it allows organisations to maintain direct relationships with clients, a service account is preferable for service-oriented enterprises and after-sales departments. Only service accounts have access to CRM, custom menus, payment integration, and mini websites.

💼 Why should brands use CRM Integrations on WeChat and how about Salesforce?

What Are Some of the Beneficial Features of WeChat for B2B Marketing?

WeChat Web Analytics Tool
Businesses can utilise WeChat web analytics to see how customers engage with their websites and gather feedback on their performance in order to enhance their products or services.

WeChat Translation Tool
Businesses will benefit from WeChat’s in-app translation service, which is available for iOS and Android users. When doing business in China, you must be completely immersed in the culture. Poor translation will result in poor marketing outcomes and harm your brand’s image. It also aids firms in gaining a better knowledge of the demands and needs of their target audience.

WeChat Template Message Tool
Official accounts can utilise a template message to deliver crucial service notifications to their customers, such as a message informing them that a purchase has been completed successfully.

WeChat Communication Tool
Official documents, contacts, excel sheets, videos, and plans can all be sent over WeChat. The B2B segment allows businesses to communicate swiftly with one another via messages.

WeChat Group Message Tool
You can send gender and location-based group messaging to your target audience. This function allows you to reach the proper target audience while avoiding annoying other groups of people who aren’t interested.

Other features available include an automatic reply tool, a personalised menu tool, and many more.

Conclusion

WeChat B2B marketing is a wonderful tool for businesses looking to market their goods or services to Chinese customers. To create the best marketing strategy, you must not only use all of the features of WeChat B2B, but you must also understand your opportunities and challenges.

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Weibo and it’s Status in 2021

September 20, 2021

Globally, the number of people using social networking sites is constantly rising without an end in sight. By the end of 2021, there will be over 3 billion people using social networks. And with over 2 billion monthly active users, Facebook is the most widely used social media site in the world.

Meanwhile, WeChat, China’s most popular social media network, has more than 1 billion monthly active users all on its own. This suggests that the app and other social media giants, in general, are used by nearly all Chinese citizens.

However, ever since China set up the Great Firewall of China and internet censorship, in 2008, western social media giants like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube can no longer be accessed in China. As a result, in 2009, Sina Corporation launched Sina Weibo, a microblogging site similar to Twitter and Instagram, to replace the social media giants.

Wangyi Weibo was launched in 2010 and claimed 260 million registered users by 2012. However, Wangyi Weibo vanished by the end of 2014.
Later, Tencent introduced Tencent Weibo in 2010, but it failed to attract a big following.
Following which, Sohu launched Sohu Weibo, but it never really took off.

Because of this, among all the ‘Twitter lookalikes’ that were launched after 2009, only Sina Weibo, has been around to tell the tale. With more than 300 million monthly active users since its launch, Weibo became China’s biggest social media platform after Tencent’s WeChat.

Despite the platform’s success since its launch, its supremacy is now being challenged by competitors like WeChat, Toutiao, Zhihu, Douyin, and others. But despite the fact that Weibo has lost some of its shine as China’s social media leader, it is still expanding rapidly, making Weibo marketing a vital tool for companies looking to expand into the country.

The following features on Weibo can help brands gain visibility in the China market:

Weibo Influencer campaigns
Weibo advertising
Weibo lottery
Cross-promotion
Organic growth

Despite its ups and downs, the platform is on the rise in 2021. Sina Weibo has 566 million monthly active users in the second quarter of 2021, an increase of 43 million from the previous year’s second-quarter total. The Chinese version of Twitter has quickly risen to prominence as China’s go-to micro-blogging destination.

In addition to text, Sina Weibo users can include photos, gifs, and videos in their posts. Weibo now allows users to post audio, video, and photo files, as well as animated gifs. Besides being able to follow friends and celebrities, users may also send and receive messages and search for information using keywords.

As for the Weibo user base, compared to WeChat, Weibo has a significantly younger base. Weibo users are quite young: 30% of them are under 20 years old and 48% are aged between 30-39 years old. This is a significant factor for the placement of your brand and products in the Chinese market. Weibo is also a very dynamic and animated site, and users expect businesses and KOLs to engage at a high level and respond quickly to their posts. Chinese users, particularly Gen Z users, frequently use Weibo to learn about new companies and promotions from major influencers in the industry.

In conclusion, compared to other social media platforms, Weibo has a powerful ability to connect with the younger Chinese audience. Thanks to its vast user base, user affective states and engagement rates,Weibo is still on the rise. As a result, if you are looking to grow your brand presence in China and your target audience consists vastly of Gen Z, then you need to use social media platforms like Weibo.

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