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.

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How Marketing on WeChat is going to change in 2018?

March 22, 2018

WeChat is one of the most widely used apps in China. With over 900 million users, the app has been making waves in China with their constant innovations and updates!

 

It’s only natural that the most popular app has somehow affected the purchase behavior of users online.

 

Let’s see how WeChat has impacted the Digital consumer trends –

 

Mobile

 

Mobile has become the most popular device for online shopping in China. Around 84% of consumers have made their purchases from a mobile device in 2017 whereas it was 71% in 2015.Since the majority of the sales are made on mobile, brands must be able to advertise and engage with users on the platforms they frequent the most.  

 

Social Media

 

In an era where social media is everything, it plays a huge role in affecting the purchase behavior of users. Brands are starting to understand the true potential of social media and they are focusing their energies towards reaching out to potential customers on digital. 51% of consumers open push notifications sent from a brand’s official WeChat account. 27% consumers indicate that they tend to buy more after receiving those notifications.

 

E-commerce

 

The demand for E-commerce in China has been increasing rapidly and acts as a key catalyst for retail. Infact, the growth in E-commerce has been surpassing the growth in offline retail. Last year, online sales grew by 28% whereas, offline sales only increased by 5%.

 

E-commerce across borders

 

E-commerce is not only seeing an increase within China, but also in international purchases. The percentage of customers that buy from overseas website have risen from 34% in 2015 to 64% in 2017. Young shoppers from 18-35 years are the leading force behind this surge.

 

With this huge untapped potential for rise in E-commerce, it would be interesting to see how brands are leveraging WeChat to achieve their goals.

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A new milestone – WeChat hits 1 billion users

March 9, 2018

The biggest Chinese social media platform, WeChat, has finally reached 1 billion active monthly users. The boost in the numbers was due to the massive success of digital hongbaos (a red packet with money given as a gift during CNY). More than 688 million users sent and received these digital hongbaos.

 

The app has recorded a stunning 15.8% growth in users annually. Around 38 billion messages are exchanged every day on the platform.

 

The app has such a stronghold in China not just due to its messaging software, but also because it constantly introduces new features and functionalities that makes life simpler for its users. It recently launched a pilot study of bringing virtual identity cards in Guangdong. If this study proves to be successful, the app would become indispensable to the Government as well. The introduction of mini programs has also made WeChat more appealing to the users.

 

Since its introduction in 2011, WeChat has come a long way and continues to push its boundaries. This year, Tencent plans to venture into AR and that is definitely going to attract some more users to this platform. Wait and watch this space to know more!

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Why are quiz games so popular on WeChat?

February 19, 2018

It is no doubt that WeChat is pushing the boundaries of social & digital media in China. And now it has added another feather to their cap with Quizz. The rising trend of live quiz on WeChat began when Wang Sicong published a quiz app game named Chongdingdahui. And since then, live quiz apps have witnessed a strong growth and have opened up a new marketing avenue for brands.

 

So, what are these live quiz apps all about?

 

They are live online streaming apps with amazing cash prizes. The 30 minute show has a host who presents the questions to the contestants, who answer the question within 10 seconds. The huge incentives and cash prizes have managed to capture the attention of millions of users. Popular celebrities are also invited to host these shows to attract more players.

 

Based on a research conducted by a renowned research firm, live quiz apps is actively used by around 1.5 to 5 million users. Over above the cash prizes and celebrity hosts, Chinese residents also find live trivia entertaining as they must answer all questions correctly within a given time frame to win the grand prize! The app sends out push notifications to users before the live stream begins. In order to incentivize more users to play the game, the apps have also introduced features like Team Mode and Resurrection Card.

 

Team mode allows the players to form a team to increase their chances of winning the game. The resurrection card is for the users who’ve invited a friend to install the app and can be used when the user answers incorrectly.

 

How have brands marketed themselves on live quiz apps?

 

It is no surprise that brands have leveraged live quiz apps after witnessing its huge popularity. For instance, Huawei sponsored an episode of Millionaire Winner to promote their smartphone. Throughout the show, the host mentioned the name of the brand and held the product to promote it. Certain questions about the brand were also a part of the quiz to raise brand awareness. Alternatively, few other brands also announce hidden tips in product posters to drive traffic to their social media handles. Here’s an example of how Thomas Cook innovatively leveraged WeChat.

 

The popularity of the live quiz apps has given birth to another route of marketing for brands. Players not only pay attention to the game but also to the sponsored content accompanying it. This allows the brand to directly market their products/services to their prospective users.

 

Contact us to effectively market your brand/business on WeChat.

 

About Us:

KRDS is a leading social media & digital agency with offices in Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore, Dubai and Paris.

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5 mistakes to avoid on WeChat

February 13, 2018

China has over 720 million internet users who use social media platforms like WeChat and Weibo. Chinese social media is unique and brands have to understand the needs of the local audience to deliver relevant content, increase engagement and drive sales.

 

Brands are yet to fully understand the multiple social media platforms due to its dynamic nature. Due to this reason, it has become extremely easy for brands to make mistakes on social media that can have a negative impact on their business.

 

Here are a few common mistakes that you must definitely avoid –

 

Turning a blind eye to PR crisis

 

With the rise of social media, there was also a simultaneous increase in PR crises. Users openly express their thoughts, feedback, or even rant about any dissatisfactory experience! The problem arises when a brand fails to address negative feedback from users. Plenty of times, brands resort to ignoring and deleting negative comments or responding with the most robotic reply. These actions only intensify the public discontent.

 

Buying fake results

 

This is a common error that is committed across social media platforms all over the world. Brands pay service providers and third parties to help increase their followers or article views through bots. The data that follows is not a true reflection of the brand’s social media presence. While these methods may seem fruitful in the short run, it only hurts the brand image in the long run when exposed by users.

 

Choosing the wrong KoL/Influencers

 

KoLs and Influencers are extremely useful for building the brand credibility, visibility and engagement on social media. However, sufficient research must be done in advance to understand the requirements and choose an influencer who would be the perfect fit for the brand. Careless selection will negatively impact the brand and degrade its image.

 

Lack of overall strategy

 

A single brand advertises on multiple social media platforms. The look and feel of each and every platform is different. There is even varying user behaviour on each of these platforms. Therefore, brands must have a solid social media strategy in place to prevent unfocused marketing efforts.

 

Not adapting to the revising rules & regulations

 

Everything in social media changes in a split second. The Chinese Government constantly reviews and updates the online rules and regulations. Brands must keep an eye out for these changing rules or it might lead to serious repercussions for their business.

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How WeChat boost E-commerce in China?

February 9, 2018

WeChat is one of the most widely used apps in China. With over 900 million users, the app has been making waves in China with their constant innovations and updates!

 

It’s only natural that the most popular app has somehow affected the purchase behavior of users online.

 

Let’s see how WeChat has impacted the Digital consumer trends –

 

Mobile

 

Mobile has become the most popular device for online shopping in China. Around 84% of consumers have made their purchases from a mobile device in 2017 whereas it was 71% in 2015.Since the majority of the sales are made on mobile, brands must be able to advertise and engage with users on the platforms they frequent the most.  

 

Social Media

 

In an era where social media is everything, it plays a huge role in affecting the purchase behavior of users. Brands are starting to understand the true potential of social media and they are focusing their energies towards reaching out to potential customers on digital. 51% of consumers open push notifications sent from a brand’s official WeChat account. 27% consumers indicate that they tend to buy more after receiving those notifications.

 

E-commerce

 

The demand for E-commerce in China has been increasing rapidly and acts as a key catalyst for retail. Infact, the growth in E-commerce has been surpassing the growth in offline retail. Last year, online sales grew by 28% whereas, offline sales only increased by 5%.

 

E-commerce across borders

 

E-commerce is not only seeing an increase within China, but also in international purchases. The percentage of customers that buy from overseas website have risen from 34% in 2015 to 64% in 2017. Young shoppers from 18-35 years are the leading force behind this surge.

 

With this huge untapped potential for rise in E-commerce, it would be interesting to see how brands are leveraging WeChat to achieve their goals.

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How WeChat is replacing your wallet in China?

January 17, 2018

China has announced a new Digital ID system where the residents can link their National Identity Card to the popular messaging and social media app, WeChat, through facial recognition. The app currently has over 980 million monthly active users in China.

 

The new ID system has been introduced as a pilot programme in the Nansha district of Guangzhou. The program came into existence after the joint efforts of the Ministry of Public Security, Tencent’s WeChat team and various other banks and government departments.

 

This system opens up a whole new monetary portal for the tech giant Tencent as China’s ID cards are used for almost anything and everything. Residents use it for hotel check-ins, train bookings, bank account openings and the list goes on! If this pilot programme proves to be successful, Tencent might finally have what it takes to overtake its close rival Alibaba.

 

The pilot programme is compartmentalised into 2 divisions. The first ID offers a limited access function and the second one provides a more advanced access function.

 

The limited or the light version can be obtained through facial recognition in the WeChat application and can be used for low-security functions like verifying identity for hotel bookings. But the upgraded or the full version must be obtained by visiting an offline terminal and scanning the physical ID card. This edition can be used for high security functions like registering a business.

 

With Tencent starting to become a huge part of the governmental functions, it would be interesting to see what the future holds for WeChat.

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How WeChat fights fake news with artificial intelligence?

January 2, 2018

In this era where social media rules everything, the creators of the all these platforms are constantly battling with the circling of fake news. This problem of fake news has drastically increased over the past few months with the increase of number of users in these platforms.

 

And it is no surprise that China’s tech giant Tencent is also facing this problem. Tencent’s signature application, WeChat, has around 1 billion users and it weeds out around 15 fake stories per second which makes it 1,000 stories per minute. This alarming rate of the fake news has alerted the developers of the platform to build strong softwares or utilize third party apps that can help find the fake articles and remove them instantly.

 

Tencent uses third-party fact checkers to help them eliminate the fake articles and information. They work with over 1,300 experts and institutions to fight the spread of fake information across all its major platforms including WeChat. Around 800 authorised third-party organisations have helped Tencent to shut down 180,000 accounts that published fake news on WeChat.

 

Additionally, the tech giant also uses another tool called WeSeer that enables them to monitor and keep an eye on the authenticity of content. It is a powerful software that can that can predict which articles are likely to go viral in the next hour, locate the key accounts driving the spread of information, identify stories of interest and break down readership by different segments, e.g., location, age and community. It has also launched a mini-app in WeChat to help users identify the authenticity of information circulating on the platform.

 

The company strongly believes that by making their AI more smart and  more efficient in identifying and digesting information, it will prove to be a stronger method to eliminate the hoax articles and news.

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WeChat becomes Macau’s favorite APP

December 28, 2017

We’re all aware of how WeChat is one of the leading applications in China. The popularity of this app knows no bounds and now it has slowly started to make its way to other places.

 

Based on a recent survey conducted by Macau University of Science and Technology, Sun Yat-Sen University,  Communication Association of Macau and the Macau Creative Intelligence Development and Research Association, WeChat has become Macau’s most used new media application!

 

The survey set out to get the feedback of over 1,000 Macau residents in October and November. Out of the residents surveyed, around 72% of residents were regular users of WeChat in comparison to other popular social media apps like Facebook and Weibo. Around 52% of the people in the survey use Facebook.

Among the people surveyed, 90% of the users in new media are under the age of 50.

More than one third of the interviewees spend an average of one hour daily checking and using WeChat. Whereas, 19% and 12% of interviewees spend more than 3 hours and 2 hours on the app respectively.

Irrespective of the type of job and income level ,approximately 70 percent of people use WeChat the most out of any other application.

With these statistics, WeChat is definitely on the right path to becoming a popular app in different countries.

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Travelling just became easy – WeChat Introduces CityExperience Mini Program

December 15, 2017

We all know WeChat as one of the greatest Chinese apps that is constantly trying to innovate and provide solutions to the user from the comfort of their smartphone, and now, they’ve just come up another solution to make travelling a piece of cake!

 

WeChat has partnered up with Tourism Australia, VisitBritain and Dubai Tourism to provide a hassle-free travel experience for the users of the app. These Tourism boards, along with the help of WeChat, helped develop digital maps of the locations that can be accessed by the users. These programs were presented at the ‘WeChat Mini Program CityExperience Showcase’ event in Shanghai.

 

What can you do and find on the CityExperience Mini Program?

 

Currently, the program has immersive digital guides for London, Dubai and Sydney. This map provides landmarks, places to eat, shop and see. It is everything a traveller could ask for! And better yet, the map also displays photos of the place/store and on tapping on the photo, you can see an overview of the location with necessary contact details. The Mini Program also helps you find places that are closest to you.

 

With these features, it is no doubt that the CityExperience is the perfect app for Chinese tourists to travel like a boss! And if this picks up, WeChat can partner up with more Tourism Boards in different countries and cover a lot more area. The app not only benefits the users but also the country itself as it helps bring in more revenue from tourism.

 

Have you tried out this feature yet? Do let us know all about your experience in the comments below!

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