The first-place ranking companies in global app revenue are Chinese
Why it matters: With their popular video games and the globally successful TikTok app, Tencent and ByteDance have dominated the international mobile markets for years. The two majors have made significant investments outside of China recently, introducing new services and acquiring studios.
Tencent earned approximately $3.3 billion in the first half of 2022, making it the top-grossing publisher in both the game and non-game categories. Tencent generated over $2.6 billion during the same time period, making it the most lucrative gaming app publisher. Tencent was also responsible for 10% of the total revenue from the top game publishers.
In the first half of 2022, ByteDance’s TikTok remained the top-selling and most-downloaded non-game app worldwide, supporting the company’s revenue growth. TikTok and Douyin brought in more than $306 million in August from the international Apple App Store and Google Play, helping them to take the top spot in the list of global mobile non-game revenues. This amount was 1.8 times higher than it was during the same time period in 2017.
Link:https://sensortower.com/blog/top-one-percent-downloads-1h-2022
Sheep A Sheep: A new elimination game on WeChat takes China by storm
A new match-three game called “Sheep A Sheep,” which is playable on WeChat’s mini program, has recently become a huge online sensation across the country. Only 0.1% of players can complete every level, according to the game’s introduction. This has sparked a competitive spirit in many other young users, contributing to the current Internet fever.
The game also offers players a taste of customization by letting those who transform into sheep change their skin covers following a successful match, and its comic-like art design combined with earworm background music has become another draw for China’s Gen Z users.
By classifying players according to the provinces they are from, the game fosters a strong sense of belonging and encourages players to succeed and promote their provinces.
As users are encouraged to promote the game on social media in exchange for desired tools to facilitate their play, which has expanded its digital reach, game tools are also another source of traffic. Sheep A Sheep’s popularity in China is a sign that there is a demand for content that is “Hard Fun” (difficult to win).
Link: https://daoinsights.com/news/sheep-a-sheep-a-new-elimination-game-on-wechat-takes-china-by-storm/
Je T’aime: ‘French Girl Style’ Wins Hearts In China
Customers are drawn to “French retro looks” because they can achieve “a careless feel and delicate balance between formal and casual,” which soothes a shopper who is exhausted or burned out from lockdowns.
Under the hashtag “the French lookbook,” users on Xiaohongshu have created more than 1.4 million posts that offer styling ideas incorporating these brands. The lack of physical retail channels in China is a defining characteristic of the league of French-style brands (and those with a Parisian spirit).
These brands are desirable because it’s challenging to obtain their products, so it’s advantageous when they give local KOLs clothing to promote.
Link: https://jingdaily.com/french-girl-style-rouje-realisation-par-carel
Review of Top AI copywriting platforms in China
The use of AI copywriting tools is expanding, and China is experiencing a similar trend.
In a matter of seconds, platforms like Xiaofamao, Giiso, GetAI, and others can assist in writing more compelling content.
Link: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/Y0qB5qJdopNAEbeASdza6A
Hong Kong superstar Andy Lau’s online concert on Douyin sets record 350 million viewers on a wave of Canto-pop nostalgia
On Saturday night, Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, streamed the two-hour concert live. It attracted about 100 million viewers in the first half-hour and then hundreds of millions more before it was over.
His performance sparked lively debate on Chinese social media sites, where several posts waxed romantic about the heyday of Canto-pop. On the microblogging platform Weibo, discussions about the event such as “Andy Lau online concert” quickly became trending topics after it began at 8 p.m. on Saturday. As more Douyin users watched the concert’s replay, the number of viewers of Lau’s most recent performance increased by 60 million to 410 million as of Sunday afternoon.
Major Chinese-language singers are increasingly using such online events to stay in touch with their mainland fans as lockdowns and other Covid-19 control measures are still being implemented nationwide.
China’s budget-focused Pinduoduo launches Shein-style app to woo US consumers with cheap fast fashion
A Shein-style app has been released by Shanghai-based e-commerce company Pinduoduo to entice US customers with its offerings after shocking investors this week with strong second-quarter performance. According to Chinese media outlet LatePost, Pinduoduo is the owner of the Temu app. With a slowing domestic economy, the low-cost e-commerce company is looking to expand internationally. The app puts it in direct competition with fast-fashion platform Shein.
With the help of discounts provided when customers promote products on social media, Pinduoduo, which was founded by billionaire Colin Huang in 2015, has expanded quickly. It is regarded as a platform for more cost-conscious consumers, aiding in its resilience amid decreased spending in China, where consumer confidence has been shaken by rising unemployment and gloomy economic forecasts.
