WeChat: King of the (Chinese) internet

It all started as a simple instant messaging app, WeChat has become the undisputed ruler of the (Chinese) internet. Meanwhile, WeChat is the most comprehensive and most advanced social media app in the world. WeChat is visited monthly by more than 1 billion unique visitors, who spend an average of 90 minutes per day on the platform. How did this player become an online superpower?

How they managed it? By playing the game correctly!

Constant improvement

The most important thing WeChat has done is innovation. They started as a chat program, but they soon started to integrate other functionalities and services. Enabling them to expand on services of the big competitors such as AliBaba, Baidu and Apple.

Now you might think that it is rather risky to do the same as their big competitor. However, it has worked out well for WeChat. By including as many functionalities in their app as possible, WeChat has made the competitor irrelevant. TenCent, the owner of WeChat, approached the market in a different way. Instead of looking for ways and functions to find new users, they have put the emphasis on existing users. Because happy users attract more users, that’s the idea. Functionalities were added to make life easier for users. And indeed, more and more people started using WeChat, leaving other platforms lonely.

Wide range of services

So what can a user do on WeChat? Well, pretty much everything ! Users can use WeChat to:

• Send text messages
• Share photos
• Video call
• Order a taxi
• Order food
• Buy movie tickets
• Pay bills
• Do shopping
• Play games
• Making appointments with the doctor
• Pay fines
• Pay utility bills such as water , electricity
• Use location-based services

…and so much more

With so many functionalities and such enormous user numbers, only one conclusion is possible: WeChat is truly the Ruler of the Chinese Internet!

Are you as a company interested in opening a Wechat account to reach your potential Chinese customers?  Contact us today!