Are WeChat service accounts going to disappear?

Thomas GrazianiNew WeChat features

This week, WeChat released the long-awaited 2.0 version of their Mac OS client. The new interface brings a lot of cool features, but may well mean the death of WeChat service accounts… What’s new with 2.0? The new 2.0 version brings core improvements such as: Ability to send stickers from the Mac version of the APP You can now access …

Are WeChat chat bots any good?

Thomas GrazianiWeChat guides & tips

There has been a huge controversy over “Bots as UI”: the ability to provide service to customers through Chat Bots. Can you use Chat bots on WeChat? How do they work? What are some good examples of successful WeChat bots? Let’s look into it. A look toward the West Facebook Messenger has been making a lot of fuss over its …

How Tencent is learning from Pokemon Go

Thomas GrazianiWeChat news

Pokemon Go shook the world as the first large-scale application of Augmented Reality. Now plenty are trying to follow the lead, including Tencent… The QQ Augmented Reality campaign QQ launched on Friday a massive augmented reality campaign. For this occasion, the QR code-scanner of QQ has been modified to include an “Augmented Reality scanner”. The principle of the campaign is …

Youzan starts charging… and 4 other WeChat news

Thomas GrazianiNew WeChat features

It’s been busy weeks for WeChat, with a business model pivot for Youzan and a crackdown of Tencent on pyramid schemes. Here’s a summary of the key events. 1. Youzan starts charging 4,800 RMB per year Starting on July 8th, Youzan, one of the largest WeChat e-commerce platform (claiming more than 2 million registered businesses) switched to a paid model. …

3 best platforms to find WeChat KOL

Thomas GrazianiNew WeChat features

We have written it before: Key Opinion Leaders (KOL) are maybe the best way to promote your company on WeChat. But how exactly can you find the right KOL for your industry? Here are platforms which help you do just that. Newrank.cn 新榜 Newrank.cn is a familiar name to our readers: it is the platform ranking all the major WeChat …

How Facebook is becoming a WeChat copycat…

Thomas GrazianiNew WeChat features

Facebook is literally, step by step, becoming a WeChat copycat. After inspiring itself from WeChat payment and WeChat public accounts, it is now copying much of the public accounts design. How Facebook is copying WeChat account menus 3 months ago, Facebook announced it would launch “bots” on public accounts. These accounts looked very much like… WeChat public accounts. Facebook hoped it …

WeChat 2016 data shows growing user engagement

Thomas GrazianiWeChat news

The WeChat impact report is back, together with a fascinating Ipsos survey comparing WeChat payment and Alipay. Is WeChat stealing significant market share from Alipay yet? What do Chinese users do with WeChat? Find it all out bellow. Rise in WeChat engagement The amount of time spent on WeChat rose further this year. The number of users who use WeChat less …

4 case studies of the best consumer brand WeChat accounts

Tingyi ChenWeChat guides & tips, WeChat news

What are the most popular company WeChat accounts? And how did they become popular? Based on NewRank's report, these are the most popular WeChat accounts in consumer brand's sector. Data was collected on April 2016. Everyday fashion & sports wear H&M Nike Adidas H&M won consumers' heart by sending useful dressing guides.  Popular contents includes: how to pick the right sandals for this summer; ...

Mary Meeker’s Internet report 2016: WeChat highlights

Tingyi ChenNew WeChat features, WeChat news

Mary Meeker’s Internet Report has just been released.  What does it say about WeChat this year? WeChat Tencent is the clear winner in the mobile market in China, representing more than 50% of mobil usage.  WeChat alone represents 35% of time spent on mobile, which is more than Baidu and Alibaba combined.  This is a 7% increase from last year …

In-store WeChat cross-border payment and 3 examples

Tingyi ChenNew WeChat features, WeChat guides & tips, WeChat news

Chinese tourists spend a lot of money when they travel. According to WSJ, Chinese tourists spent more than $229 billion in 2015, a 53% increase from the previous year.  Many shopping malls and tourist centers hire Chinese speaking staff. But when it comes to payment, most of places still haven’t caught up with the more popular mobile payment method in China. Today …