The WeChat Agency, Author at The WeChat Agency

What’s new in China these days?

November 3, 2022

Top 3 private traffic platforms for merchants in China

WeChat, Alipay, and short video platforms like Douyin and Kuaishou have emerged as the most crucial platforms for Chinese merchants’ private traffic operations, claims a report from iResearch.

Because more than 80% of businesses believe the cost of private traffic has increased by 40%, conversion rate and leveraging public traffic have become the primary focus.

It is also becoming more common for private domain layouts to be multi-platform. Applets (mini-programs) are the standard configuration for private-domain businesses, and WeChat, Alipay, and short video platforms have emerged as the primary platforms for private-domain businesses.

Link: https://www.chinainternetwatch.com/35117/private-traffic-platforms/

Chinese Luxury Consumers Abroad: A Missed Opportunity?

Over the last five years, the number of Chinese people relocating overseas has increased due to economic and “living environment” factors, as well as, more recently, the mainland market lockdowns.

In major markets such as the United Kingdom, the United States, and France, overall search demand for the three categories is increasing by 23% on average.

Brands should also consider macro migration trends to markets such as the UAE, which, while currently serving a smaller audience pool, has seen an influx of Chinese expatriates in recent years and expects continued growth in these communities.

Fashion, watches and jewelry, and beauty are among the most popular categories.

Link: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/gxsFcc-HsmS182JKgz3O8Q

Amazon Competitor Temu Ranks Third In App Downloads After A Month

Temu, a new e-commerce platform serving the North American market but owned by Chinese e-commerce giant Pinduoduo, launched just over a month ago.

Since then, it has expanded its merchandise range on its website and app to more than 100 categories of goods, including fashion, jewelry, health, and home supplies.

Temu downloads in the App Store are steadily increasing due to a massive supply chain, extremely low prices, and a novel approach to wooing global shoppers.

Link: https://jingdaily.com/temu-pinduoduo-app-store-downloads/

Taobao officially resumed cooperation with Kuaishou chain

On October 28, Taobao alliance announced that merchants through Taobao alliance will be able to publish goods and service links in the Kuaishou live broadcast shopping cart, short video shopping cart, product details page, and other modules.

It is expected to be fully restored by October 31 at 23:59:59 (in the event that some commodity categories and special commodities cannot be released, the Kuaishou platform’s access requirements will take precedence).

Merchants can also publish links to goods and services and generate transactions via the Taobao alliance, the Kuaishou live broadcast shopping cart, the short video shopping cart, the commodity details page, and other modules.

Any charge adjustment must be made on the basis of the actual charges. Taobao alliance each charge standard, remaining unchanged from before.

JD will fully resume cooperation with Kuaishou external chain on October 29

Jingdong Union announced on October 28th that it would resume full cooperation with Kuaishou in the external supply chain.

The grayscale testing of products is currently complete, and the trailer function of Jingdong goods in the Kuaishou broadcasting room will be gradually opened today, with full recovery expected on October 29th.

According to JD Union, the resumption of JD Union and Kuaishou cooperation means that Kuaishou users have more diverse consumption options and can experience the quality goods and services provided by JD in a more convenient manner.

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Why should brands use CRM Integrations on WeChat?

October 27, 2022

CRM or even sCRM is not something completely new. However, when store foot traffic dropped dramatically when the pandemic first appeared in China, brands were no longer able to rely solely on their offline sales. This pushed brands to step up their game and drastically improve their presence online. We can say that even though Chinese audiences were no strangers to private traffic before, COVID-19 really boosted this phenomenon. Clienteling, especially with the help of WeCom (previously WeChat Work), became one of the biggest trends in Chinese retail but B2B can leverage it just as well.

Learning and understanding consumer data, user journeys, and content consumption patterns are very important for a successful marketing strategy. This is where customer relationship management (CRM) plays an important role. CRM can help connect brands with their customers. With more users becoming selective about what they read and view, it is crucial for brands to have a solid CRM strategy.

There are two types of CRM,

The traditional CRM
The social CRM or sCRM

Traditional CRM includes mails, emails, phone calls, etc whereas sCRM is customer relationship management through social media platforms like WeChat in China.

To learn more about WeChat CRM, as well as how to begin using WeChat for marketing, continue reading.

Advantages of CRM

Before going deep into the world of WeChat CRM, let’s see the advantages of using CRM in the first place. How it actually adds value to your business:

CRM systems enhance better customer service
Helps to identify new potential customers
Helps to scale up the business
Simplifies marketing and sales process
Improves the customer loyalty
Provides detailed analysis of customers
Helps to observe the most resonating topics and adjust content strategy accordingly

CRM in China is different from Western CRM. So, it’s a great option to choose WeChat CRM for businesses that are targeting Chinese customers. WeChat is more than just a content-pushing platform. Brands can really improve their interaction with their followers – clients or potential leads – thanks to a deeper understanding of their preferences and behaviors.

WeChat sCRM

WeChat CRM is a powerful way for brands to connect with Chinese consumers, but it can be difficult to get started. CRM platforms give customers a user experience that goes beyond an impersonal buyer-merchant relationship. This leads to better conversion rates and more potential customers.

WeChat generates data whenever a user interacts with a brand. The data gives a picture of a customer’s platform behavior because it includes information on the content checked and interacted with. The data also provides useful information on how a customer interacts with a brand on WeChat. However, as every marketing manager working on WeChat and checking the backend is aware, the data offered by WeChat is very limited.

We can only see the follower’s avatar and display name (not a WeChat ID)
We only get overview data like age, gender, location, system
There is no way that we can connect this information by using only WeChat’s built-in functions

It’s possible to create tags and segregate followers manually however it’s a very laborious task. Based on that we can also do a very simplistic targeting when we publish a new article but only limited to country, gender, or our own previously created groups.

WeChat Segmentation

Upgrade your WeChat presence

It’s a very different situation if we connect a sCRM API with our WeChat account. A brand can more effectively engage customers on WeChat thanks to the data produced by the customer’s WeChat activity. Through the use of sCRM platforms, businesses can create campaigns and strategies that are more specifically aimed at high-value leads. In the end, this increases conversion rates and results in satisfying user experiences.

🇨🇳Before proceeding with any sCRM integrations on WeChat, make sure to be aware of the latest China’s latest Personal Information Law.

How to integrate CRM into WeChat

Integrations in WeChat are not the same for all brands. Brands have to understand their business needs to pick the best tool that works for them. These will not be the same for B2C or B2B brands. While lifestyle brands will focus more on selling through WeChat, B2B brands are more likely to leverage WeChat CRM to generate and collect leads. E.g. brands that have offline shops and offer WeChat payments to their clients will be able to connect the store data to their WeChat.

💼10 ways for a B2B brand to generate leads on WeChat

Target audience plays a huge role in determining the best integration tool based on their demographics, technology usage, and more. By knowing your audience, brands will be able to make better-informed decisions about their integrations.

It’s worth mentioning that only service accounts can use API and 3rd party tools to do segmentation.

Salesforce and WeChat

Many foreign companies entering the Chinese market already had rich databases on Salesforce.

Now, they can also link it with WeChat as it’s optimized for China. Salesforce allows tracking not only article interactions but also menu clicks, mini-programs logs, and more. There are some challenges to connecting both but it can be very rewarding and optimize user experience for your followers in the long run.

For example, Salesforce has some more advanced functions than Hubspot.

Other integration tools for WeChat

Here are some of the other WeChat integration tools available on the market with locally-developed solutions:

Youzan

Youzan offers a simple data analytics system and a user-friendly WeChat library for managing shop operations. With almost 100 different tools to improve the user experience, this platform was specifically designed for WeChat. For businesses looking to sell products, Youzan is a good option.

Key features:

Order management system for WeChat shops
Able to connect to Weibo
Simple WeChat backend operation
Schedule posting time
Auto-reply feature for web page articles

Drip

Drip has seamless integration with Wechat and a user-friendly backend. You can easily integrate WeChat accounts with Drip for customer management, posting articles, managing QR codes, and other basic functions.

Key features:

Personalized campaigns
Basic WeChat backend functions
HTML5 slides
API is flexible
Receive customer messages directly on WeChat

Parllay

Parllay manages clients with thorough profiles, and provides client analysis, precise group messaging, and multiple enterprise APIs. It’s a platform that focuses on big data and is an expert at spotting significant data trends. It has numerous e-commerce integrations like QR-based checkout and payments.

Key features:

Tracks WeChat user behavior effectively
WeChat QR code tracking
Multi-channel engagement
User tag automation
Predictive segmentation

Conclusion:

CRM can be a little daunting and finding the best solution is hard as there is no one size fits all. It is very important to understand your brand needs and pain points to choose the best one out there. Social CRMs are popular now and WeChat CRM is very crucial for any business that is entering the Chinese market. It helps to manage WeChat contacts and marketing activities effectively. Your brand can experience higher conversion rates and be in a position to always stay ahead of the competition by fully understanding WeChat sCRM.

If you want to add a CRM integration to your WeChat account or wish to know about other marketing techniques in China, please contact our team. We use our knowledge and expertise to help businesses build meaningful partnerships and develop their networks among Chinese customers. For additional information, please contact us at contact@thewechatagency.com.

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Chinese Advertising Regulations and Those Who Can’t Advertise on WeChat

October 17, 2022

China, like the majority of nations, has enacted laws governing advertisements to safeguard the health and safety of consumers. The Republic of China’s Advertisement Law stipulates general rules that all advertisers must abide by.

There are also more stringent regulations for certain sectors, such as the tobacco, alcohol, and healthcare industries. However, as non-traditional media platforms like WeChat have grown in popularity, the nation has tightened its regulations on advertising.

Get started with WeChat advertising

WeChat is one of the most used social media platforms in China. That’s why is very attractive to brands looking to market their products in China. Marketing using WeChat can reach a huge number of target audiences.

And here comes the WeChat advertising. WeChat advertising enables companies to display promotional messages through:

WeChat Moments
Official Account articles
Mini-programs

Additionally, WeChat advertising is a great tool for brands to enhance and maximize the number of WeChat Official Account followers, it helps companies to drive their traffic and generate conversions into sales.

Industries banned or restricted in WeChat

The Chinese government in general has many laws and bans that overlook advertisements, including ads on social media platforms like WeChat. Here are some of the industries banned by the Chinese government for advertising.

Pharmaceutical/drugs;
Obscenity;
Pornography;
Gambling;
Superstitions;
Terror;
Violence.

In addition, regulated industries for advertisements in China are:

Alcohol
Tobacco
Health and Medical
Investments
Real estate
Education
Legal Services
Airlines
Financial Services

However the list is very dynamic, and WeChat always has the final say on whether your company is eligible or not to run ads on the platform.

On the other hand, note that for overseas entities WeChat requires a separate application for a WeChat advertising account and the scope of ads is strictly related to your company’s registered business. It can get quite tricky, right?

However, if your company falls within any of the above categories not all is lost. You still have plenty of indirect and legal solutions to promote your content on WeChat. For instance, you can focus on WeChat SEO and optimizing your keywords to whitelisting. Subscribe to our newsletter for more news on this topic.

Advertising regulations on WeChat

The key elements of the advertising law as they apply to WeChat are outlined below. Firstly, qhen attempting to create effective advertisements, WeChat also has its own terms that are frequently updated:

Avoid superlative adjectives like best, highest, greatest, etc when talking about any product or service
Do not place a brand, product, or service on a scale like 5-star rating or international/national ratings
Kindly avoid using words such as top quality, excellent, cutting edge, or premium when advertising a product/service in WeChat
Do not use words with “one” like “one of the top”, “one of the best” or “one of a kind” etc to describe anything in WeChat advertisements
Please avoid any mentions of scarcity in an ad like very rare, unique, one few left, etc.
Do not mention anything claiming to be “national leader” or of “international quality” or words similar to this
Do not use any national flag, emblem, or anthem of any country in WeChat ads
You can only use RMB for settlements and foreign currencies are not allowed
The content of the advertisements must be practical and should not be exaggerated
Should not talk about transportation, educational, commercial, or cultural facilities under planning or under construction
All the images used in the advertisement should be realistic
For the ads related to bank loans and other bank services, complete details of the bank must be provided
WeChat ads should not have language that sounds discriminatory

Secondly, there are more requirements for advertising:

When publishing ads about limited sales, the exact dates and duration must be provided in the advertisement
Do not provide statistical information in WeChat ads until a proper evidence source link is given
Avoid ads with unlicensed tie-ups with major events happening in the country like Winter Olympics, Olympic Games, etc.
Should not use language that can possibly manipulate the consumers
Do not use Click-for-gift tactics in WeChat ads. Any gifts offered must include all the details like name, value, quantity, and any timeline for the event
Never use words referring to a special title like superstar, leader, or synonyms

In addition, WeChat accounts registered with overseas business licenses must apply separately for WeChat advertising accounts.

In conclusion, advertisement regulations are a great way to protect consumers. Similarly, China, like any other country, wants to protect consumer safety and health. But the restrictions are stricter than in most countries, and it’s common for all social media platforms, including WeChat.

On the other hand, WeChat has its own restrictions too, which makes it even harder to advertise using WeChat ads. In addition, specific wording requirements might make your ad not pass the verification by Tencent.

If you are a business that’s looking to advertise on WeChat, it is very important to understand the rules and regulations on the government and platform levels and above all abide to the requirements to not have your WeChat official account suspended or deleted.

At The WeChat Agency, we use our knowledge and expertise to help businesses build content in accordance with the advertising regulations in China and WeChat. We help create meaningful partnerships and networks among Chinese customers. For additional information, please contact us at contact@thewechatagency.com. Feel free to subscribe to our monthly newsletter too.

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What is Chinese market upto

September 27, 2022

China NFT and metaverse marketing requires Tiffany, other global luxury brands, to tread lightly and be creative

Brands must respect China’s ban on trading in cryptocurrencies and NFTs while attempting to connect with the country’s young, tech-savvy consumers. Despite China’s strict policy, there are still ways for Chinese consumers to trade cryptocurrencies and NFTs. They can try to get around restrictions on cryptocurrency exchange platforms by trading with friends outside of China.

Link: https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3192752/china-nft-and-metaverse-marketing-requires-tiffany-other-global-luxury

Want Your Brand Collaboration To Stand Out In China? Get Nostalgic:

Utilizing well-known cartoons or regional food brands that evoke nostalgia is one trend that stands out when analyzing collaborations in China. 77% of Chinese consumers will like items that bring back nostalgic thoughts in 2021, such as childhood snacks.

Link: https://jingdaily.com/brand-collaboration-nostalgia-marketing-spirited-away/

Will Global Luxury Brands Forget About Bilibili?

Bilibili has only recently become popular in China, despite years of steady growth as it seized the once-niche “ACG” (anime, comics, and games) subculture. Tens of millions of new users have joined the platform since then, which is known for its “bullet chats,” real-time comments that fly across users’ screens as they watch videos, and a large amount of expert, user-generated content. It has also caught the attention of companies like Dior, Shiseido, and Mercedes-Benz.

However, the platform’s financial results are not particularly impressive. The main issue for Bilibili is turning its rapid user growth—305.7 million MAUs—into actual profitability.

Link: https://jingdaily.com/bilibili-q2-2022-profitability-user-growth

How Luxury Fashion Brands Approach Douyin Marketing in China

More than 60% of the businesses on Deloitte’s 2021 Global Top 100 Luxury Companies list, including Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and Dior, are already active on Douyin, according to the 2021 Douyin Luxury Industry Annual Inventory Report published by Trend Insight, a platform that provides Douyin marketing data for KOLs and brands.

Typically, luxury brands would work with regional KOLs to introduce their new products and conduct their own live streaming on Douyin’s official account. Luxury brands also use the following alternatives:

VIP rooms,
Douyin Challenge,

Link: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/ZYRV5NFipUbxOvHqcfDcwg

Top influencer Li Jiaqi’s online return gives Alibaba a renewed edge in huge live-streaming sales channel

The Lipstick King, Li, unexpectedly made a comeback to Alibaba’s live-streaming platform on Tuesday night, attracting over 60 million viewers to his show that featured home goods, underwear, and cosmetics. Without providing any additional information, either Li or Alibaba blamed a technical error for the June suspension of his show.

Li and Viya, a rival live-streaming queen, have become some of China’s most significant retail sales figures. On the first day of the Singles’ Day shopping festival last year, the two companies collectively sold goods worth 20 billion yuan (US$2.84 billion). This year’s Singles’ Day schedule has been made public by Alibaba, and the presales will begin late in the following month. This year’s Singles’ Day competition will feature a live streaming war.

Li’s new background was adorned with the phrase “shop consciously,” which he would only utter aloud before going missing. In an effort to hold online shopping companies responsible for their actions, the slogan “shop consciously” has repeatedly appeared in state media and local government notices since Chinese President Xi Jinping’s term began in 2013. He is obviously being cautious this time.

Link : https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3193315/top-influencer-li-jiaqis-online-return-gives-alibaba-renewed-edge

ByteDance launches fast fashion womenswear platform “If Yooou”

ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, has introduced the “If Yooou” fast fashion womenswear line. The online brand currently focuses on the mainstream Western and Northern European markets, including those in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, and other nations.

ByteDance has previously dabbled in women’s fashion with a lookalike of SHEIN. Early in 2021, the Chinese tech giant launched Dmonstudio, an independent fast-fashion e-commerce portal, and compared its results to those of rival SHEIN. Dmonstudio, however, announced on February 11, 2022 that it had ceased operations after just three months in business.

ByteDance must therefore concentrate on developing distinctive features to draw in and keep customers in order to avoid a similar fate as If Yooou.

Link: https://daoinsights.com/news/bytedance-launches-womens-fashion-retail-platform-if-yooou/

Observation on the trend of China’s mobile Internet users in 2022

Mobile Internet users in China have been steadily increasing. 1.36 billion users are currently active; their average monthly usage time is 218.1 hours, and they use 23.7 apps on average each month. Video services, life services, and mobile shopping are the top three apps that users of mobile Internet use.

There are now more senior citizens who have access to the Internet. The elderly enjoy news, quick videos, square dances, and other applications. The dominant consumer segment has gradually shifted to “Generation Z.”

Mobile Internet users’ preferred methods of consumption are gradually shifting, traditional e-commerce platform growth is typically flat, and “social” and “interest e-commerce” are becoming more popular. Mobile office applications have advanced quickly in terms of working procedures.

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10 Fashion Trends on Douyin You Need to Know Today

September 23, 2022

The speed of change in China is transforming all aspects of society, including the emergence of new cultures, fashion styles, aesthetics, and living standards. Social media has quickly replaced traditional means of brand interaction and shopping in China. Every day, people are exposed to new shopping trends, and KOLs are crucial to setting these trends.

With 70.2% of the country’s social media users, Douyin, China’s version of TikTok, is one of the most well-liked social media platforms in China. The audience consistently follows any new fashion trends that become popular on Douyin. Today, surely it’s the best platform to observe new emerging trends among Chinese Gen Z and youth.

A few weeks ago, we shared with you the latest post on:

🔥 Douyin (China’s TikTok) Statistics 2022 [UPDATED!]

Let us share with you the key findings from the ‘2022 Douyin E-commerce Top Ten Trends and Life Trends Report‘ published by Douyin. These are the top fashion trends on Douyin that have drawn so many users in 2022. Explore them and perhaps experiment and try to include them in your China strategy.

Before we dig into it, make sure you check How Douyin is Different From TikTok as these two are not the same.

Trend One: Stay away from cities

Glamping has emerged as one of the most talked-about topics in 2022, with 42.2% of Douyin users citing outdoor activities as a way to unwind. For example, the younger generation that is interested in fashion is accustomed to sharing their glamping attire and experiences on Douyin. There are currently 1,300 million people who travel and engage in outdoor activities. The outdoor market is predicted to generate 240 billion CNY in profit by 2025. This demonstrates the potential market for outdoor products in China.

Fashion Trend Two: Street Shooting

The new Generation-Z is excellent at finding those off-the-beaten-path shooting locations. Think a small shop or a narrow street close to home. They enjoy taking pictures in the hot spots to document their sense of style and post them on Douyin. In order to display confidence and a positive outlook on life, people are more interested in street photography and fashion pairings. Over 122 billion streams are focused on the street shooting on Douyin. As a result of this development, 30.6% of Douyin users are discovering new stores in their daily lives and sharing their outfit pictures taken from there. For this street photography trend, 63% of those individuals favor a simple outfit, followed by modern style (43.6%) and romantic style (42.9%).

Fashion Trend Three: Staycation

Staycations are now a popular option for the younger generation in China. Therefore, they want clothing that is stylish when they go out and comfortable at home. During the weekends, 27.4% of Douyin users prefer to stay home. Within that group, 89% of people are wearing homewear, and more than 45% have more than three different home wears. Feeling comfortable and casual has become a hot topic for the staycation lifestyle.

Fashion Trend Four: Sustainability

The younger generation has begun to show a greater concern for the environment, and sustainability is currently on trend. 29.9% of Douyin users pay attention to environmental protection. They are in favor of living sustainably and are ready to pay more for those goods. The new generation is becoming more and more accustomed to minimalism. Green fashion is a new trend that makes use of sustainable materials and natural plants.

Fashion Trend Five: China-chic

The new generation has a stronger sense of patriotism than ever before, which has increased the local culture’s visibility. Gen-Z believes that local culture and brands should become the new standard in fashion and highly recommends them in Douyin. 30.8% of Douyin users support national goods and value Guochao culture. Users of Douyin favor Chinese- and Guochao-style clothing for a variety of reasons, including:

People are recognizing traditional cultures.
Combining traditional and modern elements looks good.
A popular global fashion trend is emerging from a Chinese design.
Affordability and high quality

As Guochao draws more attention, premium designs start to emerge in order to satisfy the young generation’s demands for fashion.

🇨🇳 We covered guochao recently on our blog.

Fashion Trend Six: Office Outfit

Gen-Z likes to express their personality in their daily life through working outfits. The videos about work attire have been viewed more than 2 billion times on Douyin. 35.3% of Douyin users believe people should pay attention to what they wear on professional occasions. Sales of professional attire are predicted to grow by 4-5% annually until 2025 when they will total 167 billion CNY. The simple yet sophisticated design is now the norm for business settings.

Fashion Trend Seven: Retro

Users have watched videos on vintage style more than 11 billion times. The nostalgia wave has once more broken, thanks to Generation Z. The new standards for this new trend are now Hong Kong and Y2K fashion. Therefore 32.7% of users on Douyin are becoming more and more interested in nostalgia, collecting antiques, and occasionally willing to try out vintage clothing. The 80s and 90s fashion trends have been revived once more.

Fashion Trend Eight: Street Fashion

The new generation wants to express themselves in a novel way by fusing music, skateboarding, and other subcultures. 30.4% of Douyin users support using street culture as a form of self-expression. Street fashion found a new market niche thanks to rap, hip-hop, and new fashion brands among the younger generation. For example, the most popular theme for street fashion in 2022 will be oversize. Newer increasingly drawing more and more attention to it.

Fashion Trend Nine: Fitness Outfit

With everyone becoming more concerned about their health, gymnastics-related topics have grown in popularity, gathering 15.8 billion views on Douyin. Working out while wearing a cute outfit has become mandatory for the younger generation. 45.2% of Douyin users recognize the importance of their health and insist on exercising every day. Fitness topics are currently very popular, especially when it comes to permeability and other useful features. Hence, the technologies of the materials, such as keeping warm, windproof, quick-drying, shaped, and so forth, have advanced quickly as well.

Fashion Trend Ten: Manga

The younger generation doesn’t hesitate to express themselves; they want to flaunt their comic book attire in public. 10.8% of Douyin users are open to accepting JK and are interested in the ACGN culture. Similarly, more than 86 billion times have played Lolita, cosplay, or other related games on Douyin. The hottest topic in the dimension world will soon be “genderless.” The genderless fashion trend, which combines sweetness and masculinity, has gained popularity since 2021.

Douyin Fashion Trends – Conclusion:

In the era of the Internet, consumers are playing an active role in creating new trends. Social media platforms also set the bar for fashion statements. To stay relevant with peers, people follow trends on social media sites like Douyin on a daily basis.

Above all, understanding the popular fashion trends among potential customers is a great way to comprehend them and their needs. If you already have your Douyin strategy in place check out our article on advertising on Douyin to reach even more consumers.

If you wish to know more about Douyin or other marketing techniques in China, please contact our team. We use our knowledge and expertise to help businesses build meaningful partnerships and develop their networks among Chinese customers. For additional information, please contact us at contact@thewechatagency.com

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Take a look at the China updates

September 21, 2022

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.

https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3191303/hong-kong-superstar-andy-laus-online-concert-douyin-sets-record

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.

Link: https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3191092/chinas-budget-focused-pinduoduo-launches-shein-style-app-woo-us

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Trends in the Chinese Market

September 15, 2022

Beijing Accelerates Adoption of Metaverse by Including it in a Development Plan

The Beijing municipal government unveiled a two-year Metaverse innovation and development plan with the goal of fostering the growth of industries connected to the Metaverse and assisting Beijing in becoming a model city for the digital economy.

All districts are required by the action plan to develop technological infrastructure at the urban level and promote its application in a number of industries, including tourism and education. The Metaverse was also included in Shanghai’s five-year development plan before Beijing.

Link: https://en.pingwest.com/a/10691

Douyin launches a “downvote/dislike” function against malicious comments

In response to the Chinese government’s call for a civilized and peaceful online environment, Douyin (the Chinese version of Tiktok) becomes the first short video APP that enables the “downvote” or “dislike” function in the comment area by clicking a “broken heart”” icon.

The “downvote” feature was once tested by Facebook and YouTube, but it is no longer available. The fact that users can only “downvote” comments and not posts, and that the total number of downvotes is hidden from view, makes it unlikely that this new feature will offend the creators of Douyin.

Link: https://www.sohu.com/a/581452520_114819

Luxury Thinks Beyond Mooncakes For Mid-Autumn Festival Celebration

In contrast to the Lunar New Year or the numerous Valentine’s Days celebrated in the nation, which are occasions when luxury brands release limited-edition products, the Mid-Autumn Festival is more of a chance for houses to maintain their connections with local VIP clients and stakeholders.

Many international brands have chosen to eliminate or reduce the number of mooncakes in their gift boxes in recent years. Fantastic examples from brands like Louis Vuitton, Fendi, and more.

Link: https://jingdaily.com/luxury-thinks-beyond-mooncakes-for-mid-autumn-festival-celebration/

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What is the Mid-Autumn Festival and How do Brands Approach It?

September 7, 2022

First of all, happy mid-autumn festival from the WeChat Agency team!

China has a very distinct cultural history, traditions, and holidays. Such days continue to be essential marketing touchpoints. In recent times they have evolved into shopping plans for the average consumer.

The second most important festival after Chinese New Year is the Mid-Autumn Festival. This year it falls on September 10.

So for all the businesses out there, this is a fantastic chance for you to draw Chinese customers in with relevant advertising and merchandise!

And without further ado, let’s learn about the Mid-Autumn Festival and how your company can benefit from it.

Mid-Autumn Festival

This holiday which celebrates the end of the harvest season is typically marked by family get-togethers, lantern festivals, and mooncake celebrations, yummy right!
It is celebrated in many other Asian nations as well, such as Singapore, Vietnam, Korea, and Malaysia, and as said earlier, it is the second-most significant festival after Chinese New Year.

When: The Mid-Autumn Festival occurs on the fifteenth day of the Chinese calendar’s eighth month.
Significance: It’s a significant festival in Chinese culture and very comparable to the Western Thanksgiving holiday.
How do people in China celebrate? Friends, family, and delectable food are all that matter, with the mooncake taking center stage.

As the full moon shines brightly in the sky, people also celebrate by lighting decorative lanterns. Mooncakes and other items with festive themes are frequently given as gifts to friends and family.

What ways can brands celebrate?

Moon cakes

Mooncakes are like the life source of this celebration. In fact, the Mid-Autumn Festival is also known as the Mooncake Festival!
Mooncakes can be a fantastic opportunity for brands to use and take full advantage of the festive spirit.

In fact, according to a recent analysis by iiMedia, the size of the Chinese mooncake gift box industry quadrupled between 2016 and 2021, rising from $1.7 billion (11.6 billion RMB) to $2.5 billion (16.9 billion RMB). As a result of this demand, there are now an increasing number of mooncake businesses in China, 40,478 as of July 2022, making it even more important to stand out creatively.

With their purchases, several brands give customers gift boxes of mooncakes to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival.
This can be easily accomplished by collaborating with a nearby eatery or food company so that their customers can use a voucher to purchase a gift-boxed mooncake.

Some brands have also put their own spin on the delicacy.

They opt for an experimental mixture rather than the traditional red bean or lotus seed paste. Mooncakes are a significant means by which businesses can show that they are aware of regional customs.

Starbucks, for instance, joined the competition with its own coffee-flavored mooncake! Each was stamped with the Starbucks logo and the promotional Facebook post won over 20,000 engagements.

For the Mid-Autumn Festival, companies can include the moon in their products. In order to maintain the festive atmosphere, Alexander McQueen used traditional ink on a jewel box with festive theme elements that represented the moon and moonlight.

WeChat greetings

WeChat is a popular platform for friends and family to exchange holiday greetings. The Chinese usually send greetings to one another via WeChat. In WeChat, people also post images of themselves participating in the festival by lighting lanterns and eating mooncakes. Stickers, GIFs are the most popular ways to do that.

Tencent developed “Moonments,” a mixed reality campaign intended to represent the potent force of Chinese culture.

People had to focus on the moon from their current location to create it, and once they did, they were told to choose a location on the Great Wall of China. They will get a view of the moon and the Great Wall of China. They can now choose from a list of traditional Chinese poems about the moon. Finally, you’ll have a poster to share on WeChat Moments with your Moon Festival greeting.

Other brands can also create something special, like Moonments, to engage consumers on special occasions and celebrate Chinese culture.

On September 8th, Ayayi started working for Alibaba as the proprietor of Tmall Super Brand. She had her own ID card and launched the first NFT digital mooncake for the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Gaming

The Mid-Autumn Festival is also a great time to gamify your website or app by providing some sort of competition, gaming experience or scoring, or perks because Chinese people love digital trends, games, and other interactive oddities.

For instance, Kate Spade used WeChat to launch a flight game that spread lovely festival lanterns filled with congratulations across the screen. This made it possible for everyone to spread good vibes and well wishes while sharing the branded lantern with family and friends.

The well-known smartphone app game Angry Birds also celebrated the holiday by switching out its standard golden eggs for lovely golden mooncakes and adding 34 levels with an oriental theme.

Cool campaigns for Mid-Autumn festival

Mooncakes and holiday-related items are the main presents that are given and received. However, young people enjoy shopping particularly, and many companies advertise specialty mooncakes or limited-edition holiday-themed goods.

Let’s take a look at some interesting campaigns that took place in recent years:

Mooncakes from Fendi

Fendi adopted a novel method for designing containers. The brand chose a highly functional cylinder shape that could transform into a lantern because lanterns are a prominent aspect of the Mid-Autumn Festival. A small, vertical set of drawers containing mooncakes is revealed when the cylinder is opened. Each mooncake bears the FF stamp of the company.

The protective film covering a tiny battery on the tube’s side can be removed after the drawers have been taken out and the container has been shut. This activates internal LED lighting that projects light through star-shaped holes onto nearby walls to simulate a starry night. It also rotates.

Their messaging was charming as well. In association with Chinese artist Oscar Wang, they unveiled a 15-second animation featuring Fendidi the Panda. The company’s social media accounts like Weibo, WeChat, and RED, all showed the campaign. Additionally, it was available globally on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. It featured adorable depictions of a full moon, an astronaut, and the panda, China’s national animal.

They also ran a mooncake distribution campaign. The company covered a wide range of topics in novel and enjoyable ways.

Perfect Diary: Beauty Products with Mid-Autumn Festival Theme

Some companies choose to use other products that draw inspiration from the holiday rather than traditional offerings like mooncakes. Perfect Diary, a domestic Chinese beauty brand that has been capitalizing on the guochao trend and a strong marketing strategy in the country, released a Mid-Autumn Festival-themed eyeshadow palette.

They collaborated with the Guochao incubator on Tmall and co-branded the palette with China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, or NASA in China. Chang’E and Jade Rabbit are two examples of characters from Mid-Autumn Festival fables who reside on the moon that have been given names for China’s lunar probes.

Their Mid-Autumn palette also complimented a line of shadows with an animal theme that the company had started in 2019. The brand ambassador for the “Explorer Eyeshadow Palette 11, Rabbit” was Luo Yunxi, and the campaign included beauty KOLs who posted makeup tutorials using the palette on social media.

The company additionally unveiled a computer-generated campaign video with the moon, other planets, a fictitious model, and an enigmatic rabbit. Over 110 million people have viewed the Weibo hashtag #PerfectDiaryRabbitPalette, and over a million people have watched the video. The young followers of the brand loved it.

HeyTea: Serving young thirsty people

HeyTea took advantage of the opportunity to introduce a special holiday beverage and limited-edition goods. The brand created a special custardy, creamy, yellow bubble tea with a picture of the fabled Jade Rabbit, who resides on the moon, in celebration of the holiday.

In its giveaway promotion, it also provided limited-edition lanterns, stickers, and coupons as prizes. Anyone who interacted with the brand’s accounts on Douyin, Weibo, Xiaohongshu, or Bilibili had a chance to win.

Fans left thousands of comments, reposts, and likes on a Weibo post promoting this unique bubble tea.

Tory Burch: Heartfelt family tales strike the right emotional chord

The American clothing company, Tory Burch, did not introduce any unique mooncakes or packaging. They didn’t try to appeal to Gen Z or create a CGI animation. They chose an approach that was less complicated and got right to the point of the holiday. It all came down to family for them.

The company requested that users share touching family stories on Weibo in exchange for a special gift from the company. They demonstrated their understanding of the holiday and provided a platform for people to express their gratitude by choosing such a meaningful topic with such strong connections to the holiday.

This raised admiration for the brand and raised consumer awareness of it. The brand collaborated with local artisanal businesses to design exquisite packaging for gifts for VIPs and prize winners.

🧧 Check out how other Chinese festivals can be leveraged by brands

Conclusion

Mooncakes, lanterns, friends, and family are the main components of the mid-autumn festival. If you are trying to leverage this festival for sales in the Chinese market, you need to be very creative and innovative in including these in your strategy.

However, Mid-Autumn Festival offerings don’t always have to revolve around mooncakes, lovely jars, or lanterns. Brands can also introduce a limited edition of their usual products and connect it with the holiday through its color, flavor, design, or in other ways.

If you wish to know more about marketing techniques in China, please contact our team. We use our knowledge and expertise to help businesses build meaningful partnerships and develop their networks among Chinese customers. For additional information, please contact us at contact@thewechatagency.com.

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Tips for Reusing Your Western Social Media Content for WeChat in the Chinese market

September 2, 2022

China is the largest social media market in the world, but since Western social media like Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube are blocked there, most people are limited to using domestic social media – WeChat The Chinese social media ecosystem is distinctive because of this ban of other popular social networks.

WeChat is one of the most popular social media applications. It has grown to become the world’s (not just China’s) biggest super-app, with more than 1.25 billion average monthly active users.

One of the most interesting features for brands is official accounts. There are over 25 million official accounts on WeChat and all brands are fiercely fighting for users’ attention. How to make sure you do it the right way? Even if your content is performing really well it doesn’t necessarily mean that would be the case on WeChat. Content consumption, preferences of the Chinese audience, and format requirements vary from those on Facebook or TikTok. Reposting your Western content directly on WeChat won’t bring you a lot of fans.

Western Social Media vs WeChat Content

WeChat is an excellent tool for entering the Chinese market. It is frequently compared to Facebook or WhatsApp because its initial, and still the most important function, is instant messaging. However, despite these comparisons, the content that brands share on their official accounts is completely different.

If your WeChat strategy was to reshare content from your Western social media platforms, that’s not an easy road. WeChat’s content formats differ significantly from those of Western social media apps.

WeChat articles are lengthy posts that resemble newsletters or even blog articles more than anything else. Whereas Western social media are usually short, visually speaking content. Simply reposting content from Facebook and Instagram with a brief caption is not the best strategy because readers will be unsatisfied and won’t return if the situation occurs again.

However, it’s not impossible to make Western content work for WeChat. If you have a library of content already created for your Western social media or official website, we can help you to find the best way to repurpose and localize it to WeChat requirements and your target audience preferences.

Tips to repurpose Western social media content for WeChat

Blogs:

Good news! You can simply reuse your blog articles as WeChat posts.
Localize the content for the audience by translating the blog posts into the market language.
Focus on the most interesting aspects that will resonate with your audience in China and skip paragraphs that are less relevant.

Examples of Western social media blogs and updates turned into a WeChat article

Image-based content (Instagram):

You can incorporate the images and lengthen the copy by adding an introduction and more details, giving it at least a few paragraphs.

You can take additional photos and include them in the article.
Try to combine several posts and see if you can create a WeChat story out of them.
Prepare a nice layout to be visually appealing to the readers.

Video-based content (Stories, YouTube):

You can create content around videos by directly embedding them into articles.
You can also open WeChat Channels. Reuse both photos and videos with this WeChat feature. Literally, it’s the best WeChat feature for utilizing nearly all your visual and video content.
You can add Chinese subtitles added to your videos or fully localize them.

WeChat Channels – WeChat answer to TikTok and other short-video platforms

➡️ Learn more about WeChat Channels and how you can win on this WeChat’s sub-platfrom

With a good strategy and a pinch of creativity, you can smartly reuse existing content to maximize your efforts and save time. This will work for Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and even YouTube content. We encourage you to prepare a mix of global and original content for the local Chinese market – that is the strategy that works best for WeChat.

Conclusion

WeChat is the most widely used and well-known social media platform in China, so if you want to expand into the Chinese market, you must start producing content on WeChat.

At The WeChat Agency, we can help you decide on the content that can be reused from the global marketing assets and also help you create the best original content for China.

If you wish to know more about WeChat content creation and repurposing or other marketing techniques in China, please contact our team. We use our knowledge and expertise to help businesses build meaningful partnerships and develop their networks among Chinese customers. For additional information, please contact us at contact@thewechatagency.com.

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What’s new happening in China?

August 29, 2022

WeChat Channels and WeCom – Perfect Partners

Utilizing short videos and live streaming can be difficult. WeChat Channels introduce fresh approaches to improve interactions with fans and viewers thanks to WeCom solutions:

Buttons for adding the chat to the customer service account
Pushing business cards during a live broadcast
Employees at WeCom can have up to 50 profiles connected to a single WeChat Channels account.
Users can share the stream directly with their moments or groups.

Link: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/T0LAvsiVkXRLQ_kSzt-sUA

China’s cross-border e-commerce for first-time market entry

The Chinese government has promoted CBeC (cross-border e-commerce) in China over the past ten years by enacting legislative incentives like preferential tax rates and cross-border e-commerce pilot zones.

Cross-border e-commerce has lower regulatory barriers than traditional trade, which requires a significant initial investment, making it a quicker, lower-risk, and more accessible way for foreign brands to begin selling in China.

Link: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/0KxWcwmp4piKlS_rLQu4YA

ByteDance quietly launches search app Wukong in China, where Google is banned

Owner of the popular short video app TikTok, ByteDance, has quietly introduced a new search engine that guarantees there will be no ads online. ByteDance and Baidu, the dominant search engine in China, are now more directly competing thanks to Wukong, which is currently offered on the Chinese Apple App Store and various Chinese Android app stores.

According to the new app’s advertising, it offers “quality information and search without ads.” It’s possible to read the phrase as a subtle dig at Baidu, which has long drawn flak for its use of paid listings in search results.

Wukong offers a variety of search categories, including news, images, and video, just like other well-known search engines. Additionally, it offers a feature similar to web browsers’ “incognito mode” that does not save search history and lets users bookmark pages.

Link: https://www.digitalinformationworld.com/2022/08/tiktoks-parent-firm-bytedance-quietly.html

ByteDance rival Kuaishou narrows losses, boosts revenue at overseas operations amid gains made in domestic business

After beginning to restructure its international business in March, Kuaishou Technology, owner of the second-largest short video platform in China, narrowed losses at its overseas operations in the three months that ended June 30 while seeing revenue rise by more than 1,000% year over year.

Compared to the 4.4 billion yuan loss experienced during the same period last year, the operating loss at Kuaishou’s overseas operations significantly decreased to 1.6 billion yuan in the second quarter. Revenue increased by 1,328 percent to 103.4 million yuan from 7.2 million yuan a year earlier.

Currently, Kuaishou’s international operations are concentrated in Indonesia with its SnackVideo app and Brazil where it runs the short video app Kwai. In August of last year, the company removed its Zynn short video app from the US after failing to compete with TikTok, which is owned by ByteDance and has more than 1 billion users worldwide.

Link:https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3190023/bytedance-rival-kuaishou-narrows-losses-boosts-revenue-oversea

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