Maximizing WeChat Channels: An In-Depth Look at the Statistics and the Future Plans

February 16, 2023

WeChat, China’s biggest app, grew from just a chatting messanger to a major business platform a long time ago. And Channels, the video sub-platform of WeChat, is becoming one of users’ and businesses’ favorite features.

Channels advanced last year, with more services and content available to both consumers and businesses. Since the start of its internal beta testing on January 21, 2020, it has experienced significant user engagement. The feature, which enables anyone to record, create, and share videos, saw total user time exceed 80% of that of Moments, the latter of which offers mutual contacts with asynchronous photo, video, and audio sharing.

If you’re not very familiar with WeChat Channels yet, explore our introductory post for beginners here – A Beginner’s Guide to WeChat Channels.

Now, let’s analyze the WeChat Channel statistics and growth plan for 2023.

 

WeChat Channel Statistics

WeChat Channels have powerful tools for businesses to connect with their target audience and drive growth – with the help of innovative content.  The total number of views has skyrocketed, with a 200% YoY increase and a 400% YoY increase in video views based on AI recommendations.

The number of daily active creators and video uploads has also surged, with a 100% YoY increase, and significant growth in the number of viral videos and original video views. However, short videos are not all. 

Live streaming has also seen tremendous growth, with a 300% increase in users, a 156% increase in viewing time, a 614% increase in content creators, and an 83% increase in broadcast time.

🎥 Learn more about live-streaming on WeChat Channels

WeChat Channels continue to expand its support with new features like live streaming e-commerce, quick sharing, and product windows. This makes more brands eager to leverage a massive userbase to drive their sales and reach their target audience. 

The GMV of live-streaming e-commerce on Channels has grown by over 800% since 2021. Moreover, the average transactions now exceed RMB 200.

Top Events in 2023

WeChat Channels have become one of the most popular platforms for users to watch and share short videos. 

It’s clear that short videos are a hit among WeChat Channels users. The number of views for short videos in 2022 increased by 237% compared to the previous year, showing just how popular they have become.

When it comes to the most popular short videos, five topics stood out. These were the workplace, cultural history, financial management, eloquence/speech, and trivia. This shows that users are interested in a wide range of topics.

WEChat Channels Stats 2023

For those looking to be entertained, WeChat Channels has a plethora of options. The top five concerts in 2022 included “Yearning” by Li Jian, Cui Jian’s first online concert, the Backstreet Boys’ first-ever online concert, Luo Dayou’s “Childhood” concert, and “You Want a Good Concert.”

Backstreet Boys WeChat Channels

In addition to entertainment, WeChat Channels users are also looking for ways to improve their physical health. The top six fitness keywords searched by users were yoga, bodybuilding, boxing, body, aerobics, and diet meals.

For those looking to explore, WeChat Channels offer a wealth of travel content. For example, the top 10 most popular destinations in WeChat Channels included: 

  1. Yellow River Xiaolangdi Reservoir,
  2. Huashan Long Sky Boardwalk,
  3. Tiananmen,
  4. Leshan Giant Buddha,
  5. Yellow River Hukou Waterfall,
  6. Tianmen Mountain in Zhangjiajie,
  7. Forbidden City,
  8. Gulangyu Island in Xiamen,
  9. Macao Green Mao Port,
  10. Former Residence of Chairman Mao in Shaoshan.

 

WeChat Channels’ Growth Plan 

In the fast-paced digital world, it’s essential for businesses to keep up with the latest trends and technologies to reach their target audience. WeChat Channels is one such platform that provides a unique opportunity for businesses to reach a vast audience through its innovative features and rich content ecosystem. According to WeChat Weixin Pro Class 2023 (our coverage of the 2022 edition available here), Tencent plans to invest more into Channels in the coming years. 

 

Short Video

The short video feature on WeChat Channels has seen significant growth in the past year. As a result, with more and more creators joining the platform, the content ecosystem has become more diverse and prosperous. 

Moreover, the time spent by WeChat Channels users has also increased and is now approaching that of WeChat Moments. The video views based on recommendation algorithms have increased by over 400% YoY, making it a great opportunity for businesses to reach a vast audience.

To provide comprehensive author services, WeChat Channels has upgraded its creator traffic and honor incentives, with new product capabilities such as online content heating, video product sharing, and video monetization tasks.

These tools will provide creators with more monetization options and help them grow and get better returns on WeChat Channels. 

In 2022, the number of daily active creators and video uploads increased by more than 100% YoY, original content played increased by 350% YoY, and the number of creators with 10,000+ fans increased by 308%. 

 

🗺 Learn how to optimize your WeChat Channels posting with our quick guide

WeChat Channels Video

Live Streaming

WeChat Channels’ live broadcasts have become an integral part of users’ social lives, covering a range of content from hot events to daily information communication and celebrity speeches. Above all, it provides a platform for individuals to start broadcasting and showing themselves, encouraging diverse content production. 

The platform provides a rich live broadcasting ecosystem:

  • the viewing scale increasing by 300%,
  • the viewing time by 156%,
  • and high-quality launch time by 614%.

WeChat Channels has always encouraged the production of diversified and high-quality content. In order words, providing a platform for “every individual to pick up his mobile phone and start broadcasting.” 

As a result, this led to a significant increase of 101% in 2022 and total anchor revenue growth by 447%.

To sum up, live streaming will invest 5 billion in traffic incentives and more rich and perfect realization tools and incentive policies to help every individual have a good start, growth, and income. 

E-commerce Live Streaming

Live Streaming Channels

The commercial potential of WeChat Channels live broadcast has continued to grow. With sales increasing by more than 8 times YoY and the platform’s public purchase conversion rate by more than 100%. 

The top three categories of consumption are clothing, food, and beauty. Finally, it’s worth noting that the purchasing power on WeChat Channels is split between 20% male and 80% female users. This information is useful for businesses and content creators looking to target specific demographics with their products and services.

The launch of WeChat Channels stores provides businesses with convenient and efficient business tools, with over 90% of sales coming from the WeChat Channels store. The platform has connected over 1,000 service providers, contributing over 30% to Channels’ sales.

Firstly to better support brand merchants, WeChat Channels will soon release an incentive plan for merchants. Secondly, Tencent will provide more opportunities, including traffic, brand identity, and other services. For instance, the platform will also continue to increase its support for service providers and focus on investment. For example, in areas of identity authentication, traffic incentives, and operational tools.

Conclusion

WeChat Channels have come a long way, with improvements in short video, live broadcasting, and e-commerce. Above all, with the continued development of the ecosystem and the implementation of incentive policies, WeChat Channels will continue to attract more users and creators, providing a platform for rich and diverse content. 

If you want to know more about WeChat channels and help create a content strategy for WeChat, 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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The WeChat Agency Blog: The Best of 2022

December 29, 2022

The year of the Tiger or simply 2022, was a very eventful year in China, to say the least. Contrary to the rest of the world, COVID-19 was still a predominant topic in the daily lives of millions of Chinese and had a serious impact on brands and their activities in China too, influencing literally every step they took from communication to sales. 

We’ve witnessed new trends and platforms being born and some slowly fading into memory. With the loosening of the restrictions, 2023 will be a fascinating year. Now, let’s bring the best pieces from our The WeChat Agency blog in 2022!

 

10. China Trend: Silver Generation

When everyone is eyeing China’s Gen Z, there is another fast-growing consumer group with a lot of leisure time, increasing purchasing power, and usually living within close-knit communities. COVID-19 and frequent lockdowns forced the Chinese elderly, already quite digital-savvy, to use online platforms more than ever before and subsequently sped up internet adoption among the eldest. 

Read here: China Trend: Silver Generation

China Silver generation senior

 

9. Top 5 alternatives for LinkedIn in China you need to know now

By the end of 2021, LinkedIn officially switched to CareerIn for users based in mainland China. Discover 5  social networking platforms that are not LinkedIn. 

Read more here: Top 5 alternatives for LinkedIn in China you need to know now

LinkedIn China

 

8. What is Dewu?

Do you know hat is Dewu (得物) aka POIZON? Deemed a male version of Xiaohongshu, it’s a fascinating social marketplace revolving around sneakers, fashion, and street culture. Brands like Adidas, Michael Kors, and Coach are already there.  

Read more: What Is Dewu?

Dewu Poizon China

 

7. How Douyin is Different From TikTok?

While essentially TikTok and Douyin are the same platforms, there are some major differences between these two. 

Read more: How Douyin is Different From TikTok?

Douyin Tiktok difference

 

6. WeChat Stickers – A Quick Guide

You can love or hate them but WeChat stickers are a huge part of communication on the app and can convey a myriad of emotions in one small GIF. Brands can join this fun trend too.

Read more: WeChat Stickers – A Quick Guide

WeChat Stickers

 

5. E-commerce Platforms in China

Learn more about Chinese e-commerce, there’s more than Taobao.  

Read more: E-commerce Platforms in China

Ecommerce China

 

4. Live Streaming on WeChat Channels

WeChat Channels live streaming definitely sped up in 2022. With more than 450 million daily active users and new built-in features (think e-commerce and customer service), brands are more excited to dip their toes into WeChat Channels live streaming. 

Find out how to apply and what are the most successful formats in one of our top blog posts of the year.

Read more: Live Streaming on WeChat Channels

WeChat Channels Live Streaming

 

3. ​​Douyin (China’s TikTok) Statistics 2022 [UPDATED!]

Douyin, China’s TikTok, in numbers. We are not surprised that this post made into top 3 of the year. 

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

DOUYIN Statistics China TikTok

 

2. What Is WeChat Marketing?

Your 101 to WeChat marketing. Everything you need to know and more. 

Read more: What Is WeChat Marketing?

WeChat Guide

 

1. A Beginner’s Guide to WeChat Channels

In 2022, no other WeChat function introduced more upgrades and new features than Channels. No wonder that our post introducing this platform within the WeChat platform raised so much curiosity and attracted thousands of your clicks. If you are a more seasoned Channels user feel free to discover more content about Channels on our blog. 

Read more: A Beginner’s Guide to WeChat Channels

WeChat Channels

If you wish to receive all updates from our blog please click here to subscribe. We are waiting to hear from you which topics would you like us to cover in 2023. 

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What is Whitelisting and How It Can Help Brands Boost Collaborations on WeChat?

December 5, 2022

All WeChat content creators and marketing managers will agree that getting organic views under their articles is getting tougher year by year. In the highly-saturated space as WeChat is, ads are of great help but do you want to know how to reach new audiences through organic content? That is possible by collaborating with so-called hot accounts (industry accounts with a big reach and strong reputation) and influencer accounts on WeChat. 

We saw a lot of our clients partnering with other accounts to promote their brand but despite sometimes high fees, these sponsored articles didn’t generate any additional traffic or new followers for the client’s account. Did it happen to you too? Learn how to avoid these mishaps in our article and which methods will work towards your particular goals. 

 

What is Whitelisting?

So what is exactly whitelisting and how to share content on Wechat using this method?

Whitelisting is the method of allowing access to resources created and posted by your account to only authorized parties. When it comes to WeChat as a social platform, whitelisting can be very beneficial for users and businesses alike. By leveraging whitelisting your brand can reach new audiences who are already curious about your industry and potential customers. 

Shortly, you can allow other accounts to reshare or as WeChat call it, reprint, your articles on their accounts. 

Content that can be redistributed in this way must have the ‘original content’ mark meaning that you’re the owner of the content. 

Content producers can click the “original content declaration” button in the backend when publishing to claim full ownership of the content. In order to do so the articles must be at least 300 characters long. Note that articles without this designation can be easily copied and redistributed without your knowledge. It’s always good to tick the ‘original content’ box! Find requirements for accounts that post mostly visual-based content and can’t read 300 characters on the official WeChat / Weixin website. 

 

Types of sharing content in WeChat

By default, all accounts can reshare articles from other accounts on WeChat. However, this function is not very popular. It doesn’t look aesthetically pleasing or attractive. You can see it below. 

There are two main types of authorization for third-party partners to reprint your content. 

First of all, the authorization can be granted for individual articles or for all content posted on your account (global reprint permission 全局可转载帐号). The second option means that the whitelisted partner will be able to share all our articles at any time.

In both cases, you will have additional options to consider when allowing other accounts to reshare your content. You can: 

  • Require a partner account to display a link to the original official account: You can require always have a link to the original article visible. This will enable the readers to visit the original article and potentially 
  • Give permission to edit: You can grant the resharing account permission to edit the article; otherwise, the article will be forwarded in its entirety.

Whitelisting

As you can see you can choose different options depending if the relationship with the partner is to be a one-off or a long-term one. 

Secondly, keep in mind that if you don’t require the partner to show the link to the original article you’re losing the chance to redirect the fans to your account. Having a contact card tile with the link to your account or a QR code is a must if your goal is to drive traffic to your account. 

Reprinting – how is it displayed on WeChat?

Sharing WeChat B2B

As you can see in the 3rd option, users will see right away the original source of the article and they can click to follow your account. Your partner on the other hand can add a short note about why they are reposting this article or any other comment or introduction.

New option! 

Just recently, we spotted a new feature in the WeChat backend. This new option, ‘quick repost’, means all accounts can repost your new article. This option comes with some limitations but it’s a good way to get your content spread. It gives you less control on who can share the article but on the other hand, accounts won’t be able to remove the source or modify it. 

According to WeChat:

  1. When quick repost is on, the source will always be displayed when this article is reposted, and cannot be modified.
  2. Quick repost does not affect the repost authorization of whitelisted accounts. The format is as follows.

Interesting thing:

  • Reprinted articles cannot contain internal WeChat links. 

quick repost wechat

Collaboration and mutual distribution

WeChat’s official accounts can work with other accounts in a variety of ways to spread their content among a chosen target audience. This can be done either by providing a ready-to-use article to partners that will be shared via a whitelisting process. You can also opt to create a new, original article.

It is critical that sponsored content maximizes efforts and truly directs readers from the partner account to the original content on your account. For example, a QR code or contact card at the end of the article will help users to reach the original source.

Similarly, if your brand has several official accounts, the most effective way to cross-promote would be to mutually whitelist each other and regularly reshare key content across. 

 

Collaborations with KOLs in WeChat

Collaboration with KOLs (key opinion leaders), your industry experts, or hot accounts from your industry can be very beneficial. After that, publication brands can work with KOLs to direct traffic from these accounts to your account.

 

Brands that cannot advertise on WeChat

Accounts belonging to restricted industries can also greatly benefit from whitelisting as a key method of promotion on WeChat. Since there are stringent regulations for certain sectors it’s often impossible for these brands to advertise on WeChat.  

But brands in these sectors can only grow organically on WeChat and actually thrive. This is where a carefully planned collaboration strategy helps. Because of that collaborations can help reach new audiences, and with whitelisting facilities, organic content from these brands can get better visibility.

⛔️ Learn who can’t absolutely advertise on WeChat. Does your brand fall within one of these categories?

 

Case study on magazine collaboration

Let’s observe the advantages of collaboration with one of our clients. 

Client: AkzoNobel International Marine Coatings

Industry: B2B Marine & Protective Coatings for the shipping industry

Target Audience: Major shipping companies

Objectives: build brand awareness and brand equity

Solution: Collaborate with expert magazines from the industry to publish content from the brand on their WeChat account.

Results: Magazine articles surpassed by 80% and 125% the brand’s best-performing owned article of the whole year among the relevant target audience

Whitelisting Sharing WeChat B2B case study

These PR-style collaborations also serve as backlinks for WeChat SEO, boosting the brand’s ranking in the WeChat search results. These collaborations produce results both in the short term (by providing brand visibility to magazine followers). In addition, in the long term, it improves the WeChat search index ranking.

🚢You can see the full case study here: Case Study: AkzoNobel (B2B Management)

 

Conclusion

Collaborations, be they with KOLs or partner brands, are crucial to expanding customer bases by reaching new audiences. In conclusion with whitelisting, you can reach high-quality followers with organic content. This is especially helpful for brands that cannot advertise on WeChat and solely rely on organic content to reach their potential customers.

If you want to know more about collaborations and content sharing on WeChat, 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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How to Make a Great First Impression on WeChat with an Official Account?

November 4, 2022

WeChat’s active users are steadily increasing, and it has over 1.29 billion monthly users. Today, WeChat is one of the leading social networks worldwide, ranking fifth in terms of active users. As literally, everyone in China is on WeChat so are the brands using the official account function to connect with their fans, business partners, and potential prospects. On average, most of the users followed between 10 and 20 WeChat official accounts. So, it is very crucial for businesses to stand out in order to attract potential customers, and it is not easy.

Here are a few things you can do to make the best first impression on WeChat as the brand’s official WeChat account

How do WeChat users discover and start following official accounts?

How do users come across a WeChat account? There are different ways one might come across a brand’s official WeChat account. People might find official accounts thanks to QR codes which are ubiquitous in China and can be placed on: 

  • Marketing materials,
  • Web sites,
  • Newsletters,
  • Brochures,
  • Business cards. 

The target audience that is using the WeChat app can reach the Official accounts through:

Other methods of fan acquisition

There are even other ways a user can reach an official account inside the WeChat app. However, WeChat users may also be reached through paid promotions, collaborations with KOLs, and other partners. KOL marketing is huge and can benefit businesses by creating awareness. If you think that KOL/influencer marketing is only for lifestyle brands, you might want to rethink your approach. Since WeChat brand marketing is all about official accounts, you can also collaborate with bigger accounts to promote your brand. You can subscribe to our newsletter to receive information about new posts or follow our official WeChat account at KRDS-Agency.

How to make the best first impression on WeChat?

When the audience lands on the account, they first see the main page. It is the flagship of a brand presence on WeChat and it creates the first impression on the audience about the style and the message of the brand. A brand’s official account can be an equivalent of an official website. 

Firstly, the main page showcases the brand logo, description, and menu, and has the latest articles published. It is very important to keep in mind that the information is accurate and stays aligned with the brand. Secondly, you should make sure it is presented in a clear and user-friendly way.

Moreover, there is a welcome message. When a user starts following an official account, a welcome message will be prompted automatically. Typically, the welcome message contains information about the company, the current campaign, a link to the mini-program, and more.

Along with the welcome message, you can see a menu at the bottom. A proper and well-maintained menu is critical as it is one of the most frequently clicked items on the entire WeChat account.

Many users want to get the information right away that they are looking for. It is the first place people reach out and navigate through the account. Therefore, menu tabs should be embedded within WeChat or link to a website hosted on the Chinese server. You can also mirror the menu from the official website.

 

User’s journey through the WeChat official account

Stage 1: First impressions

Regardless of how users found your account, they will land on your main WeChat page and will make a decision if they want to follow your account. They will see the account name, brand logo, description, your company name as on the business license. They will also see how many of their friends are also following your account. Still, even before following you, they can see the latest articles (make sure the thumbnails look nice and eye-catching), interact with the menu tabs and see if you have a dedicated video Channels account.

🎥 What are WeChat Channels and how you can incorporate them in your WeChat planning?

Stage 2: Why should I follow?

When someone first follows an account, they immediately come across the automatic welcome message. In the welcome message, clearly and simply inform what kind of content they can expect from the account. For example, it’s a good idea to include a brief introduction to your company, quick links to your offerings, and contact methods. 

WeChat Welcome message

Stage 3: Did I find what I was looking for?

There is a WeChat menu to help with this. The WeChat menu is an extremely important part of the official account. It is actually quite often overlooked or not updated regularly. For instance even inactive accounts, still see considerable traffic each month just to their menu tabs. 

ℹ️ Learn more about the menu

ℹ️ How to optimize your WeChat menu?

WeChat Menu

Stage 4: Auto-replies

It happens that users don’t find the information they were looking for in the menu. Sometimes they simply prefer a one-on-one and direct conversation. In order to facilitate your customer service work, you can set up automatic replies prompted by the most frequently asked questions and relevant keywords. In other words, your followers don’t need to wait and get an instant reply.

Conclusion

WeChat is a huge deal if you want to attract an audience. The audience can judge a business through the WeChat official account. So, it is very important to understand how to maintain the account in a better way to attract and make the audience follow the WeChat official account.

If you wish to know more about WeChat marketing and content creation 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 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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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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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 Video

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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Chinese market trends

August 24, 2022

Tencent Accelerates the Development of its One-Stop Live Shopping Platform, Will it be Able to Compete with Douyin?

The launch of Tencent’s WeChat Channels Store on July 21 increased the competition for Douyin’s live-streaming e-commerce venture. The launch of the new service is intended to replace the earlier WeChat-based online store, increasing the dependence of sellers on “WeChat Channels,” which offer live streaming and brief videos. In 2021, the short video service had 500 million daily active users, an increase of 79% over the year before. Each day, these users spent 35 minutes watching videos, an increase of 84% over 2020, but this was still less than a third of the time spent on Douyin and Kuaishou.

Link: https://en.pingwest.com/a/10539

 

Don’t You Dare Say “WeChat”: 

Chinese users have long eschewed censorship by using inventive wordplay, such as homonyms and purposely misspelled words, to get around restrictions on social media. In addition to political taboos, there are also business regulations. Live streamers on Douyin are reportedly prohibited from using the terms “WeChat,” “friend circle,” or even “limited time offer” and “money-making.” Also, avoid bringing up the “country” or the “pandemic situation.” These never-ending guidelines and limitations were tiresome for content producers.

Link:https://chinamediaproject.org/2022/07/27/dont-you-dare-say-wechat/

 

Cartier snatches up China’s lower-tier markets ahead of the Qixi festival

In three Chinese cities, Henglong Plaza in Kunming, Wanxiang City in Nanning, and Hisense Plaza in Qingdao, Cartier has set up a number of pop-up experience stores. A limited-edition collection made specifically for the festival and available only in the Chinese market will be displayed in three distinctive installations.

Link:https://daoinsights.com/news/cartier-snatches-up-chinas-lower-tier-markets-ahead-of-qixi-festival/ 

 

5 Tips For KOL Collaborations In China

The outcomes of a partnership between a brand and KOL are impossible to foresee.

  • 1. Limited-edition capsule collections are king
  • 2. Take cues from local brands
  • 3. Beware of collaboration fatigue
  • 4. Keep in mind: Consumers in China still rely heavily on celebrities and KOLs 
  • 5. Yet brands must be more cautious than ever when partnering with a KOL or celebrity

Link: https://jingdaily.com/five-tips-kol-collaborations-china-neiwai-li-jiaqi/ 

 

Alibaba’s Ele.me joins ByteDance’s Douyin to challenge Tencent-backed Meituan in food delivery market

On Friday, Ele.me, an Alibaba Group Holding-backed food delivery service, announced a partnership with ByteDance that would enable Douyin’s 600 million daily active users to place food orders through the brief video app.  Through the partnership, Ele.me will use videos on Douyin to promote products from millions of restaurants and stores.

Ele.me was acquired by Alibaba in 2018, but the platform has had trouble competing with Meituan, which is supported by Tencent Holdings. In the first quarter of 2021, Ele.me held 27% of the market for online food delivery in China, which is less than Meituan’s share of 67 percent. Meituan faces new obstacles as a result of the most recent partnership between Ele.me and Douyin. 

Link:https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3189538/alibabas-eleme-joins-bytedances-douyin-challenge-tencent-backed

H&M Returns to Tmall After Prolonged Xinjiang Cotton Controversy

H&M quietly made a comeback on Tmall, Alibaba’s flagship e-commerce site in China. The store’s reopening was announced by local media outlets on Monday. In 2018, the Swedish fast-fashion juggernaut debuted its official Tmall store. Due to allegations of forced labor in the Xinjiang region, the brand refused to use that cotton in March, and as a result was removed from Pinduoduo, JD.com, and Tmall.com. The store remains unsearchable on the latter two e-commerce sites, and its store listings remain delisted from online maps and Dianping, the Chinese version of Yelp.

H&M closed its first and largest flagship store in Shanghai this June due to protracted lockdown procedures and ongoing customer backlash. The brand currently runs 381 physical locations, down from more than 500 doors at the start of 2021. The brand also operates an official website in the market.

Link: https://sg.news.yahoo.com/h-m-returns-tmall-prolonged-151757777.html

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