How WeChat’s 600 Million Users Spell Out Big Profits For Brands

Taiwanese pop stars Rainie Yang and Alan Luo in a WeChat promotion. WeChat, the hottest messaging app in Asia, is only becoming more popular with smartphone users in China and abroad. As we enter the fourth quarter (Q4) of the year, the company has reported several major milestones and innovations, which are likely to catch the attention of luxury marketers worldwide. Read below for the latest news. WeChat’s key numbers for Q4 WeChat reached 600 million users this month, including 150 million out of China, making it the world’s top messaging app, ahead of products like Twitter (218 million) and WhatsApp (350 million). In China, 90 percent of smartphones now use it, with heavy daily activity. In terms of global expansion, WeChat now has a direct connection with Google+, and users can log in via Google products, email, or QQ mail. These features will be helpful as WeChat grows quickly in overseas markets like Southeast Asia, the United States, and now Europe. WeChat Payment After a testing phase with different B2C accounts, WeChat Payment is now fully integrated into the platform, driving important daily traffic from WeChat to online shops. Users can link their bank card, receive benefits, and reduce the number of clicks before purchase. This "Amazon" philosophy will push impulsive buying and help WeChat Payment compete with other Chinese payment systems like Alipay or Tenpay. With China’s November 11th, or "Single Day" coming, the equivalent of Black Friday in the United States, we can bet this tool will be used by a large number of customers. Last year, for the first time in history, China’s e-commerce market surpassed the United States’ with more than $3 billion in sales in a 24-hour period, and 2013 will certainly be better. Last but not least: WeChat says Vive La France! WeChat is now available en français, which is now one of the 20 languages on the platform. This will provide strong added value in terms of international expansion and internationalization of the popular messaging app. Look below to see the French interface: After acting as the general manager for premium brands for Groupon-Tencent China (Groupnet), Alexis Bonhomme is now the general manager for business development at Curiosity China Limited, the WeChat Integrated Agency which focuses on foreign premium brands and their digital strategies in digital marketing, e-commerce, social media, and CRM. Bonhomme works with three groups of clients: brands currently operating in China, brands planning to enter, and brands targeting Chinese and Asian outbound tourism in their local markets. For more information, please contact: contact@curiositychina.com.

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How WeChat’s 600 Million Users Spell Out Big Profits For Brands