WeChat is the top social tool for affluent mainlanders looking for information on luxury brands. (Jing Daily)
It’s undeniable that social media has a major influence on Chinese shoppers’ luxury purchase decisions, and top Chinese mobile messaging app WeChat is the number one platform having an effect on their choices.
That was the finding of PR firm Ruder Finn’s recently released China Luxury Forecast, an annual survey of affluent Chinese luxury consumers. The report confirms that not only is social media highly relevant to mainland Chinese consumers’ lives in general, it’s also a vital tool for consumers to receive information about luxury brands in particular. A total of 82 percent of mainland Chinese consumers said social media is “relevant” (51 percent) or “completely relevant” (31 percent) to their lives. In addition, social networks are the second most relevant luxury information source after close friends and relatives: a total of 55 percent of respondents said that they use social media to research luxury items.
Now that WeChat is surpassing Weibo as China’s top social networking platform, it’s also the top social source for mainland Chinese consumers to receive information about brands: a total of 58 percent of mainland respondents said WeChat influences their brand choice. Meanwhile, Weibo is still highly important in second place, with 52 percent of mainlanders stating it influences them. This was a big contrast from the top platforms for Hong Kong luxury consumers: Facebook (71 percent) and Instagram (26 percent).
For companies hoping to learn what makes their content go viral, the survey results find that mainland Chinese consumers are more likely to share news about luxury products than any other form of brand information. A total of 51 percent of them said they’d be likely to share this information, while 45 percent of them said they would share news about promotions and discounts.
For more information on how luxury brands can use WeChat to reach their top Chinese customers, download Jing Daily’s latest report, Luxury on WeChat.