Today it’s clear how Douyin is showcasing the future of social and e-commerce. Focus on Douyin if you want to win in China. Let’s see why
Chinese e-commerce sector is booming, having a higher e-commerce spend this year than the rest of the world combined. Last data show us, again, how China is such a big opportunity for brands. As we know, the Dragon, once known as less connected country in the world, has become the land of the e-commerce giants with Alibaba and JD amongst many others all dominating online spend right now. But other new players are growing behind the curtain. Pinduoduo, Meituan, Kuaishou, Little Red Book and Douyin some names.
That’s why is not wrong to say that the opportunity for brands isn’t in the Alibaba’s & JD’s. Whilst they account for over 50% of Chinese e-commerce, it’s more effective as a brand to go after the other portion that isn’t the lions share that is found through other e-commerce channels. Let’s see how Douyin is becoming month by month an important player in e-commerce sector. We’ve mentioned Douyin but also the “underbelly” of Chinese commerce, such as private communities, for example social sellers on WeChat.
Short-Form vertical video is going to be the dominant format over the next 5 years, and Douyin is the platform that will lead the way. We’ve always been confident on short-form video, and a large reason for that is the huge growth of Douyin, with over 500m monthly active users and rising, and over 50% of those using the app daily.
Today it’s clear that Douyin is showcasing the future of social and e-commerce, seamlessly integrating the two through content and future technologies.
Douyin’s latest feature is a true game-changer. You can now select a feature in a video, for example, a person or item of clothing, and search for other videos or images containing them or directly buy the products recommended. What’s the meaning? It’s what we’ve predicted will happen: Next generation of social media led by AI.
Could be a shock, but forget Tmall, Taobao and WeChat – focus on Douyin if you want to win. Let’s see why. Right now Douyin’s aims are to get as many users as possible and grow the platform, even outside China, and give exposure to great content, there is no ulterior motive like there is with other social platforms that are pay-to-win.
On Douyin, content wins, and that’s the best time for brands to build an audience. Digital experts always been bullish on short-form video and Douyin in particular, and this latest feature reinforces that and opens up a world of possibility for brands in connecting with their audience. Brands need to be working toward how they can leverage the direction that social is moving to, and they need to be doing that now – this is merely the tip of the iceberg. Are you going to start building an audience on Douyin?
China is a huge opportunity, but everyone should remember that it pays tenfold if you think outside the box, be bold and be creative. Think beyond the status quo platforms that everyone talks about and look at the opportunities everyone forgets. This is where the real arbitrage can be found, and Douyinis one the top player to interact with.
The company has revised its revenue target for 2019, in a range from 120 billion yuan ($ 16.8 billion) from a previous target set at the end of last year of 100 billion yuan
Douyin, a popular Chinese short video app known as TikTok outside of China, has introduced a reverse image search tool that allows some users to find in-video products such as clothing, which they can then purchase directly from within the app.
The move could help ByteDance, owner of Douyin, take advantage of the growing popularity of the video app, which has accumulated 320 million active users every day in July. The Beijing-based company has just revised its revenue target for 2019, in a range from 120 billion yuan ($ 16.8 billion) from a previous target set at the end of last year of 100 billion yuan, according to Reuters.
The function is only available for users selected on the Chinese version
The new function was identified by Chinese technology analyst Matthew Brennan, who showed the Twitter search tool for the first time last week. While watching a video clip of Chinese comedian Xiao Shenyang, other celebrity videos appeared after clicking on the circle icon on the right side of the screen. While Brennan moved the research area on Xiao’s trousers, similar apparel products appeared that could be purchased directly by users.
ByteDance has not commented on the news, but the description on the app page said that the reverse search function can be used to find other celebrity videos or videos of similar pets, based on still images, suggesting that the company is collecting identifiable data from its content that could potentially be used to generate advertising revenue.
The function is only available for users selected on the Chinese version of the app and it is not clear whether Douyin will make it available in the foreign market in the future. It is also not clear whether the platform is scanning videos that Douyin users have labelled as private.
Other companies have also used this technology, attracting however several criticisms on the privacy front
Supported by artificial intelligence algorithms, the technology behind the reverse image search is not new. The Google search engine offers the feature, but has raised privacy concerns, especially in the era of deepfakes.
In August, the Zao face exchange app, supported by Chinese social media developer Momo, became viral on social media but immediately sparked controversy over privacy issues. The growing concern for privacy related to facial recognition has led to Facebook’s decision to discontinue an automatic photo tagging option, according to Reuters.
More and more Chinese organize trips independently, also thanks to platforms like MaFengWo and Qyer
More and more Chinese people travel abroad to enjoy the beauty of the outside world. It is expected that in 2021 there will be over 200 million Chinese tourists leaving the country.
Thanks to the popularity of the Internet and mobile phones – which allow greater freedom of information exchange in combination with a growing number of young, sophisticated and world-oriented Chinese consumers – independent travel has been increasingly common and preferable over traditional packages tourist.
This type of travel allows people to explore destinations in their own way; with their personalized programs, activities and deadlines that incorporate their personal preferences, habits and hobbies. In the service of this trend, there have been several platforms designed to help these free and independent travellers plan and book their trips in an easy and convenient way.
MaFengWo is also an OTA platform where independent bookings can be made
MaFengWo is a Chinese social media-travel platform, where users share or read detailed travel guides, reviews, tips and all kinds of information about a destination such as hotels, activities, weather, shopping, places of interest and more.
Considering that young Chinese seek and plan their journeys in strict advance, MaFengWo and its rich user-generated content is an important place to do so.
MaFengWo is also an OTA platform where users can book or make reservations for transport, hotels, commercials, catering, shopping and leisure, covering over 60,000 destinations worldwide. Since 2006 MaFengWo has helped 120,000,000 travelers a month and is considered the “travel Bible” of the younger generation.
In travel articles written by users you can find information about a destination, as well as suggestions, photos, suggested routes and personal comments provided by other travellers.
These articles are incredibly detailed, with pictures and instructions on how to make the most of a trip to the area where the article is concentrated. Before users make their final travel decision, they can use travel blogs on potential destinations and then make their travel decisions based on the life experiences of other travellers.
MaFengWo also offers the possibility of buying travel items
Furthermore, MaFengWo is also a shop where you can buy travel items, offering a fascinating range of travel products and services that cover everything you can think of. From hotel reservations to airport transfer services, transportation tickets, visas, SIM cards or other travel products; all in one website!
There are many other similar communities of content generated by small users in the Chinese market, but a well-known competitor in the tourist community category is Qyer. Founded in Germany in 2004 (now based in Beijing), it was originally a travel community of overseas Chinese who shared their experiences and suggestions on how to travel in Europe.
Over the years, the online community has evolved into a “single outbound travel platform”. Its products now include everything a traveller needs. Indeed, Qyer aims to make travel abroad more affordable and cheaper for Chinese tourists.
Among the main products are the online community, where the posts (which can contain up to 500 comments) are divided between articles on travel in various destinations and themed items, such as family trips, photography and cruises. QYER sees more than 6,000 new items added by traveler users every day.
Another product offered is the travel planning app, where users can spend less than a minute to get a travel plan, simply by entering the basic factors: city of departure and return, destinations, journey time and preferences for variables such as the mode of transport and the pace of travel.
Finally, an e-commerce sector is present. A platform designed to facilitate independent travel abroad, offering air tickets, tickets to scenic spots and other tourist attractions, visa services and so on.
With over 500 million monthly active users in 154 countries worldwide, TikTok is rethinking its future
TikTok, the ByteDace app that deals with short videos, has labeled the United States, Japan and India as strategic countries to favor its expansion abroad, according to Chinese media reports LatePost.
While the United States and Japan have already been popular markets for TikTok, the Beijing-based startup has increased its emphasis on the Indian market, where the company has increased the number of active daily users (DAUs) by 50 million units in 2019 .
The number of new users of TikTok and its Chinese version Douyin reached 188 million in the first quarter of 2019, with an increase on an annual basis of 70% and half of them came from India, as reported by the analysis organization Sensor Tower app. The Indians also installed the TikTok app 89 million times in the first quarter of the year, more than eight times last year’s number. By comparison, the United States has gained around 13 million installations over the same period of time.
To continue its growth in the Indian market, TikTok will join Vigo
Due to this rapid growth, India has been updated to the list of strategic countries, although it had previously been ranked lower in terms of average revenue per user (ARPU), an indicator applied internally by the company to differentiate the markets.
The move also comes after a backlash that the company faced in April, when the Indian government ordered TikTok to be removed from Google and the Apple App Store for two weeks. The sanction came due to alleged encouragement to obscenity and other illegal content. After the reversal of judicial prohibition, the app quickly returned to the country’s main downloads.
To continue its growth in the Indian market, some sources have reported that TikTok will be joining Vigo, another video-sharing app owned by ByteDance.
TikTok continues its rise in the world, with a special focus on South America
But between the new frontiers of the app there is not only India, Even the Brazilian market, in fact, has attracted the attention of TikTok’s plans. Everything comes from when its competitors, including the Kuaishou platform (marketed outside China as Kwai) and the live streaming app YY, are growing rapidly in many South American countries.
Tiktok, meanwhile, removed the UK from selected strategic countries. The Chinese company has been under investigation in the United Kingdom since February, due to the way in which it collects and uses the personal data of young users, with particular attention to the safety of minors present on the platform
ByteDance would group its recommendation algorithms into a solution system, making it available to external companies
ByteDance, China, would be developing its recommendation algorithm based on artificial intelligence, to be sold also to third party companies. The move would be more intensive, the technology would be better for the corporate services sector, according to local TechPlanet.
ByteDance, based in Beijing, is known for its consumer-oriented apps, including news aggregator Jinri Toutiao and TikTok. Toutiao and TikTok’s secret ingredient that lies behind the rise of Toutiao and short video clips (Tikui) and short video clips.
ByteDance, would have grouped its recommendation algorithms in a solution system, nicknamed ByteAir, making it available for external companies.
The system will connect to corporate customer database
ByteAir’s recommendation system works in a similar way to the algorithms that guaranteed TikTok‘s success. This will be a campaign or an e-commerce article.
Put simply, the system will first connect to the database of corporate customers, import user data and related behaviourrecords, as well as data acquired from customer products or services. Then, it will filter and analyze the data to the customer’s business.
ByteAir is based on the proprietary ability of big data and machine learning by ByDance and on the experience of technological heavyweights in a wide range of activities on the Internet, from news, live streaming and short videos, social media to e-commerce. ByteAir will also provide customized solutions for its customers.
The last few years have seen the frenetic growth and global expansion of ByteDance
ByteDance has formed its internal business units to use ByteAir solutions, as well as providing solutions to a list of mobile suppliers, such as the Chinese Meizu, Oppo, Vivo and Samsung South Korea. The last few years have seen the growth and growth of the business and its ecosystem like its technological senpais such as Alibaba and Tencent.
In the past months, after all, there was an initial indication of his “catering to business” activities. In April, it launched Lark, an app for collaboration and productivity of corporate work, which was previously an internal communication tool. He is a competitor of Alibaba’s Dingtalk and Tencent’s WeChat for Work.
Meanwhile, he acquired the Mubu workflow tool and continued to invest in the Google Docs Shimo-style online platform, strengthening his portfolio of high-efficiency workflows and collaborative products.
It’s not just entertainment. Live-streaming is the Chinese answer to consumer’s need for transparency. And now even WeChat enters China’s live-streaming squad, providing live broadcasts within its Mini Program platform
Live-streaming is not only the ultimate entertainment format but it is also the internet’s next form of digital communication. It is coming from China to reshape the whole e-commerce industry one stream after the other. After having pioneered social-commerce, the Dragon is now setting the model for video-driven e-commerce both at home and abroad.
According to statistics, more than 100 million viewers watch a live online video event every month while nearly 32% of users buy products through live-streaming videos. It is the “entertain-merce” era where commerce is inextricably linked to entertainment.
After Taobao revealed that goods sold via live-streaming in 2018 were worth a total of $14.9 billion, now even Tencent has accelerated the integration of live-streaming features into its WeChat Mini Program platform. The aim is clear: boosting e-commerce through real-time content.
WeChat is going to open up new e-commerce options by providing live-streaming features. According to a WeChat public account called Tencent Live Streaming Assistant, China’s internet giant, already started to test the live-broadcasting function with content managing companies and a limited number of e-commerce players in March.
The sources have revealed that the firm is working to provide a smooth transition between watching broadcasts and buying online. Apparently, the user would be allowed to click the products listed on the live-streamed video and then, would be directed to the merchant’s Mini Program to finalize the transaction.
Streaming on WeChat was already possible before, but sellers had to link up with the Tencent Live app, which operates as a separate platform. Now, with the new features, merchants with official accounts will be able to live-stream their goods through an H5 marketing page – interactive pages written in HTML5 language, usually for mobile websites – embedded in their Mini Programs.
One of the best ways to gain instant reactions and engagement from the audience is to leverage live-streaming. After Taobao and JD.com, this function is finally available even on WeChat.
In addition to Alibaba’s Taobao and JD.com, Chinese vendors now have a brand-new channel to generate revenues, which among other things leverages WeChat’s enormous volume of users. With 1.1 billion monthly active users, WeChat ecosystem is, therefore, enriched by features that could turn the app into the next bigger player in e-commerce. It will become an even more powerful platform that satisfies all kinds of needs of the online community.
Nevertheless, live-streaming and e-commerce have been a winning combination in China for some time now. In late 2016, only a few hundred of Chinese mobile apps had live-broadcasting features. But today, there are an estimated more than 900 real-time video platforms and over 10 million active hosts in the country. So much so that today, experts claim that this market in China is going to be worth $8 billion in 2019.
The popularity of this new format derives from two particular features: the chance for everyone to be seen by an audience and the complete transparency of the content as it is filmed live with no post-production. Therefore, from education to entertainment, from online gaming to live shopping, real-time videos now represent the ultimate form of communication for Chinese millennials. Indeed, of the over 800 million people with internet connections in China, nearly half of them use real-time video apps.
Live-streaming’s interactive nature makes it suitable for many audiences with different purposes. And for what concerns education, real-time videos are making a life-changing difference in China’s rural areas.
CCTalk is part of a growing number of live-broadcasting services in China’s education industry. Similar to entertainment and e-commerce applications of live-streaming, educational live-streams open a real-time channel between a host and an audience, or a teacher and students. Today, over 10,000 individuals and organizations are teaching classes on CCTalk so that even larger players such as Tencent and YY now have their own live education platform as well.
However, before being China’s top form of communication, live-streaming is above all a form of entertainment. With the rising popularity of short-video apps, real-time content has quickly started to gain interest among viewers. With 59.7 million registered users, Yizhibo is one of the biggest live-streaming platforms in China, whose strength is to be fully integrated into the social network Weibo.
Even the online gaming industry is leveraging the live-streaming trend so much so that currently, the PRC is the second-largest eSports – electronic sports – market behind the United States. The two dominant players in China are Douyu and Huya where users can share and engage with videos of any sort including real-time gaming.
Live-streaming is not only booming but it is also fueling Chinese e-commerce with nearly 32% of customers now buying products directly on real-time video platforms.
Nevertheless, while many companies adapted their platforms to respond to the demand for entertainment and real-time content, live-streaming is now revolutionizing the entire e-commerce sector. As about 95% of e-commerce activity in China is made through mobile devices, live-streaming has indeed become a powerful tool for the online retail industry.
Even farmers from rural China have now become real live-streaming stars. Today, 1.15 million rural users sell local products on Kuaishou through both short videos and live-streaming. Their videos show the origin of food on sale and thus respond to the consumers’ need for transparency.
Broadcasting in the PRC, therefore, started as a non-commercial trend with young people sharing their lives and talents. However, today, e-commerce penetrates the majority of live-streams whether through fashion show broadcasts or via internet celebrities reviewing the latest cosmetic product, enabling consumers to buy what they see on the screen in real-time.
The biggest player in the business has always been Alibaba. Tencent has been trying to catch up after its own social features like WeChat public accounts and Moments started seeing declining numbers of views. Moreover, short video sites such as ByteDance’s Douyin – known as TikTok outside China – and Kuaishou, have both leveraged on live-streaming as a way to boost e-commerce.
Live-streaming is working so well for e-commerce because very often, the result of instant interaction is impulse shopping. According to Jing Daily, the return rate from real-time content could range from 15% to 50%, with strong evidence that the higher the prices are, the higher the return rate is. This is because young luxury shoppers demand transparency. Therefore, live-streaming is the perfect channel for brands to give consumers what they demand while also being creative and entertaining.
Broadcasting allows room for spontaneity, giving the illusion of bringing the host and the audience closer through real-time interactions. In a country where the customer gives extraordinary importance to building relationships and sharing interests, live-streaming is certainly a powerful tool.
The real-time video trend has shown how in the Middle Kingdom, entertainment goes hand in hand with digital commerce. Live-broadcasts provide people with entertainment and a glimpse into the lives and experiences of others, attracting both viewers and consumers.
According to a report published by the China Internet Network Information Center, at the end of 2018, China hosted 397 million users on multiple live-stream websites while demonstrating also tremendous purchasing power. Therefore, the PRC is not only the first and largest live-streaming market in the world but its netizens’ purchasing experience is getting more fun, more efficient, and thus more productive year after year.
Today, in China, it is almost impossible to separate entertainment from commerce, but live-streaming has so much potential that probably we have not seen it realized to the fullest yet.
The H5 page allows users to click on the products listed in the live streaming video
Tencent, the Chinese internet giant, has accelerated the integration of live streaming features into its WeChat mini-program platform, with the aim of enhancing e-commerce, according to a WeChat public account called Tencent Live Streaming Assistant.
Tencent began recruiting content management companies to test the live streaming feature last March and recently also began selecting competitors for e-commerce to test the live streaming feature.
The solution is an H5 page embedded in a vendor’s mini program on WeChat
Tencent, as shown by some movements in the app over the past few months, has taken another step forward to allow a gradual transition between watching a live streaming show and the online shopping experience.
The solution is an H5 page embedded in a vendor’s mini-program on WeChat. The page, which can be added upon request, allows users to click on the products listed in the live streaming video and direct them to the provider’s mini program for a transaction.
Live streaming has become a valid source of income
WeChat, with 1.1 billion active monthly users, has opened its mini-program platform to various small suppliers, allowing them to generate revenue in a new channel as well as other e-commerce sites such as Alibaba’s Taobao or JD.com. Precisely on Taobao, as proof of the market trend, the goods sold in live streaming in 2018 are worth a total of 100 billion yuan ($ 14.9 billion).
Short video sites like Douyin of ByteDance, which has an equivalent app called TikTok outside the Chinese mainland, and Kuaishou supported by Tencent, both used live streaming as a way to boost e-commerce.
Live streaming has become a valid source of income thanks to the boom in the Chinese live-streaming sector in recent years. According to a report published by the China Internet Network Information Center, at the end of 2018, China hosted 397 million users on multiple live stream websites and demonstrated tremendous purchasing power.
Alibaba’s new attempt to break into the social media sector following JD and ByteDance steps
As reported by Chinese media, Alibaba has released a social networking app for university students named Real Ruwo, Real like Me. Alibaba hasn’t released much about the all, and it’s still in testing phase and is invitation only. According to experts, “Real like Me” is Hangzhou based tech giant latest attempt at establishing a prosperous social network. As we know Alibaba already have e-commerce payments, delivery and retail. Building a social app could strengthen Jack Ma’s company position.
Technode. Screenshot of Real website
But let’s see how does it work. With the slogan, “Real Life, Real You,” the app enables students to interact with each other by sending text messages, photos, videos and more. The app scans your face and provides information based on your features, such as how good looking you are, which celebrity you look like and whether you look kind and more.
By the way, what’s really interesting is the app supports facial recognition for login replacing QR code for login as a way to connect with friends. Thus, Alibaba is following the principle that the next iteration of human-tech interface (such as AI led facial recognition) will be a natural evolution of QR format.
With this new attempt to break into the social media sector, Alibaba is joining the new trend of launching college campus-based social networking apps. JD Finance began testing university social app Liwowo in early September, and Bytedance acquired campus social networking software Biu Campus two weeks ago.
Social commerce is the use of social networks in the context of e-commerce transactions and, in China, the gross value of goods for social e-commerce will increase from a planned 1.300 billion yuan this year to 2.86 billion yuan by 2021
It is probably the natural evolution of e-commerce. In an era where everything is social, in fact, even for e-commerce, there is a social variant. This variant, according to a report published by China Internet Watch (CIW), has grown exponentially in popularity over the past three years in China and its GMV (total sales volume) should continue to grow at a rapid pace to reach 1.3 trillion of yuan (US $ 185 billion) this year and more than double to reach 2.86 trillion yuan in 2021.
The interest in this type of e-commerce in China was born two years ago, when the GMV grew by 255.8 per cent to reach 626.85 billion yuan, compared to 176.20 billion yuan the previous year. The data refers to the main e-commerce platforms that combine social elements in their sales processes, such as Pinduoduo, Xiaohongshu and streaming video apps like iQiyi
The concept of social commerce was developed by David Beisel and by Steve Rube
Pinduoduo is an e-commerce platform that combines social interactions and social media elements. What makes it a social e-commerce platform is that it allows consumers to form groups or take part in existing ones, thus purchasing an item at a discounted price. Therefore an incentive to attract friends to buy an economic product and a greater social involvement among people, with a consequent increase in user traffic.
Xiaohongshu, on the other hand, which means “small red book” in English, attracts mainly female users born after 1990, as it specializes in the field of niche beauty and fashion products. It can be called social e-commerce because the Web is a community for like-minded users who share their advice and recommendations on various products. Many of them publish photographs and videos of themselves showing potential buyers how to adapt the products and exchange their opinions. Xiaohongshu has reached over 200 million registered users.
Both Pinduoduo and Xiaohongshu, have their platforms connected to Chinese social networks, such as WeChat, QQ or Weibo, where users share posts or invite their friends. However, there is another player in the field of social e-commerce.
Some academics have sought to distinguish “social commerce” from “social shopping”; the latter, the collaborative activity of online shoppers
The third player in the new social e-commerce space highlighted in the report is the iQiyi video streaming and film platform. The so-called “Netflix of China” has intensified the game compared to its American counterpart. While watching their favourite TV program, users can click on the links to purchase the items they see on the screen.
This June, iQiyi announced that it has over 100 million paying subscribers and the forecast sees continued growth. Obviously the ways in which Chinese users buy online is changing.
According to the annual growth rate of companies is 100.6 per cent with an 11.9 per cent increase in their penetration rate. Currently, over 80 per cent of online shoppers purchase their products through social e-commerce platforms. Shoppers are online and buying, only now their demand has shifted to purchases that combine authentic experience with personalized engagement
Wondering how to get started marketing and China and considering launching a WeChat marketing campaign? If you are running out of ideas or simply don’t know what works best, look no further! Read on to draw inspiration from these 7 WeChat marketing cases we’ve handpicked for you!
WeChat Marketing for A Luxury Brand – Burberry
Wondering how to utilize digital marketing channels to drive foot traffic to a brick-and-mortar store? or boost in-store purchases? Every luxury brand grapples with this question, yet Burberry seems to have found the answer.
In its 2016 CNY WeChat marketing campaign, Burberry sent a photo of a decent cylinder-shaped gift box to its WeChat followers through the app. Fans had to follow the instructions – “Shake, tap and swipe to try and open the gift” to find out what was inside. This fun little interaction was unique and helped it stand out from its competitors.
After opening the gift, users would receive a greeting letter from Burberry, which fans could then personalize to send greetings to their loved ones. This is an excellent example of using HTML5 to create unique user experiences and create a positive brand image with social media users.
Burberry’s interactive Chinese New Year WeChat marketing campaign
WeChat Marketing for A Hotel – THE LINQ
When we say WeChat marketing, you are probably thinking of using WeChat Moments & HTML5 like what Burberry did. But what other possibilities are out there? Are there other options that cater to different business models and different industries?
Well, WeChat Official Accounts offer plenty of ways for businesses to create a unique marketing strategy. As WeChat has evolved into a Super-App with a range of functions, the ways that businesses can interact with their customers has become essentially limitless.
Linq Hotel brought an amazing feature to WeChat users through its IoT connected room suites. By scanning the QR code inside their room, guests were linked to the hotel’s official account, through which they were able to control everything inside the room remotely with only a few taps. You can adjust lighting, air-con temperature and even the volume of the TV through the Hotel’s WeChat official account with ease.
Through this unique feature, the hotel was able to attract more followers to its official account (where they could further promote their offerings through targeted messaging, blogs, and updates). This function was able to help the hotel significantly grow its follower base for future marketing efforts.
The interface of the control panel
Apart from the basic functions, they even offer some installed set programs. For example, if you chose the “sleeping mode”, the lights would turn off, the curtains would close, and the doors would lock with just one tap! Imagine how easy it is for your brand to impress your clients with that! Overall this was an astounding effort in WeChat marketing, that utilized WeChat’s various functions in a truly unique way!
The LINQ hotel room with smart IoT system embedded in WeChat
WeChat Marketing for Health & Wellness Products – Mead Johnson
With the combination of the Sanlu milk powder scandal in 2008 and the abolition of China’s one-child policy, there’s more babies and even greater demand for reliable baby formula products. However, it is absolutely crucial for baby brands to build trust among worried consumers.
Mead Johnson’s WeChat marketing campaign really steps into the shoes of Chinese moms. The “360 supermum” campaign it launched was a brand new initiative to build up a team of brand ambassadors. Leveraging the testimonials of satisfied consumers, the brand was able to engage with mothers around China and assure them of the safety of their baby formula “Enfagrow.”
Mead Johnson’s 360 Supermom campaign calling on consumers to become its brand ambassadors
To truly build up a great brand image among consumers, boosting brand awareness is only a part of the game. A seamless user experience and easily accessible and detailed product information matters just as much. Mead Johnson’s WeChat official account offers an all-in-one platform – offering a loyalty program, brand, and product information, and constantly updated content. All of this served to drastically increase user engagement and bring its brand image to the next level.
Johnson Mead’s efforts in WeChat marketing are a clear example of understanding their target audience’s needs. Johnson Mead put all the resources that new mothers need together in one platform, helping mothers with their purchasing decisions and building trust in the brand.
The services Mead Johnson’s official account offers include 1) Tracking the product supply chain 2) Verifying product authenticity 3) Professional pediatrician Q&A 3) Product reviews from moms
WeChat Marketing for Wine – Fancy Cellar
Selling wine using E-Commerce on the WeChat platform can be challenging due to the counterfeiting issues present in China. According to sources, nearly 70% of all wine in China is fake. Chinese consumers are looking for quality foreign goods that they can trust, and are gradually turning to E-commerce to meet these demands.
Fancy Cellar earned the trust of its consumers by educating them on the nuances of wine and spirits. Fancy Cellar operates a successful WeChat shop that provides an easy and reliable platform for consumers to purchase legitimate brand name wines and spirits.
Through providing useful content that was highly shareable, they were able to build up trust in their brand, acquire new followers, and drive sales with a limited budget. This is a great example of using high-quality content to power your WeChat marketing strategy.
Fancy Cellar WeChat Shop
WeChat Marketing for Cosmetics – OLAY
There’s no shortage of WeChat marketing examples in this particular industry as cosmetics brands spend an enormous amount of money on social media in China. This is especially true during the holiday seasons. Chinese New Year has always been the best time for brands to drive user engagement as nearly everyone is active on social media during the holiday period. Offering a creative way to help users send out their blessings to their beloved ones can never go wrong, as can be seen in this example from Olay.
During the Chinese Year New Year, Olay launched a campaign that allows users to send electronic personalized greeting cards titled “Receive Red Envelopes on Horseback”.
“Receive Red Envelopes on Horseback” WeChat marketing campaign by OLAY
In order to get instructions for uploading pictures that contain specialized messages for the receiver, the users had to reply “HK” to Olay on WeChat. Once completed, it allowed the user to create customized cards that could be shared on any social media platforms for distribution to the users’ families and friends.
WeChat Marketing for Cultural Heritage – The Forbidden City
The key to promoting a historical theme to millennials is to break the stereotypical impression of something being “outdated and boring”. The Forbidden City achieved a good result by helping the younger generation relate to historical figures through humor and creativity.
Campaign co-launched by The Next Idea and Forbidden City
The Forbidden City, one of the most popular attractions in China’s capital city of Beijing, launched a WeChat marketing campaign to promote The Next Idea, a creative competition launched by its cooperative partner Tencent. The theme of the contest that year was to let the contestants design funny WeChat emojis using historical figures who had lived in the Forbidden City.
To infuse fun elements into the WeChat marketing campaign, The Forbidden City launched an H5 landing page featuring Emperor Zhu, the Ming Dynasty emperor who ordered the construction of the Forbidden City. In the webpage, the ancient emperor acts like a teenager singing rap, taking funny selfies, and posting on his WeChat Moments. The H5 WeChat page quickly went viral on the internet.
Screenshots from the WeChat H5 Landing Page Campaign
The Forbidden City’s WeChat marketing campaign targeted the right audience: young and creative users likely to sign up for the contest. It also has a clear call to action which takes the audience directly to the Next Idea website. The campaign gained massive traction and was wildly successful in attracting users.
WeChat Marketing for Beverage Chain – Starbucks
For beverage chains like Starbucks, driving consumers to physical stores is their ultimate business goal, and one of the most efficient ways to achieve that was to distribute store coupons. With WeChat Pay becoming one of the most popular payment methods in the country distributing coupons has never been easier!
During the Christmas Season, Starbucks launched a WeChat moments advertising campaign featuring its limited-edition Christmas themed red coffee mugs in a short video. Users were presented with a Starbucks Christmas special coupon after they clicked inside the ad. The coupon was automatically transferred into the users WeChat wallet for use instantaneously.
Clicking the ad (left) and you will receive a 10RMB Christmas special coupon
As a result, The Starbucks’ WeChat marketing campaign was so well-received that users played the video ad an average of 4.9 times each, and 50% of the coupons were redeemed!
Conclusion – Make Your Next WeChat Marketing Campaign a Winning One
All these successful cases show the many possibilities brands have available with WeChat marketing. If you decide to use WeChat for your next big China marketing campaign, you’ll need to be creative to achieve success. With a completely local Chinese social media like WeChat, deep knowledge of the local culture and the ability to differentiate yourself from your competitors is a must! We hope these cases gave you some inspiration for your future WeChat marketing efforts!
ECommerce Nest 
You must be logged in to post a comment.