Not so long ago connecting to your
friends through your laptop already seemed very innovative and
modern. But since the immense popularity of Wechat it's obvious: we
don't need a computer to be social. It's all in the phone.
The former large social platforms in
China like Weibo and QQ took after western models such as Facebook,
Twitter and Skype; it started out with a desktop application which
soon got a mobile brother or sister. But what do you do when the
mobile online population exceeds the web surfers on computers?
According to CNNIC (China Internet Network Information Center) 70% of
all internet users in China access the web through their mobile
device. The solution is simple: don't bother with a desktop
application!
Weixin (literally: micro-message) as
WeChat is called in China, was already launched in 2011 by Shenzhen
based online giant Tencent. The third largest internet company in the
world (after Google and Amazon) which also owns QQ and Tencent Weibo,
noticed how online traffic on its platforms became more mobile.
Launching WeChat seems to have been the right next step as the number
of registered users have grown to 300 million in January 2013. And
it's not only the Chinese who have embraced this app. Since it's
worldwide launch in April 2012, WeChat has over 40 million overseas
users, mainly from Malaysia, the Philippines and Indonesia but also
countries like Mexico, Spain and Argentina are being conquered.
But what's so special about WeChat
compared to US-made Whatsapp, Korean's Kakao Talk or Japan's Line?
All these apps facilitate communication through your phone while
solely using the internet but Wechat is the first app to be truly
social and combining a social platform with a chat application,
without needing your desktop. Just like Whatsapp you can send
messages and create group conversations, like Line you send out cute
stickers when you are at a loss for words and like Kakao Talk you can
use it to make phone calls to your friends. The treat is actually
it's social integration; as owner of Tencent Weibo and QQ, Tencent
makes sure you can add your profile and capture Instagram-like
pictures which will appear for all your friends to see. If you don't
feel like typing, you can send out voice-messages and when you really
miss your friends you can have a video conversation with them.
Actually WeChat most ground breaking
step is acknowledging the fact that social interaction are still very
much location-based whether you start a chat, show pictures or want
to meet friends. Most friends people have within their social
platforms don't live that far away and many people are interested in
making friends which they can also meet in person. In WeChat, you can
simply shake your phone to start a chat with a random person within
walking distance.
The most interesting part for
marketeers is the possibility to create official brand pages which
can be followed by users. This way brand can build a personal
relationship with the consumer by sending messages and starting
interactions. Stores can print-out QR-codes to stick on their doors
which will lead consumers directly to their WeChat branded page to
continue the interaction after they left the store.The downside to
this approach might be the danger of users being 'spammed' too much
by companies and maybe being overwhelmed by all the app's features.
It's interesting to see if WeChat is able to keep up the balance of
pleasing marketeers and still providing a comfortable environment for
its users.
However this turns out, WeChat has
taken an important step in acknowledging the fact that offline
doesn't exist anymore. Your phone is always with you and ever since
the invention of the device, it has been meant to connect people and
keep up with family and friends. So why shouldn't this continue now
that your phone has become 'smart'?
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