With 1.2 billion active accounts in aggregate, WeChat and Weixin (collectively called “WeChat”) cover 93% of core users in tier 1 Chinese cities. WeChat is the major communication platform for Mainland users to search for and receive all sorts of information. Highly correlated to everyday life, it is a very important channel for businesses planning to tap the Mainland market.
WeChat boasts a host of functions as well as Tencent Cloud-based smart solutions. While providing customers with the latest market news and products, it also helps businesses to create one-stop marketing and sales solutions.
O2O marketing through WeChat applets and official accounts
Mini programs and public accounts are features unique to WeChat. Supported by the Tencent ecosystem, they are ideal tools to diversify sales and marketing efforts. Norman Tam, Vice President of Tencent Cloud International, explained, “Companies can set up online shopping platforms with our mini programs or public accounts where customers can make payment directly with WeChat Pay (Mainland users) and WeChat Pay HK (Hong Kong users). From shopping, payment to aftersales service, they can interact with consumers on WeChat throughout the process. Besides boosting the traffic of public accounts and mini programs, it facilitates CRM too.”
He cited the example of a YSL Beauté shopping event. “Customers uploaded photos on the company’s mini program to register their face IDs in advance. They could also select products with the AR makeup feature and make instant payment with WeChat Pay HK or WeChat Pay, or reserve limited editions and order personalized lettering.”
Low-cost marketing tool
Users can use all mini programs directly on WeChat without downloading and thus save on update and maintenance cost, reaching customers at minimum cost. “Working in conjunction with Tencent Cloud technology and Tencent’s extensive ecosystem, WeChat mini programs provide brands and developers with development components to create HTML5 applications and produce interactive applications complete with images and videos. They can also take advantage of free features on the WeChat platform where customers can reach their customer service staff.”
According to Tam, there were more than one million mini programs and 5.36 million practitioners as of August 2020. In addition to Mainland developers, many overseas developers are joining the game. Some developers are sharing resources for free application or reference. An open ecosystem has now been formed.
Analyzing big data to identify preferences
Tam pointed out that WeChat can provide a wide range of information to help businesses learn more about their customers so as to formulate more focused sales strategies. “Administrators of businesses’ public accounts and mini programs can study analytical data supplied by the WeChat system. The system will show the most common way of accessing their mini programs, peak visit times, products with the highest number of clicks, visit durations and other information.”
He reminded businesses that WeChat has developed a special culture over the years, such as commonly used words and phrases (mainly by Mainland users) and typesetting format. If administrators of businesses’ public accounts and mini programs use practices and contents of other social platforms, they may seem awkward to WeChat users and thus fail to get the expected results. SMEs wishing to launch e-marketing or e-advertising on WeChat can check out the T-box SME E-Marketing Solution and T-box SME E-Advertising Solution jointly offered by HKTDC’s T-box Transformation Sandbox and Tencent Cloud. These offerings can make business promotion on the Mainland much smoother.
