If you have not heard of wechat yet, it is the communication app number 1 in China. It is a power app with 1 billion users. If it is the first time you hear about wechat or you are still a beginner on the matter, I strongly recommend you to go read some article about it . And here is why: today we are talking about a Wechat Function that was released back in 2017 and that has become incredibly popular: Wechat mini-program.
Wechat mini-program are mini application that basically enables brands to set up a full mini website to complete their brand experience within wechat. Each day about 20 000 mini programs are uploaded and competing for the attention of more than one billion daily active users on the WeChat app. The interest for this mini programs never ceases to grow.
By the end of January 2018, we had a total of 580,000 mini-programs —involving one million developers, linking with 2,300 third-party platforms, for the pleasure of over 170 million daily active users—that could be found on the platform.
According to the statistics, women are the one spending the most time on this mini-program. Meanwhile, the geographic consumer layout has shifted over the last year from primarily larger cities to also include smaller cities. This last fact means opportunities for brands to reach a whole new target.
What are wechat mini program?
They are small programs/apps within the apps. You can do many things with mini-apps… really the limitation are your budget and your imagination – Granted it has to follow the platform regulations-.
Why is it great?
- No need to install them – It works within the app and does not take any space in the users phone
- Although the experience is not completely comparable to the native APP, the user experience is still better;
- It is cheaper than creating an app and requires less resources
- Easier to promote and more cost-effective than native APP.
What can you do with this mini-programs:?
- Game: Entertaining, great to educate the users about the brand.
- Customer Relationship Management: A well-managed customer is a happy customer
- Loyalty program: Give a reason to a brand rather than the competitor
- Store: Cheaper than any other ecommerce platform.
- Booking: Make it easy for users to book something
- Contest: Great for engagement and brand awareness
As you can Mini-program can fit every kind company in various fields. For instance:
- Real estate – real estate can turns their app into a mini program making it easy for wechat users to share a listing without having to download an app and to communicate with agent.
- Sport center, School, Restaurant, Movie Theater, Event etc Can create booking and calendar program
- B2C companies and brand SHOULD create a customer service mini program to make it easy for customers to contact them and solve their problems
- Businesses and services can create Loyalty program that reward their customers every time they purchase something from them
- Brands and retailers can create their own store with a mini-app. You can read more here about selling on wechat:
Here are 5 tips for your mini programs:
- Aesthetic need to be topnotch, that is the first thing your potential customer will see and this is where they will decide to click or to leave.
- Think Multi-Channel. You have a physical store? Display your location and draw your online customer directly to you.
- Use the mini programs as a CRM, remember: customer is always first.
- Be social, that is the core of wechat. Let your customers interact with their friends via your mini program.
- Entertain your customer, be smart about it. myTheresa for instance has created a mini game where customer needs to recognize a brand with their logo – Fun but also an excellent way to advertise the brand they are selling on their website.
What has Tencent achieved with mini program?
Initially wechat was created to connect people, it now not only is Connecting people but also Connecting people and services, people and businesses and on day people and goods.
With wechat mini program you can complete reading, shopping, entertainment, etc.. The connection between people and business is clear: with service and payment means. From this perspective, WeChat has also connected business. However, Things, objects are still not connected. A table, a pen, an air conditioner, a bus, a dog… can not be connected to people through WeChat.
Tencent have said it, the goal is to connect the offline and online world. It is not quite here yet but with wechat mini-program and they multi-function we are one step closer to this goal. The future of mini-programs is not limited to what we have now.. It is still developing, and the connection between people and goods will definitely be happens.