In April 2016, WeCom launched as WeChat Work in China, to only moderate success. The pandemic has turbocharged its user growth, however. The app’s integration with WeChat and arsenal of business features will make it a valuable asset for marketers even after offices reopen.

As WeChat enters its second decade, Allen Zhang Xiaolong, chief architect of the super app, pledged at an annual conference to make videos its cornerstone in the coming years. More specifically, Zhang spotlighted Channels, its short-form video feature, and a more seamless user experience with official accounts and miniprograms (lightweight apps within WeChat that require minimal downloading and disappear after use).

China also has the unique social networking digital platform called WeChat (owned by Tencent). WeChat is a category-defying sociocultural phenomenon, and its multipurpose ubiquity skews China’s social commerce figures upward because any shopping-related activity that starts out on WeChat will count as social. In China, using WeChat is nearly akin to simply using the internet.

According to our latest forecast, 87.8% of smartphone users in China, or 743.5 million people, will use WeChat at least once per month in 2021. Commerce on WeChat is powered by its embedded applets, Mini Programs.

Nearly every messaging app user in China uses WeChat, and its user base continues to grow. WeChat, of course, is much more than a messaging service: It’s a catchall where users can perform social, commerce, and many other digital activities. In Japan, LINE has become synonymous with mobile messaging.

We define “social commerce” as products or services ordered via social networks, such as Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, WeChat, Line, VK, and others, either by buying directly on the social platform, such as via Instagram Checkout or WeChat Mini Programs, or through clicking links on the social network that lead to the retailer’s product page to complete the purchase.

To address this issue, bubble tea chains Nayuki and Heytea launched WeChat Mini Programs that report the wait times and inventory of each store. Another reason behind local D2Cs’ success is their ability to quickly iterate based on emerging trends. The recent rise in pet ownership has inspired animal-themed designs.

About 44% of internet users in China used social networks like WeChat and Douyin (the sister app of TikTok) to purchase goods or services in 2020. That figure will surpass 50% by the end of 2024, as consumers and social media platforms alike reimagine online shopping. More like this:. Audio: What will the media world look like in 2030? Part 1: Digital ads, shopping, and banks.

Pinduoduo’s meteoric growth was fueled by WeChat, the dominant social media platform in China that doubles as a popular commerce destination. Through Mini Programs—a lightweight app feature that helps merchants house virtual storefronts on the platform—WeChat functions as a one-stop shop for ecommerce.

For example, we expect the mobile messaging app WeChat to have more than 700 million monthly users in 2020—more than the worldwide total for Twitter and Snapchat combined. The microblogging service Sina Weibo has fewer users than WeChat does but still reaches a very sizable audience—estimated at over 412 million in 2020, with 45.1% of internet users in the country on the platform.