In less than a decade, WeChat has penetrated virtually every aspect of Chinese life. To have an accurate idea of WeChat’s impact on Chinese people, think about how widespread Facebook is in Western and multiply that impact. WeChat is used in personal and business settings and has become the default means of a Chinese person to person and person to business communication. WeChat was launched in 2011 for micro-message, and as the name suggests, it originally functioned as a simple messenger app. It was a Chinese equivalent to WhatsApp in essence. WeChat developed rapidly and now has many features and mini-programs that make it much more than just a messaging app. To have a comprehensive idea of the WeChat growth and impact, let’s look at some of the latest WeChat statistics and facts.
WeChat Fascinating Facts
- There are a whopping 1.2 billion users as of 09.30.2020.
- WeChat has 1 billion monthly active users.
- Mini programs have pulled in over 400 million daily active users in 2020.
- Around 1 billion registered WeChat users live in China and over 1 million in Canada (around 50% of Canada’s Chinese population).
- WeChat Pay had around 800 million users at the end of 2019.
- WeChat is totally free worldwide.
- WeChat’s stock price on 27 May 2020 was $53.58.
WeChat Statistics: Usage
- WeChat is the fifth most used social network app in the world.
- WeChat users send around 205 million video messages every day.
- The average number of messages sent on WeChat each day is 38 billion.
- The average number of voice messages sent on WeChat each day is around 6.1 billion.
- WeChat is the number one hub in the social media ecosystem of China.
- WeChat boasts nearly 410 million audio and video calls per day.
- The average amount of time WeChat users spend on it daily is 77 minutes.
WeChat statistics for Business
- In 2020, approximately 100 million people purchased in shopping malls and department stores on WeChat Mini Programs.
- In 2020, there were 80,000 enterprise WeChat partners, with a 400% year-on-year growth.
- WeChat Work used by 2.5 million companies and 60 million MAU
- 72 million businesses registered to WeChat Pay in 2019
- WeChat advertising provides a wide reach on China’s biggest social media platform.
- The average number of daily WeChat Pay transactions is 1 billion.
WeChat Statistics: Revenue
- WeChat reportedly brought 330 billion RMB worth of business over the year 2017 into the economy of China.
- Talking about WeChat valuation, Tencent, the owner of WeChat, exceeded $500 billion in market capitalization in 2018.
- Tencent’s market capital is said to be $537 billion in mid-May 2020.
WeChat Fun Facts
- People in China have been found to spend nearly one-third of their total time online on WeChat.
- Around 76.4% of WeChat users admit using Moments for sharing their experiences with their loved ones.
- The number of Mini Programs in WeChat is 2.4 million.
- 80% of WeChat users use it for work.
- 34.6% of WeChat users spend more than 4 hours a day on WeChat.
How does WeChat growth happen so quickly?
All these facts are fascinating, right? Did you ask yourself while reading them how come WeChat is now an instant hit among Chinese people?
WeChat is now much more than a messaging app. It has a host of mini-programs, games, and more. These features cover all aspects of a person’s daily life and are integrated into WeChat. Someone can order food, check into the underground, provide invoice information, etc., all in WeChat. That’s what is transforming WeChat into an omnipotent app and are creating endless opportunities for businesses. Three main reasons can explain why WeChat is successful among Chinese people.
Many Features.
As mentioned above, WeChat offers a virtual smorgasbord of useful functions, all within one app:
- Messaging
- Video calls
- Moments (like micro-blogging)
- Interest groups
- Online payments
- Official company accounts
- Advertising options
Mobile Payments.
Users may now use WeChat to:
- Pay for shopping
- Buy items directly from online stores
- Purchase train tickets
- Pay for doctor appointments
- Pay rent and utility bills
Business Friendly
On other social media, business users are almost always forced to pay to promote their pages or content to be seen by followers. But, WeChat enables businesses to open an official account and gain followers on the platform at no cost. That’s not all. There are many reasons why companies are attracted to WeChat. Here are some of them:
- Businesses get an official account within the app. This is like a mini-website with individual pages.
- They can post daily updates, taking the form of a blog post, video, infographic, or photos, to their accounts.
- Customers can pay directly for goods and services through their WeChat account.
- Businesses with 100,000 followers or more are allowed to purchase ads and promote their accounts, products, and services.
- WeChat constantly adds new features to help businesses promote their products or attract new followers. One of the latest features is WeChat Channels (Read here a comprehensive guide to WeChat Channels).
Closing remarks
This article aims to highlight WeChat’s importance in doing business, not only in China but also in a large Chinese community, like Canada. Investing in WeChat marketing is crucial to attracting Chinese consumers. Here are some ideas for a successful WeChat Marketing Campaign. Also, if you need expert help, contact Vi-Chinese.
