Chinese social media network WeChat, which is used for everything from chatting with friends to booking travel and making payments, has reached a billion user accounts globally, reports the Financial Times. The sheer number of accounts demonstrates the app’s dominance, though it’s important to note that user accounts means the number of accounts, not individual […]
An analysis of 11,000 apps has found that app retention on iOS is consistently higher than on Android, but only by 1-3%. Conducted by mobile measurement company Adjust, the study – which defines app retention as “the percentage of users still using an app for a certain number of days after install” – found that […]
WeChat has made a fundamental change to the way it works. China’s most popular social media app has always limited its posts’ visibility to the sharer’s friends, or an official account’s followers. While this closed ecosystem limits the potential for content to go viral, it has been an asset for the app’s parent company, Tencent, […]
Some WeChat users in China will soon be able to use the chat app as a state-issued ID card. Financial Times reports that those living in Guangdong’s capital city Guangzhou will be able to use facial recognition to link their identities to the app in the Nansha district this week. The feature will apparently roll […]
Destination DC (DDC), the official marketing organisation for Washington DC, expands its partnership with WeChat by launching the first City Experience Mini Program in the United States to support Chinese travellers when they arrive in the city. Through Tencent’s instant messaging platform, DDC continues its expansion into Washington, DC’s top overseas market with the immersive new program built for the […]
Global consultancy Prophet today announced the results of the third annual Brand Relevance Index ®, a ranking of the most relevant brands in consumers’ lives today. Apple and Googlemaintained their standings as the top two most relevant brands in the UK for the second year. New entrants in the top ten: Android, Dyson and Lush, squeezed out John Lewis, Disney and WhatsApp. The top ten most relevant brands are: […]
Apple will now accept WeChat Pay as a payment method for App Store and iTunes purchases as it seeks to boost sales in China. The move comes months after Apple and WeChat owner Tencent fell out over Apple’s stance on in-app purchases. In a statement to Chinese media, Apple said the company is “dedicated to providing multiple […]
WeChat is ready to celebrate the next Singles’ Day on 11/11, thanks to a collaboration between Digital Retex, European Tencent Trusted partner, and Fireworks, one of the first creative agencies specialized in e-commerce in China. Among the different versions, the celebrations of the day dedicated to the lonely hearts probably started in the 90’s when […]
China has changed from ‘I’ll call you’ to ‘I’ll WeChat you.’ WeChat is the main tool through which the nation connects to each other in their daily lives – despite it only going online 6 years ago. But, where is the line between connected and “over-connected?” Undoubtedly, technology brings us closer, but it also brings us new […]
Starbucks has launched a social gifting feature on WeChat to create more digital connections with Chinese customers. The feature “用星說” (Say it with Starbucks) has launched on messaging app Weixin (WeChat) following a two-week trial. The feature enables users to instantly gift a Starbucks drink or digital gift card, which is stored in the receivers […]