The Super App trend is growing strongly globally, especially in regions with a large number of mobile users such as Asia. How have the world’s leading brands taken advantage of the explosion of Super Apps like WeChat to build multi-dimensional interaction channels with their customers? And what can Vietnamese businesses learn? Let’s find out with PangoCDP in this article!
A 12-Year Journey – From a Messaging App to the Super App WeChat
Before the first email was sent, no one imagined that humans could transmit information so quickly. Before the Internet, no one thought that people could connect with each other anywhere in the world just through a computer screen and phone. Following the flow of human civilization, communication tools between humans, in this place and everywhere else have continuously evolved. With the belief that “there will always be something more advanced in the future,” WeChat has amazed the world with its increasingly superior ecosystem.
When it first started, WeChat was a popular online messaging and communication app in China. Besides the chat function, users can search for friends, follow news, share photos and videos directly on their personal page.
With more and more features, WeChat has been offering everything from entertainment to shopping, transportation, bill payments, hotel and flight bookings, money transfers, and other financial transactions. WeChat aims to integrate tools closely related to all user needs, at the highest level of personalization possible.
Key Milestones in WeChat’s Development
WeChat is a multi-platform messaging and communication app developed by China’s tech giant Tencent. With over 1.2 billion global users, WeChat is one of the most popular mobile apps worldwide.
2011: WeChat was first launched in January 2011 in China under the name “Weixin,” with basic features such as sending text messages, making calls, and sharing photos.
2012-2013: WeChat constantly updated and expanded new features including video calls, location sharing, group chats, voice messages, interactions with famous brands and celebrities. This was also the period when WeChat reached out to markets outside China with creative marketing campaigns to attract users in Southeast Asia and India.
2013-2014: WeChat Pay was introduced. This is an online payment service integrated in WeChat that allows users to make financial transactions such as money transfers and online shopping.
2014-2017: WeChat gradually grew and became a complete ecosystem leading the global Super App trend. WeChat developed features such as WeChat Moments (similar to Facebook), Official Accounts (allowing businesses to create pages and advertise), and Mini Programs (apps integrated in WeChat).
2019-2020: WeChat integrated artificial intelligence and smart services such as Chatbot and virtual assistants. This feature allows users to interact with WeChat via voice and receive instant support.
Two Critical Components for WeChat to Become a Super App
WeChat Official Account (WeChat OA) allows businesses, organizations and individuals to create and manage their official page on the WeChat app. With WeChat OA, users can create and manage their information pages to interact with users on WeChat.
WeChat OA provides many features and tools to create, manage content, communicate with users, and analyze data. The main functions of WeChat OA include:
- Communication and advertising: WeChat OA allows sharing news, product information, promotions and advertisements directly on WeChat. Businesses can post articles, images, videos and other content to interact with customers.
- Customer service: Businesses can manage and interact with customers by providing online support such as answering questions, handling requests and responding to user feedback via direct messages.
- Interactive features: WeChat OA allows businesses to initiate interactive activities such as live chats, polls, games, etc., to create engagement and increase interaction with customers.
- Data management and analysis: WeChat OA provides tools for managing and analyzing user data. Businesses can track the number of followers, interactions, and analyze behaviors to better understand customers and improve their marketing strategies.
Big Brands when Entering the Chinese Market have Successfully Built Customer Experience on WeChat
Nike is one of the brands that has successfully built an OA on WeChat. Nike’s WeChat Official Account functions as an official channel to communicate with customers, building relationships with the community of people who love and care about Nike on WeChat.
Nike uses the WeChat Official Account to share brand-related content, including information about new products, events, promotions and advertising campaigns with eye-catching images and interesting videos. Through the OA, Nike provides opportunities for fans to engage and interact with the brand. The brand hosts polls, votes, games, and other interactive activities to stimulate user engagement. Nike also provides information related to sports, including news about sporting events, health and fitness guides, workout schedules, etc. This helps Nike build a community of individuals interested in the brand and shared interests in sports on WeChat.
It can be said that the WeChat Official Account is a powerful tool for Nike, helping the brand build better relationships with customers, enhance interaction, and increase brand awareness on the ”billion-user platform”.’
WeChat Mini Program (or Mini App) is a compact mobile application platform developed within WeChat. These WeChat Mini Programs can offer a wide range of features and services, including online shopping, dining reservations, ticket booking, gaming, news viewing, social interaction, financial services, and more. They can be accessed through WeChat without downloading and installing from traditional app stores. WeChat Mini Programs has become a significant part of the WeChat ecosystem, attracting widespread interest and use from both individual users and businesses around the world.
Known as one of the leading companies participating in the WeChat Mini Program, Coca-Cola has successfully created interactive experiences and reached their customers. It can be said that WeChat has thoroughly calculated to simplify the process of finding a Mini Program on WeChat.
To find a Coca-Cola Mini Program, you just need three simple steps:
- Open the WeChat app on your mobile phone.
- Search for “Coca-Cola” or “Coca-Cola Mini Program” in the WeChat search bar.
- Check the list of search results to find the relevant Coca-Cola Mini Programs, and explore the features, activities and promotions offered by the brand.
Notable Coca-Cola Mini Programs must be mentioned as follow:
- Coca-Cola New Year Games is a Mini Program of Coca-Cola’s Chinese New Year campaign in the Chinese market, aiming to connect families through gaming experiences. Players scan the QR code on the surface of a special version of Coca-Cola cans to enter the game. By completing game requirements and earning points, players are rewarded with ”tiger money” to exchange for the corresponding rewards.
- Coca-Cola Love Customization is a Mini Program launched during the Qixi Festival. Users can design bottles, write personal messages on the body of the bottle and order limited-edition gift sets through Coca-Cola’s WeChat Mini Program. This Mini Program creates an interesting experience for users and helps businesses increase business during the holiday season.
Leading companies such as HaiDiLao, Starbucks, Coca-Cola, Nike, etc., have built “The Master Channel” on WeChat, successfully providing diverse experiences, attracting and retaining users, and generating millions of orders daily on the platform. This success reflects the necessary flexibility of a business to keep up with market changes, understand consumer behavior and needs, and thus increase conversion rates from approach to purchase.
This future is likely to soon happen in the Vietnamese market.
Not only data exploitation strategies, but also detailed marketing campaign implementations for businesses based on data orientation and much new knowledge around The Master Channel will be presented in detail in The Main Interaction Channel – The Master Channel, Volume 1.
Six chapters of the book will guide readers through the impressive development journey of interaction methods between businesses and customers.
From the most primitive forms to multi-dimensional interactions in the smartphone era, the book will present successful stories along with leading global brands in boosting revenue by enhancing customer experience, explaining the success of The Master Channel concept when applied at two leading Vietnamese companies, Nutifood and CellphoneS.
The book is now available at Fahasa, Phuong Nam, Hai An, Ca Chep bookstores, and online at 24h bookshops and e-commerce platforms like Tiki, Shopee, and TikTok Shop. You can also quickly order the book here: https://i.o2o.vn/H767
