WeChat, as one of super apps over the world, is no doubt regarded the most popular social commerce platform in China. With over 1 billion monthly active users, WeChat is growing in such a rapid pace and now is taking a giant leap on global market with the launching of their disruptive game changer - Mini Programs.
So What Is WeChat Mini Programs?
Even Chinese people have seamlessly benefited from the innovative light user experience, Westerners may still feel dizzy when go through the complicated China’s internet ecosystem. Culture differences may play an important role, while Chinese aim to have an app solving all problems.
Mini-programs, described as “apps within an app”, are light version of application within Wechat Ecosystem, providing advanced features to enhance user experiences, such as order food delivery, book movie tickets, book ride, etc. What’s more, the exciting part of mini program would be space free, you don’t have to install an app for just single time use and of course, you will not concern anymore why you have so many apps taking extra space of your phone but barely open it - a mini program only take 1 mb when in use!
Bradley Mo, Senior Director of Industry Application, WeChat Open Platform, shared: "As Chinese customers desire more personalized products and services, numerous brands are using Mini Programs to satisfy those needs through social commerce. Ultimately, the three underlying functions Mini Programs realize for social commerce are increase sales, engage users and optimize data."
Currently, WeChat mini-programs has over 200 million daily active users and there is already over 1 million existing mini-programs in WeChat pool. More touchpoints are built up to increase conversion rate in effectively utilising user experience, and ultimately empower businesses with more solutions and playbooks. Despite existing three segments in WeChat services: Payment, Official Account and Moment Ads, Mini-program implements the WeChat empire especially when integrated with payment technology.
As a cross-border payment service leader, FusionPay, is excited to be the first smart solution provider in UK offering one-stop marketing solution with core payment technology. That means UK merchants would fully enjoy benefits from empowerment of mini-program in three perspectives: product service, consumer engagement and scenario service. Meanwhile, customers from China can make GBP payment directly through mini programs which would definitely boost sales for UK merchants.
According to Dave Fan, the WeChat Pay senior director, there is a positive trend that Wechat pay is more than a tool only solving payment issue, instead, it is a smart industry solution with mutual communication between merchants and users aiming to reach millions of offline stores across more than 30 industries.
Bearing this in mind, it is predicted that mini-programs would take a lead position in future marketing formats in WeChat, thanks to its more interactive enablement benefit and easier multi-point access: users are encouraged to go through the customer journey from discovering to paying for items in a closed-loop transaction without installing an app or loading a web page on a seperate browser.
According to data provider ALDZS, 18% of existing mini-programs are contributing to e-commerce segment, further establishing the major position of e-commerce on the market, which is also explained by the uprise online shopping trend in consumer behaviour study.
FusionPay believes that, UK merchants are now at the early adopter stage to take the first mover advantage of mini-programs benefits including easy accessibility, social sharing attribute, and closed-loop transaction.
Meantime, FusionPay are more glad to help UK business build long-term communications with over ONE billion Chinese customers and customize services in selective format (Marketing +Payment) through only ONE platform.
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