What is WeChat? It’s one of the most popular messaging apps in China, with over 900 million monthly active users. However, that might not be saying much for English speakers as WeChat doesn’t have a huge presence outside of Asia. If you don’t already know what it is or how to use it, keep reading this article to get up to speed. In this article we will cover everything you need to know about WeChat and its potential as a business tool: how it works, who uses it and what kinds of businesses are using it right now. In case you missed our previous articles about using WeChat as a business tool and why your business needs a social media strategy, read them first so you can get the full picture before jumping into our topic-by-topic guide on how to start using WeChat as a business tool

What is WeChat?

WeChat is a Chinese messaging app that’s been around since 2011. Unlike other messaging apps like WhatsApp, Snapchat, Facebook Messenger or Telegram, WeChat is more than just an app. It is a mobile operating system that integrates messaging, mobile payments, online shopping, online services and more into one platform. It has over 900 million monthly active users, which is a lot and makes it a huge competitor to WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and the rest. Because of how integrated the app is, it can be very useful for businesses. The app is so popular in China that it has become a verb there. You can say someone “does wechatting” if you mean he or she is chatting on WeChat all the time. Because of the prevalence of the app, most people in China use it. But outside of China, there are fewer people who use it and it’s mostly used by Chinese expatriates, who might have to learn a new app and culture to use it. However, both of these groups are potential customers, particularly if you’re selling Chinese products.

Why Should You Use WeChat?

One of the main reasons why you should start using WeChat as a business tool is that it’s very popular in China, a huge market with a lot of people you could sell your products to. And WeChat is a very easy way to get started with this. Before starting to use WeChat as a business tool, you’ll need a Chinese mobile phone number so you can use it. You can buy one with a Chinese SIM card or get one from a Chinese friend. Once you have a Chinese number, you’re ready to start using WeChat. Another advantage of using WeChat is that it’s very easy and intuitive to use. You can create an account with just your name and email address, so setting up an account is quick and easy. You can also send and receive messages with very few button presses, which makes it a good choice for those who aren’t tech-savvy.

The Things You Can Do With WeChat

Since WeChat is a messaging and mobile payments platform, the things you can do with it are very similar to what you can do on other messaging apps like WhatsApp. You can chat with your friends and family, send them images, videos and stickers and make free phone calls. In addition, you can pay bills, shop online, read news and weather, and find restaurants and more. Besides these general use cases, there are also plenty of business use cases for WeChat. You can use it to build customer loyalty by giving out special discounts and deals, send marketing messages, run promotions and giveaways, and more. Another great thing about WeChat is that you can set up a WeChat Business Account to get more functionality, such as more users and their relationships, business profile images, and more. It’s also possible to build a WeChat App, which helps you get started with building your business on WeChat.

Who Uses WeChat?

One of the most important things to know about WeChat is who uses it and how. In 2015, Facebook had one billion monthly active users, while Instagram had 300 million and Whatsapp had 600 million. However, with WeChat, there are over 900 million monthly active users, which is a lot. You can also see that WeChat has a higher usage rate than WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. WeChat is also rare in that it has over 1 billion MAU in just China. The majority of these users are in China, though many others also use it in other parts of the world. In fact, it’s one of the most used apps in the world outside of China, with over 400 million active users in India alone. Some of the top brands using WeChat include Vodafone, Audi, McDonald’s, Adidas, Samsung, Volkswagen, MasterCard, BMW and more. Together, these companies have over 200 million WeChat users, which is a lot.

Top Brands Using WeChat

This is a tricky one, because it’s not always clear whether a brand is using WeChat just on its own or as part of a larger marketing campaign with another brand. With that being said, you can still find some brands that are using WeChat on its own and some that are using it in conjunction with other brands. With that being said, a few of the brands you might find using WeChat include Audi, Vodafone, MasterCard, Huawei, McDonald’s, Citibank, BMW and more. Together, these brands have over 100 million WeChat users.

Conclusion

In this article, we went through everything you need to know about WeChat and its potential as a business tool. We explained who uses it and why you should start using it, as well as the things you can do with it and the brands using it. Now you’re ready to get started using WeChat as a business tool, so get ready to explore what this app has to offer.