How is Baidu Zhida (Direct Access) going to impact mobile business?

@merchant name HOW IS BAIDU ZHIDA GOING TO IMPACT MOBILE BUSINESS ?

DIRECT ACCESS

At the Baidu Technology Innovation Conference 2014, Baidu unveiled its much anticipated strategic product, Zhida, which literally means “direct access”. Drawing keen interest from the industry, the product was seen as the search engine giant’s magic wand, indicating its direction of development and a shift towards mobile commercialisation. But who exactly is affected most by the launch of Baidu Zhida? What does it bring to the players in the mobile marketing chain, ranging from advertisers to consumers? Read iClick’s first-hand interpre-tation of this new product.

A Baidu Zhida account is a merchant’s official service account on the Baidu mobile platform, which features functions like a search

merchant or receive personalised recommendations to their page. At the conference, Baidu demonstrated the simplicity of using Zhida: inputting “@haidilao” (a famous hotpot restaurant) in Baidu on a mobile phone directs the user to the restaurant’s online interface, where they can easily complete the ordering and catering process.

Restaurant Reservation

Menu

Information Center Game

Delivery

It delivers a complete service chain of “search +access +payment”.

Zhida became a hit shortly after it was introduced, viewed by many in

for Baidu’s foray onto the O2O battlefield.

Merchant can even

services here

Input "@merchant name" in the search bar.

At the merchant's page, detail services are listed in the landing page.

Consumers can choose what they want to order.

@merchant name

@merchant name

engine, maps, personalised recommendations, @account and fuzzy searches. Via this account, Baidu users will gain direct access to the

the industry as a powerful weapon Personal show detail menu and

Ricky Ng, Co-Founder and Vice President of iClick, was among the first to share his view: “By launching Zhida, Baidu has opened up new business opportunities for merchants on the mobile platform, speeding up the shift of focus towards mobile Internet for traditional industries. In addition, by combining mobile search functions and O2O applications, Baidu Zhida has created faster and more convenient mobile access channels for consumers.” Ng suggested that advertisers should reconsider their marketing strategies based on the following three trends brought about by Zhida:

So who will be the winners in the end? As things stand, it’s a bright beginning that promises to please everyone. Advertisers have acquired mobile access channels by capitalising on the enhanced mobile searching and O2O consumption. Consumers have acquired faster and more convenient shopping channels. The Internet marketing industry as a whole has expanded its scale. Will more win-win situations result from Baidu Zhida’s encouragement of mobile development and innovation? Let’s keep an eye on its development.

Baidu Zhida has created a new mobile access entry. Capitalising on its inherited advantage in mobile marketing, Baidu has created a precise access entrance, linking consumers and merchants together. All users have to do is search “@merchant name” in Baidu to reach the service they need. This is a one-stop solution that meets consumer demand by conveniently linking people and services.

Zhida makes O2O more complete and more straightforward.Baidu Zhida is based on a mobile search engine and maps, which allows consumers to easily acquire a merchant’s information and its location. Coupled with Baidu Wallet, the service delivers a complete online experience featuring ordering, payment, consumption and rating. Zhida makes it possible to seamlessly connect online and offline situations, triggering more instant consumption for consumers. By helping merchants branch out to more new customers, the service will also turn a massive number of online users into offline consumers.

“Zhida +LAPP (light app)” is a lightweight combo that is easy to develop and use. By using HTML5, Baidu Zhida gains the advantages of high speed, low budget and easy promotions. This helps merchants accelerate their online presence at the entryway of mobile Internet. By adding value to “click” marketing on mobile Internet platforms, the product will help drive the speedy transformation of traditional industries in the mobile era.

“Mobile” and “O2O” are hot keywords in 2014. For the first time, the number of China’s mobile users surpassed that of PC users. As the popularity of mobile payment keeps surging, O2O is gaining momentum, fuelling more offline transactions. This blend of mobile payment and O2O is therefore regarded as an irreversible trend. Baidu’s high-key launch of Zhida has highlighted its intent to expand its presence in O2O mobile platforms, recognising the importance of gaining a foothold at the entrance to mobile access. Will Baidu’s move pay dividends? Who is going to be the winners in the end?

About iClick:Re-define digital marketplace and advertising performance with data, insights and innovations.

iClick is Asia's leading digital marketing platform connecting worldwide advertisers with the China audience. Its proprietary XMO platform is the only of its kind in the region that truly supports cross-channel digital marketing activities – including search, display, mobile and social media. XMO is capable to serve every single step in digital marketing from media planning to programmatic buy, audience targeting, campaign optimization, data analysis and reporting.

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