Inaugural Report on WeChat Platform Data Translated presentation by Grata.co Translated from “微信的 ‘影响力’: 首份微信平台数据化研究报告” (2015-01-27). All data courtesy Tencent Tech. January 2015
Inaugural Report on WeChat Platform Data
Translated presentation by Grata.co Translated from “微信的 ‘影响力’: 首份微信平台数据化研究报告” (2015-01-27). All data courtesy Tencent Tech.
January 2015
In the four years since it’s birth as “Tencent App” in January 2011, WeChat has grown from a simple messaging “app” into a cultural phenomenon changing social and economic behaviors in China in profound ways.
While much has been written about WeChat already, this report is meant to be a deep dive on WeChat platform data to understand it’s current state and what to expect in the future. Data for this report relies on a June 2014 survey of users in all thirty-one Chinese provinces and municipalities. Official Accounts were surveyed separately and data from that report is referenced here as well.
Presentation and translations by Grata.co Data courtesy Tencent Tech
Survey data pointed to the fact that the majority of WeChat users are male.
Male 64.3%
Female 35.7%
WeChat male to female user ratio
Presentation and translations by Grata.co Data courtesy Tencent Tech
As a group, WeChat users are quite young, with a median age of twenty-six. Ninety-percent of users are under thirty-six years old.
of WeChat users are between the age of eighteen and thirty-six.
18-25y 45.4%
26-35y 40.8% 36-50y
9.5%
Under 18y 2.0%
51-60y 1.4%
Unknown 0.6%
Over 60y 0.3%
Presentation and translations by Grata.co Data courtesy Tencent Tech
WeChat users mostly fall into four categories: private enterprise, self-employed, student, and public sector.
of WeChat users fall into four occupation categories
Private Enterprise
31.9%
Self-Employed or Freelance
28.3%
Student 19.7%
Public Sector 10.6%
Specialized Industry 4.1%
Military/Party 2.5%
Farming 1.1%
Unknown 1.0%
Retired or Unemployed
0.5%
Other 0.3%
Presentation and translations by Grata.co Data courtesy Tencent Tech
WeChat users are increasingly using mobile data networks to access WeChat. More than 40% of users are using more than 400M/month.
of WeChat users consume more than 100M/month of mobile data
>400M 43.2%
201-400M 23.3%
101-200M 13.9%
51-100M 8.9%
20-50M 4.8%
Unknown 3.9%
<20M 2.0%
Presentation and translations by Grata.co Data courtesy Tencent Tech
WeChat has become an ever-present part of many users lives, with one in four reporting they open the app more than thirty times per day.
open WeChat more than ten times per day
<5 times 17.4%
5-10 times 20.9%
10-20 times 17.0%
20-30 times 13.3%
30-40 times 5.9%
40-50 times 2.5%
>50 times 16.5%
<Daily 6.5%
Presentation and translations by Grata.co Data courtesy Tencent Tech
WeChat has become a default social networking tool for Chinese users. Almost half of all WeChat users have more than 100 contacts.
of WeChat users have more than fifty contacts.
<50 37.3%
50-99 22.5%
100-199 37.0%
>200 12.2%
*** There is an error in the original document’s chart: the percentages sum to 109%. From the text, it appears the extra nine percent is in either the 100-199 segment or >200 segment.
Presentation and translations by Grata.co Data courtesy Tencent Tech
of WeChat users report meeting new friends through WeChat or re-establishing contact with old friends
No increase 42.7%
+1-5% 14.9%
+6-10% 13.0%
>40% 11.8%
+11-20% 9.5%
+21-40% 8.1%
Presentation and translations by Grata.co Data courtesy Tencent Tech
worth of mobile data was consumed by Chinese WeChat users in the last year, equivalent to 4.24% of all mobile data consumed in China in 2013.
$13.8B
$945M $352M $64M $0
$2,000
$4,000
$6,000
$8,000
$10,000
$12,000
$14,000
$16,000
Data Gaming Official Accounts
Other
(Millions of US Dollars)
[Translator’s Note: it is unclear how “Data” in the chart is defined and differentiated from the other three segments.]
Presentation and translations by Grata.co Data courtesy Tencent Tech
of WeChat users report increased mobile data consumption because of WeChat
of those users reported an increase of thirty-percent or more.
Unknown 13.0%
No Change 33.2%
Increased 54.0%
+10-20% 38.3%
+21-30% 21.4%
+31-50% 19.1%
+51-80% 11.3%
>80% 9.9%
Other 100.0%
Unknown 13%
No Change
33% Increased 54%
Presentation and translations by Grata.co Data courtesy Tencent Tech
WeChat users consume more content on WeChat than any other app. WeChat is bigger than weibo, shopping, video, music, map, and email services combined.
WeChat 27.7%
Browser 26.9%
QQ 14.5%
Gaming 8.6%
Weibo 4.8%
Shopping 4.8%
Video 4.6% Music
2.8%
Maps 2.6%
Email 1.8%
Other 0.9%
Presentation and translations by Grata.co Data courtesy Tencent Tech
Nearly half of WeChat users have used WeChat stickers.
of WeChat users have paid for stickers
56.5%
38.3%
5.2%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
Never used Free user Paid user
Presentation and translations by Grata.co Data courtesy Tencent Tech
According to estimates, WeChat is a direct driver of US$1.76B in lifestyle spending.
of entertainment spend is estimated to be driven by WeChat
53.6%
20.0% 13.2% 11.3%
2.0% 0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
Presentation and translations by Grata.co Data courtesy Tencent Tech
of WeChat users who use the taxi booking feature, spend on average 100RMB (~US$16) or more per month
50.3%
34.3% 8.3%
3.9% 2.8%
0.6%
Only use 1-2 times
100RMB (~US$16)
200RMB
>500RMB (~US$80)
300RMB
400RMB
Presentation and translations by Grata.co Data courtesy Tencent Tech
of Official Accounts WeChat users follow are Brand and Media accounts.
29.1% 25.4%
20.7% 18.9%
2.8%
Unofficial Media Channels
Verified Media Channels
Don't Follow OAs
Brand Channels
Marketing Channels
Official Accounts have become the most important WeChat service. Almost eighty percent of WeChat users follow Official Accounts.
Presentation and translations by Grata.co Data courtesy Tencent Tech
follow Official Accounts to keep informed
Get information
41.1%
Complement their lifestyle
36.9%
Learn 13.7%
Other 8.3%
Presentation and translations by Grata.co Data courtesy Tencent Tech
of Official Account owners spend less than 10RMB/month (US$1.60) on services
10RMB or less
42.1%
10-100RMB 29.5%
201-500RMB 14.7% 101-200RMB
8.4%
500RMB or more 5.3%
Services available to Official Account owners skew towards a low price model.
Presentation and translations by Grata.co Data courtesy Tencent Tech
of organizations allocate spending to manage their Official Account on the WeChat platform or to develop custom features using the developer interfaces
29%
19%
3% 1% 1%
47%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50% (US Dollars)
Presentation and translations by Grata.co Data courtesy Tencent Tech
jobs are estimated to have been created by WeChat
1,920,000
8,150,000
300,000
9,780,000
0
2,000,000
4,000,000
6,000,000
8,000,000
10,000,000
12,000,000
Direct Jobs Indirect Jobs
App Platform
Official Accounts
of those jobs were driven by the Official Account platform, while 300,000 were driven by the WeChat App platform
Presentation and translations by Grata.co Data courtesy Tencent Tech
WeChat users have donated through the WeChat giving platform. 95% of those users made donations less than 100RMB (~US$16).
< 100RMB 95%
> 100RMB 5%
Presentation and translations by Grata.co Data courtesy Tencent Tech
Massive Scale
Monthly active users globally
#1 App
Survey respondents use WeChat more
than any other app
Driven by Social
Of WeChat users have fifty or more
contacts
Strengthens Ties
Found new friends or got back in contact
with old ones
Interactive
Claim they interact more with friends
because of WeChat
Presentation and translations by Grata.co Data courtesy Tencent Tech
Over 60% of WeChat users report opening the app more than 10
times daily.
WeChat is a major channel for consuming
content for a high percentage of users
40% seek content through WeChat Official
Accounts, broadcast messaging, and groups
Almost 80% of survey respondents follow
Official Accounts
Among those that follow Official Accounts, 41.1% do so primarily to
get information.
WeChat has become a market leading Social
Media Platform
Presentation and translations by Grata.co Data courtesy Tencent Tech
40% of users report using
stickers and games in WeChat
WeChat Stickers WeChat Gaming
Use well-known cartoon characters
to express emotions
The majority of users are not
paying for stickers
A way to socialize and compete with
friends
WeChat is a mature gaming
distribution platform
Presentation and translations by Grata.co Data courtesy Tencent Tech
A platform for entrepreneurs
30% of Official Accounts are personal accounts. Of those, 35.7% invest in upgrades to their accounts
A channel for businesses and organizations
70% of Official Accounts are for businesses or organizations. Of those, 53% allocate budget to maintain their accounts
A WeChat model for mobile commerce
WeChat Stores were launched for Official Accounts, opening new retail capabilities and opportunities
Presentation and translations by Grata.co Data courtesy Tencent Tech
WeChat Social
WeChat Users
3rd Party Developers
Official Account Platform
Media, Finance, Social Causes
Economy, Tech, Laws
Presentation and translations by Grata.co Data courtesy Tencent Tech
Integrated Services
Ecosystems
Fast Iteration
Evolving Step-by-step
Retail Product Suite
O2O Services
Industry Opportunities
Official Account Platform
New Product Features
Shake feature, friend groups
Technology Layer
NLP, Data applications
Presentation and translations by Grata.co Data courtesy Tencent Tech
Traffic
Medical
Household
Education
Public Spending
Borders
Weather
Residence
Social Security
Marriage
Taxes
Platform Layer
Smart Government
Smart Living
Smart Enterprise
Application Layer SOA Middleware
WeChat Official
Account Platform
Citizens Smart City
Presentation and translations by Grata.co Data courtesy Tencent Tech
Presentation and translations by Grata.co Data courtesy Tencent Tech
The internet, mobile internet, and traditional industries. The revolution that started with the internet in the palm of our hands, is profoundly changing every aspect of our life and work. The fundamentals of business have changed, the shape of organizations is evolving, every type of faster and more useful models are being put forward, and put rapidly into practice. WeChat is at the forefront of this wave of innovation. A force that cannot be ignored. In some places, it has already made a huge impact and become part of the ecosystem, and in other areas, this profound change is only just beginning.
Grata helps businesses turn their WeChat Official Account into multi-agent contact centers for customer service, sales, and support. Try a live demo of our WeChat console at www.grata.co Follow us on WeChat or Twitter @Grata_co or scan the WeChat QR code below.