As a group-buying platform, it enables consumers to get discounts on products as more of them register to buy - something that comes naturally on a platform such as WeChat. For instance, Pinduoduo is one of the most popular e-commerce mini-apps. 4 But the platform also supports more complex digital business models. For example, Tesla has a mini-program that allows users to locate charging stations. The use could be as simple as publishing some information about a product or service. The Official Account allows businesses to create either a subscription account (content-focused), a service account, an enterprise account or a mini-program (apps built within WeChat that can give access to their application program interface). WeChat’s Official Account allows individuals and businesses to share updates and communicate with consumers who follow them. Not only do they provide a ready-made digital and transactional marketplace, but they can also use it to cut operational costs, drive sales and improve in-store customer experiences. Super-apps are just as attractive to merchants as they are to consumers. While merchants can access value-added services from these payment providers, the options pale in contrast to the entire digital ecosystem that WeChat and Alipay provide. This “walled garden” approach is in sharp contrast to the Western norms, where multiple international and domestic payment schemes compete and coexist, linking consumers to merchants on a one-to-one basis. This is unlike apps downloaded from the Google Play Store or Apple iOS, which work independently from each other and use up valuable screen and storage space. 3 The user does not need to leave the super-app to use a mini-app, and once the service is delivered, the mini-app is out of sight. Smaller than 10 MB in size, they are an instant solution for a particular service. They simply disappear once the service is delivered.
They don’t need to be downloaded or installed on the phone. The mini-apps available within these super apps are easily discoverable, fast to load and quick to use, and provide a seamless payment experience.
These apps have become indispensable to both consumers and merchants. They cater to purchases made or services delivered online as well - e-commerce, buying air tickets or booking a taxi. But the app also caters to everyday consumer needs such as travel - riding the subway, booking tickets or paying for parking tickets. WeChat can be used for news services, hiring domestic help, donating to charity, investing and so on. 3 Consumers love these apps because, like a Swiss army knife, WeChat and Alipay host a wide variety of services under one roof through the inclusion of “mini-apps.” This enables consumers to access a large range of applications or services (e-commerce, games, productivity and content). This time spent can increase to up to four hours for users who communicate, shop or entertain themselves on the platform. WeChat users spend a daily average of 66 minutes on the app. 1 At 1.583 billion and growing, China’s population of mobile users is by far the largest in the world. The model works very well - these apps have become the dominant way products and services are paid for, with nearly 90% of consumers in China using them. They provide merchants and businesses with the necessary tools to subscribe to a user base, search, target, interact, and transact with prospective and existing customers. Originally started as chat engines and payment processors, they now encompass an entire ecosystem of services for merchants. Owned by Tencent and Ant Financial, respectively, these super-apps have reinvented the way merchants can target and take payments from consumers through their platforms. What happens when you combine Google, Amazon, Uber, GrubHub, WhatsApp and a hundred other apps into one? You get WeChat and Alipay.
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