WeChat is now the No.1 most popular phone application in China, and number don’t lie: In March, WeChat from Tencent broke the 700 million monthly active user (MAU) records, showing how far the company is ahead of the competition, in terms of user base.

WeChat: China’s Most Popular App with Over 700 Million

Based on the latest report from Chinese data tracker Quest Mobile, almost 200 million more monthly active users has been added to WeChat comparing with 2015.

QQ, another social media app from Tencent, ranks second on this chart. The third app in line is the Taobao app from Alibaba, which the number of users is more than 250 million lower than WeChat. Sina Weibo, which used to be China’s most favorite app, now will need to add more than 300 million active users to compete with WeChat.

Other than MAUs, WeChat’s performance is also impressive in terms of “Average time spent monthly” and “total time used”. In March 2016, Android WeChat users has spent 1,769 minutes on average, while 1,910 minutes on iPhone.

Behind the WeChat Ecosystem

WeChat is so popular now that some startup tests their newly created apps first by launching on the said social platform. Just like Facebook, WeChat also contains about 10 million third-party apps built in WeChat ecosystem.

It is said that WeChat’s success came from its multiple functionalities, since users can do all sorts of things: checking the news, managing bank accounts, ordering a cab and much more. Users can also enjoy “WeChat eCommerce” thanks to the WeChat payments feature, when users can shop, pay, and share all inside the WeChat circle. Its innovative model and huge user base could possibly present a challenge to Alibaba/Taobao in the near future.

For foreign brands who want to gain more exposure on WeChat, what would be your best WeChat eCommerce strategy?

Contact TMO Group, and we are here to maximize the full potential of your WeChat eCommerce.