During the period from June 2013 to June 2014, WeChat usage rate increased by 26%, ranking top among all the popular social platforms worldwide according to research of L2.
Youku’s usage growth rate was 8%, higher than Google Plus. While Facebook, Twitter got no increase in usage, YouTube , Pinterest and Tumblr even had decrease in usage during such period according to L2.
Combined MAU of Weixin and WeChat reached 468 million at the end of the third quarter of 2014, representing growth of 39% YoY. 39% respondents surveyed by GlobalWebIndex used WeChat, making WeChat the most popular messaging app in APAC in the third quarter of 2014.
With growing popularity and maturity of social media, each brand now on average ows 7.5 social media accounts. Adidas is the most active one with 13 social media accounts, followed by Gap, Uniqlo, ASOS, Honda and Toyota which all own 12 accounts. Among the luxury brands, only Burberry, Chanel and Dior got into top 20% by total number of fans and engagement rate.
Top three social media channels were Facebook, Twitter and YouTube by brands’ adoption in June 2014. Sina Weibo and WeChat were in the top 10 list, having surpassed Tumblr and Vine.
It is believed that WeChat’s brand engagement still had gap from top 3 social networks according to research of L2. The data shows 20% brands valued stickiness delivered on WeChat. The major difference of WeChat’s digital marketing from Facebook and YouTube was its interactivity. WeChat’s two-way following and personal information confidentiality can realize higher reach rate and efficiency.
Take Louis Vuitton as an example, it promotes “one-for-one” service on WeChat official account to stimulate purchase need. While Cartier utilized LBS (location based service) to offer information about the nearest stores such as address, map, contact and navigation on WeChat official account.
When Burberry was to launch its autumn & winterseries, it provided exclusive custom-made nameplate service.
Besides, WeChat provides payment, LBS, member service, product demonstration, voice chat, real-time chatting and other features. Especially for beauty brands, WeChat’s product display and member services can bring much attention and “likes” for them.
Also read: 11 Charts to Show How Companies Use Wechat Official Accounts
