Watch & listen to this episode to explore how to integrate the useful and relevant consumer data on WeChat mini-programs into your brand’s sales and marketing strategy:
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Hi, I’m Jason Shen. I’m the creative director of Mobile Now Group. We help brands with their digital strategies and lately, we have worked a lot with creating WeChat mini-programs for brands.
Some platforms like Taobao and JD limit the amount of consumer data that show owners have access to, is it similar with WeChat mini-programs?
Jason Shen: With Tencent, there are close to no limits on the amount of consumer data on WeChat mini-programs that shop owners can access about their followers, especially when you take the fully customized solutions. But for most businesses, an off-the-shelf solution might cover 60% of their needs when it comes to customers’ data. For companies that want made-to-measure solutions, they can access a further 30% of their customers’ data and this will cost a little bit more. But for brands that want fully customized solutions, they can access the final 10% of consumer data on WeChat mini-programs, but that final 10% is mostly of use only to very big brands. But it is very doable for brands to access all of the data on their consumers that they want.
Importantly, there is a huge volume of data per consumer so it can take a lot of work to process it. I usually categorize the data into 4 groups:
- Usability
- Marketing and Campaign Operations
- CRM related
- Order & Sales related
Generally, I would say that when you are interested in a fully customized data analytics solution you are probably talking about companies with revenues in the hundreds of millions.
For Tmall and JD, the data is much harder to access compared with accessing consumer data on WeChat mini-programs.
What other advantages do WeChat mini-programs have over e-commerce platforms like Tmall, JD, and Taobao?
Jason Shen: On platforms like Tmall, JD, and Taobao, the rules are very much set and brands and storeowners must play by the rules that are set by those platforms. But these rules will actually cover the majority of needs for most businesses.
What are the limitations of mini-programs?
Jason Shen: AR and VR solutions. Stuff like virtual try-ons or changing rooms for eyewear, jewelry, and apparel. These have done much better on native apps currently but it’s probably not far off being delivered through WeChat mini-programs.
Can consumers compare products from several brands at a time using WeChat mini-programs like they can do Taobao? Or do they need to enter each brand’s mini-program separately?
Jason Shen: They can’t do this on WeChat. Think of WeChat mini-programs as more like flagship stores that are online, like an Apple store whereas Taobao is more like a supermarket where you can see many different brands selling the same product side by side.
