Watch & listen to this episode to explore the advantages of WeChat mini-programs for brands:
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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.
What are some key differences between WeChat mini-programs and apps?
Jason Shen: There are many advantages of WeChat mini-programs for brands when compared with apps. Firstly, you don’t need to download mini-programs, they are really smooth and run really fast. They can’t exceed 10 mb and your information is already cached on WeChat so you won’t have to re-enter details. mini-programs are cross-regional so it doesn’t matter where in the world you are. Another of the advantages of WeChat mini-programs for brands is that you don’t need to develop an IOS and an Android app, similar to a web page you don’t’ need to manage maintenance differently for different servers. They’re much easier to use, more streamlined, and more beneficial for users.
What are the limitations of WeChat mini-program, compared to native apps and websites?
Jason Shen: The framework of the mini-programs is really decided by Tencent (WeChat) but they there are certainly advantages of WeChat mini-programs for brands over platforms like Tmall where the layout of your store is quite fixed. So, you have a certain degree of freedom as to how your WeChat mini-program will look but obviously not as much a webpage or a native app. In terms of designing a mini-program compared to a native app, its 95% the same.
What are the necessary skills needed and how long does it take to deliver a mini-program?
Jason Shen: It varies from what the businesses want and what kind of solutions they select for. The three main categories of solutions we provide are:
- Off-the-shelf solutions
- Made-to-measure solutions
- Fully customized solutions
Generally, these will be for small, medium, and large businesses/ brands.
For off-the-shelf solutions, probably having a digital marketing expert who has worked on mini-p or something similar in the past would suffice,
For Made-to-measure solutions, digital marketing expertise plus some light tech background is required because you will want to sync the mini-program with your businesses’ already existing digital infrastructure.
For fully customized solutions you will need expertise in both an IT and digital marketing background. Generally, it takes 2-8 months to deliver, the more complicated the solution, the longer it takes to deliver.
