WeChat is a Chinese multi-purpose messaging, social media and mobile payment app. It allows users to send messages, make voice and video calls, pay utility bills, book rides, order food and more through mini-programs within the app. With over 1 billion monthly active users, it has become ubiquitous in China as a platform for communication, commerce and content. WeChat's success is due to its ability to be a 'super app' that meets all of users' daily digital needs in one place through constant innovation and expansion of its services.

1. WeChat
Ruizhe Huang
celezhe

2. Problem
u Mobile-first messenger
u Pay in-store with cash/credit card
u Separate apps for ride-share, food ordering, hotel booking and entertainments

3. Products
Messaging Digital Wallet Mini Program

4. Products- Messaging

5. Products- Digital Wallet
Wealth management
Provide QR code
to pay in stores
Utility and phone bills

6. Ride share
& taxi hailing
Products- Mini Program
Latest reviews for
books and movies
Food ordering
& delivery
Hotel booking

7. Persona
u Wei Li
u 20-year-old Chinese student in US, goes back to
China once a year
u Little storage available on phone => delete
unused apps
u Re-install all apps that are accessible in China
u Yue Yu
u 45-year old Chinese business woman who uses
cell phone a lot
u Communicates with colleagues instantly
u Buys lunch during lunch break

8. Financial Info

9. Financial Info
Monthly Active Users

11. Leadership
u Huateng Ma
u Founder, president, chief executive officer and
executive board member of Tencent Inc.
u Allen Zhang
u Vice president of Tencent Inc. and “father of
WeChat”
u Believe in improving user efficiency

12. History
2011 20182011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
WeChat v1.0
Jan 2011
Mini program
launched
Jan 2017
1B Monthly
Active User
Aug 2018
Ads in
moments
Jan 2015
Social gaming
integration
Aug 2013
Added mobile payment:
start of wallet
Apr 2013
Moments
Launched
Apr 2012

13. Business Model
u Value-added services (VAS)
u Gaming
u Stickers
u Advertisements
u Others
u 0.1% transaction fee
u Official account registration fee

14. Business Model - VAS
- Gaming - Stickers
• 33 friends are playing
• Snazzy costumes & fancy weapons

15. Secret Sauce
u The one app to rule them all

16. What’s Hot
u Text messaging
u Taxi Ordering
u Peer-to-peer money transfer
u Online purchase
u Dating
u …

17. Competition
WeChat Messenger WhatsApp Line
Messaging
P2P Transfer
E-commerce
Mini programs
Social network

18. Competition
WeChat Ali Pay Apple Pay
Pay in-store
Utility services
Social Network
Overseas
Payment

19. Future
u Huge user base
u one billion daily active users
u 45 billion WeChat messages sent on a daily basis
u 900 million users of WeChat Pay on a monthly basis
u Monetization
u $30.10 per daily active user vs. $2.10 per daily active user
u International expansion
u Number 1 app in three countries

20. Reference
u https://blog.ycombinator.com/lessons-from-wechat/
u https://medium.com/swlh/wechat-the-evolution-and-future-of-chinas-most-
popular-app-11effa5639ed
u https://www.businessofapps.com/data/wechat-statistics/
u https://www.visualcapitalist.com/china-digital-wallets-payments/
u https://qlian100.expressions.syr.edu/leadership/
u https://medium.com/@lianghao.gao/business-model-of-wechat-and-its-success-
factors-ce72d0f550fa
u https://medium.com/servicedock/making-money-from-messaging-wechat-versus-
messenger-ea0e34511b86
u https://a16z.com/2019/02/05/allen-zhang-wechat-product-principles/
u https://www.techinasia.com/history-of-wechat