All You Need to Know About WeChat Mini Programs

From a friendly chat environment to an all-purpose ecosystem, WeChat launched a new strategic function called Mini Program, a mini-application that we don’t even need to download and install! Here you will find all you need to know about WeChat Mini Program and its comparison to WeChat H5 and WeChat Official Accounts:

What is the WeChat Mini Program (MP)?

A sub-application within WeChat’s ecosystem with a storage size of max 10 megabytes;
You don’t need to download or install the applications;
Users can scan a QR code or search for MPs;
4 seconds of average loading time compared to 34 seconds in Google Play Store or Apple Store;
Below are examples of Starbucks’ Mini Program pages:

What functions does the Mini-Program accommodate?

Depending on the types of business, the MP app feature design can feature different functions, including

Home feed
News content (Texts, Audios, Videos)
Voucher/Promotional codes
Navigation bars
Payment page that links to WeChat Pay (e.g., through a QR code)
Product/Service pages
Information inquiry
Search bar
Games
Maps

Mini-Program Statistics

450 million total daily active users on MPs;
Users open 4 MPsper day on average;
9 million total MPs found on WeChat;
The average number of MP users doubled by 45% in 2019;
81% of users in MPs are playing Mini games;
MPsgenerated more than 800 billion-yuan transactions in 2019;
Mini-games account for over 30% of the top 100 MPs;
Most popular MPs: 42% Games, 39% Lifestyle, 28% Blog/news, 28% E-commerce, 24% Tool, 17% Travel, 12% Entertainment;
Young Chinese female users rely on MPs for e-commerce shopping, while middle-aged female users tend to use them for entertainment;
67% of e-commerce MP users are female;
40% of WeChat users choose MPs to avoid downloading applications;
93% increase in MP usage when it comes to food delivery service on weekends compared to weekdays;
53% increase in using e-commerce MPs on weekends compared to weekdays;
Peak time usage: around lunch break and at night after work or dinner;

Mini-Program versus WeChat H5 Page (A mobile website)

Less work to develop MPs compared to H5 stores;
With WeChat’sintegrated APIs, an MP is cheaper to develop;
H5 requires sophisticated software development tools to create visual arts. You can also see many H5 designs here and check the best WeChat campaigns 2016 here;

An MP is lighter and faster when loading a page;
Many marketing/advertising strategies can be done for MPs;
An MP is accessible to larger groups of users within the WeChat ecosystems (450 million total daily users of MPs);
Both can be linked to WeChat Official Accounts(OA);
Customers tend to spend a longer time on MPs than H5s;
When a user shares an MP to a group chat, the MP will generate an attractive image thumbnail. While an H5 is shared in the form of headlines and texts;

Advertisement performance can be tracked on MPs but not for H5s;
MPs can only be open on WeChat, while H5s can be viewed on mobile/PC web browsers and WeChat;
An MP only has WeChat Pay as the sole payment method, while an H5 can be linked to many other payment platforms;
An MP has a ‘Service Notification’ system on WeChat that tells the customers when and where the goods are purchased;

Mini-Program (MP) versus Official Account (OA)

You can find MPs that locate within your proximity, which an OA lacks;
An MP has more attractive features to let the users stay longer. Mini-game is most serving MPs, accounting for 42% of all categories;
When a user shares an MP to a group chat, the MP will generate an attractive image thumbnail. While the OA will appear as a form of name card in the group chat;
Both support Q&A features. For OA, a chat box is shown on the first page of its chat screen. In MPs, the chatbot is usually customized and can be powered by AI. It can also include many methods of conversation, like audio and images. However, users will have to enter the MP to find the hidden chat-bot;

OA scans link to MPs and H5 pages;
With OAsit’s possible to send ‘push notifications’ (one way of marketing promotion);
Users can follow an OA but not an MP;
There are many OAs for a single brand name. E.g., Starbucks franchise stores may create their own OAs as they may provide different promotional methods, campaigns, product highlights, etc. Another possible reason is that an OA was launched earlier than an MP;
OA drives customers into the page, usually through content marketing, while an MP focuses on functional services;

Conclusion

WeChat Mini Program provides a whole new level of experience not only to users but also to businesses. It’s lighter and faster than H5 pages and has more attractive features than an OA. What’s more, you don’t need to download standalone apps for each store! If you want to know more about WeChat Statistics, read our 103 WeChat Statistics You Can’t Miss in 2020.

Author’s Bio

Katie is a Thai Bachelor’s graduate who used to live in China for 4 years before she began her college life at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Recently, she came back to China to start a new chapter of her life. As China leaps forward in innovation, she is intrigued by the technological advancement the country has to offer. Thus, she becomes motivated to share some knowledge about Chinese marketing!

3 Interesting facts about Katie: