Presented at Chat Conference & Expo on Feb 25, 2017, in Naked Hub Co-working Space (Xikang Branch), Shanghai, China. The recent release of Mini Programs -- embedded apps that require no download or install within WeChat -- reveals Tencent's(WeChat's parent company) ambition to elevate WeChat's status from an already powerful messaging app to a sort of OS, a one-stop app that users would rarely have to leave to use other mobile services. Do businesses and marketers --who rely on WeChat's existing official public accounts to engage with users-- need to switch over to mini programs? What are the implications for mobile app developers who will eventually rely on WeChat to attract users? This presentation will help you make an informed decision regarding these questions.

1. The Wechat Mini Program
and Why It Matters to
Your Business
BY YELIN QIU

2. The Big Picture
AI Chatbot
Instant Apps
Offline Retail

3. The Great Wall of WeChat
“It could turn WeChat’s app into a sort of
operating system within an operating system,
a one-stop app that users would rarely have to
leave to use other mobile apps ”
- Wall Street Journal

4. WeChat’s Ambition: Connect to Everything
Connect
People to
People
Connect
People to
Content
Connect
People to
Services
Connect
Everything
Basic
Messaging
Public
Accounts
Mini
Programs
???

5. The Current Engagement: Public Accounts
Service Accounts Subscription Accounts
Purpose E-commerce, payment, customer
interaction
Content marketing
Message Frequency 1 per week 1 per day
Visibility Appear along friend’s chat Grouped under “Subscriptions” Tab
Push Notification Yes No
Menu Interface Yes Only when verified

6. Ceiling
Native Apps
H5
Service Account
H5
Mini Program
Mini Program
Platform
WeChat Public Platform
Browser WeChat
iOS, Android
Where Does Mini Program Fit?

7. Unlocked Potential: Offline Traffic
Artificial Suppression of
Online to Online Traffic
• Cannot share to
WeChat Moments
• Cannot be prompted
by saved QR images
• Precise search only
QR Code Proliferation
• Why Offline?
• A case for IoT
• More QR codes
Better Geolocation
Better Analytics
• 1 service generates
10,000 QR codes
• Lowered cost on user
acquisition
• Look for the right
PLACE

8. Unlocked Potential: Efficiency through Social
Project
deliberation,
goal setting, etc.
Identify services
to execute a
project
Iterations
towards
consensus
Execute through
services
Value delivered
Project deliberation,
goal setting, etc.
Identify services to
execute directly in a
group chat
Consensus and
results

9. Business Example: Visitors’ Guide
Access Mini App at Zoo Entrance Check Map, Audio Guides

10. Business Example: Get Off Your Phone!
Timing Your Disconnected Life Productivity Tool Made Fun

11. Business Scenarios
• Bus schedule + ticketing
• Flight schedule / status / check-in
• Hotel check-in / room service
Travel
• Karaoke song ordering / car service post-partying
• Movie / theater ticketing
• Amusement park ticketing / queue checking
Entertainment
• Weather / Pollution checking
• Gas / Charging Station Payment
• Mail delivery and order tracking
Daily

12. Business Scenarios
• Spa membership management / payment
• Restaurant food ordering / payment
• Shopping Guides
Lifestyle
• Hospital appointment / queue tracking
• Pharmacy visitsHealth
• Co-working space time management
• Meeting maker within group chats
• Voting within group chats
Productivity

13. Into the Future
Third
Party
Services
Developing &
Training
New
Retail
Apps Talk to
Each Other
Rich
Analytical
Data
A New Kind of CRM
Early Stages:
Growing The
Ecosystem
Mid-Stages:
Offline
Growth
Late-Stages:
Big Data
AI

14. WeChat ID: yelin_qiu
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/yelinqiu
Medium: medium.com/@yelin.qiu
Thank You!