{"id":6714,"date":"2023-03-17T08:58:32","date_gmt":"2023-03-17T08:58:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brandgenetics.com\/?p=6714"},"modified":"2023-11-10T08:52:12","modified_gmt":"2023-11-10T08:52:12","slug":"introduction-to-chinas-super-apps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brandgenetics.com\/pt\/introduction-to-chinas-super-apps\/","title":{"rendered":"Introduction to China’s “Super Apps”"},"content":{"rendered":"

Welcome to the Middle Kindom<\/h2>\n

The Chinese name of China is \u4e2d\u56fd\u00a0 (pronounced \u2018zhong guo\u2019) which translates literally to \u2018Middle Kingdom\u2019. This dates back to ~1000BC when the Chinese were in relative isolation from the rest of the world, separated by the Himalayan mountains in the southwest, the Gobi Desert to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the east. As such, Chinese people assumed they were at the centre of the world, and aptly named their country the \u2018Middle Kingdom.\u2019 Our goal in this blog is to provide everyone with bite-sized insights into China\u2019s Culture, Customs, and Consumers.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

The Great Firewall<\/h2>\n

The internet has been censored in China since its arrival in the country in 1994. The \u2018Great Firewall\u2019 (nicknamed in reference to the real Great Wall of China) is arguably the most sophisticated censorship system in the world, controlling internet access for more than 1 billion Chinese netizens (internet citizens). Several of the foreign websites and content providers international brands use to interact with their customers in the rest of the world are blocked in China, replaced by a whole set of alternative Chinese websites, apps & behaviours that international brands need to familiarise themselves with if they want to get in front of the Chinese consumer.<\/p>\n

See below for a non-exhaustive list of blocked sites in China:<\/p>\n

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It\u2019s worth mentioning that as of Dec 2022, internet penetration in China is 75.6% of the population (a whopping 1,067 million people), with 99.6% of internet users using their smartphone<\/strong> to get online<\/a>. This is vastly different to the western landscape, where desktop computers, laptops and websites are a key part of most purchase journeys. Instead, China is home to a whole host of super apps, apps and mini-programs designed specifically for mobile. Many local brands do not even have a website. Surprised?<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s introduce three of the top social media apps in China that you can use to reach your audience in this ever-evolving market.<\/p>\n

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WeChat (<\/strong>\u5fae\u4fe1)<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Tencent launched instant messaging platform WeChat in 2011 and it has grown into China\u2019s first super app with more than 1 billion active users. The app, similarly to WhatsApp, supports voice calling, picture messages, video calling and group chats. Users can post on their \u2018Moments\u2019 similar to a text and image status update on Facebook. WeChat also has a digital wallet function allowing users to link their bank accounts and make digital payments to contacts as well as vendors via a QR code system. Long before contactless payments and ApplePay became popular in the UK, China has been largely cashless by relying on the convenience of WeChat Pay. Impressed? There\u2019s more. WeChat is known as a super app for more than its wallet function. It\u2019s an entire ecosystem made up of Official Accounts, Mini-programs & Channels.<\/p>\n