WeChat has recently been under fire, suffering from intense competition from short video platforms Douyin and Kuaishou.
There is however one bright spot for the largest social network in China: WeChat Mini Programs are still booming, both in number of users and engagement rates.
Growth and engagement
WeChat Mini Program Monthly Active Users (MAUs) grew from 743 million to 829 million between June 2019 and June 2020, much faster than the overall WeChat users growth.
Consequently, the percentage of WeChat users who adopted Mini Programs grew from 78.6% to 86.9% during the same period.
Not only did the number of WeChat Mini Program users increase, but so did their engagement rate. The number of Mini Program each user is engaging with every month grew from 8.7 to 9.8 within a year.
The number of days that the average user engages with WeChat Mini Programs also increased from 10.5 to 13.
The number of WeChat Mini Programs with more than 1 million MAUs grew by 21.2% in a year, from 881 to 1,068.
In the same time period, the number of WeChat Mini Programs with more than 100 million MAUs doubled.
WeChat Mini Program users behavior
Most Mini Programs are being used for “Daily life services” (for instance users might use WeChat Mini Programs to share the location of a nearby restaurant).
Mobile shopping is however another core usage of Mini Programs, making it into the top-3 of all WeChat, Alipay and Baidu ecosystems.
According to QuestMobile WeChat Mini programs are still being used for relatively small purchases, with only 20% of users spending more than 1,000 RMB per month.
This data might however vary depending on use-cases, and WalktheChat found WeChat Mini Program users very willing to spend large amounts.
In June 2020 the average order on WalktheChat WeChat Store platform was 908 RMB (128 USD).
Conclusion
With increasing engagement and a growing number of users, WeChat Mini Programs are more than ever a force to be reckoned with.
At the intersection between content, lifestyle and online shopping, they are a perfect tool for brands taking their first step into China, and looking for a social-driven ecosystem to initiate or accelerate their momentum.