WeChat is a Chinese messaging app developed by Tencent, one of the biggest Internet companies in the world. With over one billion registrations and 700 million active users, WeChat is one of the largest standalone messaging apps on Earth.
But as large as it is, it’s still not quite the size of Facebook Messenger. Both WeChat and Facebook Messenger were released in 2011, but at one billion monthly active users, the latter comfortably holds the #1 spot (with WhatsApp at #2).
So what does Facebook have to worry about?
WeChat differs from its competitors in its diversity. While competing messenger apps Kik, WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger all offer users the means to stay connected with friends and family, WeChat offers the same plus a far more extensive range of functions.
Aside from text and voice message capabilities, WeChat supports video conferencing, video games and a funky little feature that connects you to total strangers with one shake of your phone.
You can use WeChat to hail a cab, transfer money and order food. It’s like having Amazon, Uber, Facebook, Tinder, Yelp and PayPal all rolled into one program. This wide suite of features and capabilities make WeChat inherently sticky – that is to say, there’s little reason to exit it.
Zuckerberg’s vision of a future where people can interact with businesses the exact same way they interact with each other is strangely reminiscent of what WeChat is already providing to its Chinese demographic. “We think that you should just be able to message a business in the same way that you message a friend,” says Zuckerberg.
Never one to fall behind a trend, Facebook’s enigmatic CEO is well aware of the strengths of a program like WeChat – and is already moving to get a step ahead of it.
With innovations such as Operator, a chat-based shopping app, Zuckerberg hopes to make Facebook Messenger as sticky and diverse as WeChat. These messenger bots allow users to interact with businesses via Facebook Messenger to make purchases, ask questions and more.
It’ll be interesting to see how the messaging app war plays out over the next few years. WeChat’s potential to reach and revolutionise the international market coupled with Zuckerberg’s ability to identify trends and stay relevant should make for an interesting ride.
