The only semi-annual review of WeChat Mini Programs personally compiled by Zhang Xiaolong!

This will be the only article that deeply interprets the WeChat " Mini Program " from its birth to its entry into the world (towards commercialization) so far. We chose to publish this article half a year after the mini program was launched, not only hoping to let more people see the value of the mini program, but also to help everyone have a deeper understanding of the process and key points of value realization. This article will conduct a detailed inventory and analysis from the aspects of "product function iteration, business model , scene play, etc. The article involves a large amount of unpublished operation logic and operation details of mini program operators /developers.

The birth of anything is accompanied by uncertainty. This is why Dickens had the famous saying “It is the best of times, it is the worst of times,” and the same is true for mini programs.

The idea of ​​WeChat Mini Programs originated in 2015 and was officially launched on January 9, 2016. Zhang Xiaolong and his team members took a group photo in the conference room, with a few unclear words left on the whiteboard behind them: Application Number (the "predecessor" of the Mini Program), 2016.1.19, Launch Date.

From this day until 8 months later, the mini program began internal testing. In fact, from internal testing to official launch, changes in the API and background functions provided by WeChat Mini Programs have been updated much more frequently in these four months. It all comes down to one reason: Unlike WeChat subscription accounts , mini programs require certain technical development and product design capabilities to support them. The WeChat team hopes to guide internal test developers/operators in a rhythmic manner through phased product optimization and function iteration, and work in the right direction.

On January 9, 2017, mini programs came into this world with "uncertainty", and this "uncertainty" mainly came from the market. Although 12 days ago, Zhang Xiaolong had already used several hours of speech at the "2017 WeChat Open Class" to comprehensively analyze the mini program. But after getting excited, most people are still confused: "What can mini programs bring to me? Can I become the " Steve Jobs " of the mini program era?

For some things, once the direction is wrong, they will only get further and further away.

If Zhang Xiaolong's several hours of speech were summarized in one sentence, Captain Ying would say: "Mini Programs hope to activate offline and connect scenarios in a ready-to-use way."

"Offline, scene, ready to go", the mini program has released more than 50 capabilities since its launch, most of which are related to this. Ma Huateng , Chairman and CEO of Tencent, and Zhang Xiaolong, Senior Vice President of Tencent, took turns to introduce the capabilities of mini programs to the outside world. The WeChat team, which has no "sex life", launches new features almost every week after 10:30 p.m., hoping to point the way for developers/operators by empowering products.

As the official writing team for the two WeChat book series "WeChat Thinking" and "WeChat Power", and as the self-media that understands the WeChat ecosystem best, we have witnessed many excellent cases and capabilities of mini-programs, and were pleasantly surprised to find that many companies have skillfully used various combinations of mini-program capabilities based on their own characteristics and positioning, and have achieved remarkable results through scenarios and gameplay.

As more and more mini programs are launched, more excellent ways of playing will undoubtedly emerge in the future. We have already heard the sound of "mini programs" sprouting out of the ground like bamboo shoots after the rain.

Since the launch of the mini program on January 9, more than 50 capabilities have been released. What are they? What does it mean?

Scan me to get the "Mini Program Half-Year Capacity Chart"

More and more companies are complaining that online traffic is becoming more and more expensive. According to statistics, the cost of attracting new customers online has risen to nearly 100 yuan per person. It is crucial to find a low-cost and effective method to attract new customers.

01

Attracting new customers: Scenario-based marketing capabilities are the "weapon"

If you have to wait for 15 minutes to travel 2km, would you be willing to wait? In fact, if there are no other alternatives, many people will choose to continue waiting.

If you are waiting for a long time for the bus and there are a bunch of Mobike bikes next to you, you don’t need to download the app. You just need to take out WeChat and scan the QR code. The bike lock will open automatically and you can ride away. Will you choose?

Yes, before the mini program was available, it was not easy to ride a Mobike : users had to first go to the app store to download the App - register as a new user - bundle payment tools - pay a deposit - successfully register - scan the code - ride away.

Mobike cleverly utilized the ability of Xiaocheng to be compatible with QR codes (you can directly scan the QR code on Mobike bicycles with WeChat) and combined it with its own usage scenarios to achieve "new customer acquisition". No download required, just use it and go. The simplified process brought Mobike 50% new users within 2 months.

There is no doubt that APP has become a "burden" for users.

This is particularly evident when it comes to eating. KFC is one of the first 200 merchants invited by WeChat to participate in the internal test. The functions mainly cover membership services and advance reservation (reservation) services.

KFC discovered that users want fast and quality meals. The download time for the KFC official app is too long. On the existing H5 page , users cannot find the entrance when they first visit the store because they cannot see the advertisement. After using it for the first time, users still cannot find it the second time. Although mini programs can solve the problem of no downloading, KFC must achieve a leap in its own services in order to attract new customers.

Therefore, KFC Senior Marketing Director Chen Qi positioned the KFC mini program as a “ordering without queuing” tool . In this way, a small program called "KFC+" came into being.

Just scan and you can get a nutritious KFC breakfast.

Miss Liu eats breakfast downstairs at the company every day, but because there are long queues at KFC and it delays her clocking in at the company, she basically never buys KFC for breakfast. Until one day, she saw a notice about the "KFC+" service next to the door of a KFC store, "Just scan the mini program to order food in advance." The next day, Ms. Liu made a reservation for breakfast on "KFC+" while taking the subway. When she arrived at the store, the reserved breakfast had already been packed.

After get off work, white-collar workers simply don’t have the time or energy to go to the supermarket to buy groceries. If you open the "Nearby Mini Programs" at this time, you may see the "Aixianfeng" flash delivery supermarket mini program at a glance.

This is inseparable from the "new customer acquisition" method of Liu Jin, the product technology director of Aixianfeng. In Liu Jin's eyes, the capabilities of the two mini-programs, "Forward" and "Nearby Mini-Programs", are definitely Aixianfeng's powerful tools for attracting new customers.

Frequent communication with peers made Liu Jin realize that the "Nearby Mini Program" is a very good offline entry point for attracting new customers. What’s important is that Aixianfeng has many stores, with a total of 400,000 stores across the country, and it will appear more frequently in the “Nearby Mini Program”. (Link: How can 400,000 stores run mini programs at no cost?)

In this way, Aixianfeng launched the "Nearby Mini Programs" function. Data shows that the frequency of entering the Aixianfeng mini program through the "Nearby Mini Programs" reaches 5,000 times a day, the transaction rate is 15%, and the data has been rising.

Liu Jin also discovered that using old users to influence new users is also an effective way to attract new users. Therefore, the Aixianfeng mini program used the "15 yuan discount for new users" activity to guide users to forward messages to each other with one click, forming fission and achieving conversion .

Although the WeChat team has always emphasized that the scenarios of mini programs are offline, what merchants are more worried about is how to create offline scenarios?

Liu Jin, product director of Aixianfeng, also has a deep understanding of this. In order to create an offline scenario for entering the mini program, Aixianfeng held an offline traffic-generating event in April. They placed mini program QR codes at the checkout counters of more than 200,000 stores across the country to attract in-store consumers to scan the code and enter the mini program. At the same time, the cashiers are guided to tell consumers when checking out, "You can place orders and check out through the mini program, and enjoy a 15 yuan discount exclusive to the mini program."

Now that traffic is coming, how do we achieve user conversion? This is not as simple as just making good use of capabilities. What is important is the coordination of "play methods" and products.

02

Traffic + gameplay + product = "super conversion"

At a time when all companies are struggling with conversion rates , the Starbucks Mini Program has achieved unexpected conversion results using a social product.

In April 2017, Starbucks launched a social mini-program called " Say It with Stars ". Similar to "Send Red Envelopes", WeChat users can choose different forms (pictures, text, videos) in the mini-program, and choose Starbucks gift cards to send to WeChat friends according to different objects or occasions.

Liu Wenjuan, vice president of digital innovation at Starbucks China, decided to try something new and gave her first gift card to a college roommate who lived in another city and whom she hadn't seen for a long time. She chose the cover with the words "I miss you", then went into WeChat Pay and sent it to her friend from her friend list. The friend was very happy when she received it and sent her a whole screen of messages. Since then, friends who hardly drink coffee would take a few selfies and send them to Liu Wenjuan or their Moments every time they went to Starbucks. The important thing is that my friend has fallen in love with Starbucks’ caramel macchiato ever since.

Let’s take a look at the “viral” spread path of this product:

Online: A friend receives a gift card—posts it to Moments to express gratitude—then sends it back to the friend (or to other friends)—other friends receive the card

Offline: A friend receives a gift card—goes to the store to make a purchase—takes a photo and posts it to a group (friend circle)—instructs other friends to buy gift cards—forwards it to a friend’s friend

Data shows that the user who uses "Yongxingshuo" the most has given more than 100 gifts to friends. While receiving the gift cards, the friends also want to pass on the love, so "Yongxinshuo" has set up an "I want to send too" button. Liu Wenjuan found that the vast majority of users actually came from “I want to send too”.

Prior to this, Liu Wenjuan discovered that although Starbucks China’s official account had many fans, the account’s opening rate and the difficulty for users to find it were relatively high. Starbucks’ demands for mini programs are simple: reach and convenience. To this end, Starbucks did the following:

1) Product Design

Before designing the product, Starbucks did a lot of research and in-depth study on what can truly express the user's heart. Therefore, in "Say it with Stars", Starbucks used the most commonly used function of WeChat: WeChat coupons (social gift cards).

2) Accumulation of seed users

Starbucks' accumulation of seed users is inseparable from the entrance of WeChat-wallet-third-party services. Liu Wenjuan also admitted: "This entrance brought the first batch of seed users to "Yongxingshuo"."

3) Use the advantages of mini programs to improve conversion

Liu Wenjuan found that, unlike official accounts, users can find the Starbucks mini program in a variety of ways, such as: search, payment completion entrance, and offline scanning, so that users can reach it faster. In addition, once a user opens the Starbucks mini program, Starbucks will appear in the history list, making it easier for users to find it again and improve conversion rates.

In terms of user conversion, Mobike also encountered problems: due to different market competition and strategic positioning, Mobike's market share is lower than that ofo. How to increase the conversion rate while attracting new users?

Mobike tried to achieve user conversion through social networking + red envelopes. The cleverness of Mobike lies in the fact that social networking and red envelopes are the most basic and mature functions of WeChat, and the users have already been cultivated to maturity.

On March 30, 2017, the mini program launched the "Share with WeChat friends, ride for free for 30 days" activity. Similar to how Didi’s red envelopes flooded the WeChat Moments two years ago, Mobike Red once again became a hot topic at the time.

Unlike Didi’s red envelopes, Mobike’s red envelopes not only promote social interaction, but also add interactivity and fun:

1. "30 Days of Free Ride" guides users to forward the message to WeChat groups and grab it with friends. The more they share, the more friends participate, and the more free opportunities there are, guiding users to increase the frequency of dissemination.

2. Look for red envelopes all over the city. Mobike has set up random red envelopes on different bicycles, guiding users to find a bike and scan the red envelopes like a treasure hunter. After finding the red envelope, users will excitedly post it to their friends or groups. In this event, Mobike achieved great success both online and offline.

Data shows that since the beginning of 2017, Mobike's new user conversion rate has doubled, and daily registrations have increased 30 times. The number of independent uses of the mini program alone has reached 50,000,000 times, and it has now been launched in more than 100 cities around the world.

Taking the conversion rate into consideration, Li Yi, general manager of the Delicious No Waiting Merchant Business Unit, discovered that the first version of the mini program had some minor problems. The first version of the "No Need to Wait for Delicious Food" mini program only has the queuing function. But she found that queuing is only the first step for customers to eat. If users are only allowed to complete the queuing on the mini program, they will know nothing about the users' subsequent actions.

How to connect users to offline scenarios through online queuing? Li Yi believes that the reason why users queue up and wait for a table is to dine, so why not add ordering, payment and membership functions to the "No Need to Wait for Delicious Food" mini program to improve user and revenue conversion?

In this way, a new usage scenario for the Delicious Food Without Waiting mini program becomes: customers use the mini program to take a number and queue up on the way to the restaurant. After arriving at the store, they can scan the mini program QR code on the table to order food. After the user finishes, they can scan the QR code to pay via WeChat.

The following information about consumers can be obtained through the mini program:

1. Have you shopped in the store before?

2. How many points are in the account? Coupons?

3. Identify different levels of membership and what kind of discounts they can enjoy?

Data shows that a merchant who uses the mini program to turn over 2,000 tables a month can open 134 more tables in a month, saving one waiter and creating an additional value of 40,000 yuan.

Like Mobike, Delicious No Waiting also uses the mini program's "compatible with ordinary QR codes" function, and the QR codes for ordering and payment are compatible together. While merchants save costs, the user experience has also changed.

For example, in the past, when users scanned the code to pay, they usually needed to enter the consumption amount themselves. However, when using the Delicious No Waiting mini program, the phone will directly display the amount of this consumption when the user scans the code to pay. The user only needs to confirm it, and click on the details to view the specific details of this consumption.

As an old Internet company that focuses on product experience, Ctrip hopes to complete user conversion through product design and social gameplay.

These are all the steps from entering the Ctrip mini program to conversion, a total of 6 steps.

The second page has a clear display of red envelopes, and "500 yuan" is displayed at the top. Click in to immediately receive a 500 yuan travel gift package. If you click "Get it now", you will be prompted to enter personal information and enter the gift package collection stage. After each gift package, there are words guiding users to "use it immediately". The whole process is very smooth.

Importantly, Ctrip’s mini program also leverages the social functions of WeChat to achieve fission.

When guiding forwarding, Ctrip designed a total of two steps. The first step is: after receiving the gift package, you can choose "I also want to send a gift package", and there are words "Friends' luck" on the top, prompting users to forward it to friends.

The second step is: after the user receives the gift package, remind the user again "I also want to send a gift package" to guide sharing again. The “gift package validity period” will be marked next to each gift package, taking advantage of consumers’ sensitivity to discounts and promoting conversions.

Once users come, how to keep them coming and how to turn them into "loyal users" have always been unsolved mysteries that businesses hope to solve. Can this "black box" mini program open it?

03

Repeat purchase: using big data to explore essential needs

One benefit of big data is that it can collect complete data from multiple dimensions and unify them into one identity. Whether you are "Lao Wang next door" on the Internet or Kai Kai Wang in reality.

Through your action data, merchants can also determine whether you are a heavy customer or a customer who “cannot be persuaded even by nine oxen”.

Regarding "how to keep users and make repeated purchases", Aixianfeng has its own ideas. They will make more use of the "template message" capability of the mini program and prepare a user "wake-up mechanism".

WeChat officials have previously announced the push mechanism for mini-program template messages. If a user actively accesses the mini program once, the mini program can push a template message to the user once within a week. If the user completes payment on the mini program, the mini program can push a template message to the user three times within a week.

Due to the guidance of new user coupons, almost all users attracted from offline will complete the payment. In other words, Aixianfeng has three opportunities to push template messages to some users.

Aixianfeng divides the users of mini programs into two categories: the first category: those introduced through nearby mini programs are brand new users of the platform. The second category: attracting new users by scanning QR codes offline.

The platform will push a coupon valid for only seven days to these two categories of users, and on the next day, it will use mini-program template messages and text messages to remind users to use this coupon. If the user does not use this coupon, a template message will be pushed again on the third day, notifying that "this coupon will expire soon." If the user has not used it, a reminder "This coupon is about to expire" will be pushed again on the sixth day. If the user does not respond, Aixianfeng will stop targeted operations for this user to save operating costs. Until the next time he accesses the mini program.

Ultimately, Aixianfeng can make accurate analysis based on user reactions to coupons and vouchers combined with user tags. For example, if offline users are more likely to make a second purchase, then more accurate and targeted preferential policies can be formulated based on the data.

The Pinduoduo mini program, which is famous for group buying, uses " template messages + super benefit copywriting " to stimulate users to achieve the purpose of repurchase . Whether you have participated in a group purchase of 1 yuan or several hundred yuan, you will receive a message from the mini program, "You have a chance to get a free meal" to stimulate repeat purchases.

More and more companies have already tasted the benefits of mini programs. In the past six months, mini programs have seen explosive growth. With more than 50 capabilities open to the public, smart companies have already or are in the process of transforming and upgrading by combining capabilities, taking advantage of WeChat, and combining their own characteristics.

Just like Zhang Xiaolong, the "Father of WeChat", said: We only provide the best performing tools. The rest is something that the company itself needs to think about. How to leverage the power of mini programs to run your business? Things may not be complicated, it just depends on whether you have thought about it.