After analyzing more than 500 e-commerce applets, I discovered three major rules for becoming popular

This article first analyzes the reasons for the rise of mini programs based on product characteristics, and then uses specific cases to sort out the three inevitable connections that have made the e-commerce field the primary battlefield for mini programs.

This article believes that these mechanisms are of great reference significance to China's e-commerce industry, which is in its early stages. After studying more than 500 popular e-commerce mini-programs, we summarized the three major rules behind the popular e-commerce mini-programs, and divided them into some functions based on the functions of a third-party mini-program development platform, JiSu App, to analyze the strategic functions of third-party platforms for mini-programs.

Strong social attributes to achieve fission-like new user acquisition

Mini programs are born out of WeChat , which is a powerful social platform. As a mini program that relies on the powerful social platform of WeChat, it is born with natural social attributes. In terms of product design, mini programs take advantage of this to extend the common sharing function to content sharing into a new transaction collaboration model. The sharing format is introduced from static image and text links, then transferred to a third-party platform to complete consumption, and then transformed into obvious merchant dynamic information, further simplifying the transaction process.

During the Double Eleven period, the DAU of Pinduoduo Mini Program reached nearly 10 million. Since its launch half a year ago, it has received over 100 million visits, relying on a group-buying mentality. As a common social e-commerce method, the value of group buying and attracting new customers will be further amplified by leveraging the powerful social attributes and seamless sharing advantages of mini programs. Here we briefly analyze Pinduoduo's marketing pain points:

1. Compatible with WeChat Mini Program user experience

The user experience design of the Pinduoduo mini program perfectly fits the "use it and go" positioning. Compared with the diverse functions of the App, it only retains the Taotao section, and there are no limited-time flash sales and other original sections in the App in the mini program. It has achieved a certain degree of streamlining, focusing only on a certain module to enhance the user experience.

2. Spread through WeChat friends and group networks

Compared with traditional apps, mini programs are more scenario-driven. The social e-commerce status of Pinduoduo mini program's group shopping is very suitable for scenario-driven. Based on the 980 million user traffic on the WeChat platform, users can share through WeChat friends or WeChat groups , invite friends to complete group purchases, achieve fission propagation, and quickly create a word-of-mouth effect.

3. Targeted operations to achieve precise matching

Different from the "birds of a feather flock together" approach, the Pinduoduo mini program is more of an e-commerce platform that follows the "people are divided into groups" approach. It conducts segmented operations based on crowd characteristics, spreads content in various WeChat groups formed due to similar preferences, achieves low-cost promotion , captures people's shopping preferences through social sharing and group buying, completes user segmentation, and realizes precise matching.

When brands or companies want to create high-quality mini programs through "social + e-commerce", they also need to pay attention to the following:

1. The goods and services sold must be consistent with the needs and interests of the platform's user base. In simple terms, accurate positioning of users can stimulate market demand and achieve purchases;
2. The marketing activities planned must be interesting and have spreadable points to inspire users to spread on social platforms and resonate with the group, ultimately achieving marketing conversion;
3. Shopping guidance should be seamlessly and implicitly embedded in social activities. The design of activity processes and incentive mechanisms should be simple, and use interest points to stimulate dissemination to avoid causing user disgust.

Combining Pinduoduo 's "social + e-commerce" marketing model , the marketing methods of major third-party production platforms are subdivided into the following eight categories:

• Group buying: Attracted by preferential prices, consumers spontaneously invite friends to form a group and complete the purchase of goods at preferential prices on the mini program. It is mainly used for sales promotion.
• Flash sale: A marketing tool in which merchants lower the price of goods during a specific period of time to attract buyers to buy them on the mini program at the same time. After the limited time, the goods return to their original price.
• Stored value: Merchants offer certain discounts to attract users to pay in advance on the mini program and then make purchases later.
• Big Roulette: Merchants set the prizes and thresholds in advance, and users draw the prizes in a roulette wheel format on the mini program.
• Smashing golden eggs: Merchants set the event time, the expected number of lottery participants and the corresponding prizes in advance, and ultimately consumers participate in the lottery by "smashing" golden eggs.
• Scratch-off lottery tickets: Consumers can use the mini program to scratch off lottery tickets after completing the transaction.
• Jijile: When the accumulated consumption amount reaches the standard set by the merchant, consumers can receive corresponding coupon rewards.
• Bargaining: Merchants set up attractive prices for products in the background, prompting consumers to share the mini program with friends to help bargain after making a purchase, ultimately allowing customers to complete the transaction at a price lower than the original price.

Social marketing , triggering resonance among customers

The greatest value of combining social shopping with mini programs lies in attracting new customers and converting them. According to the Three-Three Rule of Participation, the key point lies in the user's sense of participation. Set up heartfelt topics to let users speak out and be willing to spread and share. This effect is far more practical than hard advertising implantation.

The iDS Big Eyes Mini Program gained 600,000 users in the first month after its launch. It built a circle for beauty experts to communicate with users, allowing users to have a complete experience of browsing, buying and communicating at the same time. It mainly relies on two simple functional modules, namely hot topics and good things sharing circles, and adopts the " community operation + traffic-driving purchase" operation mode.

1. Hot topics attract user attention and improve retention rate

The hot topics of the iDS Big Eyes applet integrate various related topics. Users can click to view more topics. It builds interest circles and experience exchanges for users who share the same shopping interest. The exquisite experience sharing improves user retention rate and is a typical traffic generated by high-quality content.

2. Good things sharing improves user participation and achieves social communication

On the homepage of the iDS Big Eyes mini program, in addition to the three hot topics, there are also users' experiences of purchasing products, including topics related to clothing, beauty and even music. Users can directly comment and communicate with each other, giving them a stronger sense of participation and the urge to share, thus achieving social communication.

3. " Community operation + traffic generation" to achieve sales conversion

iDS Big Eyes places mini-program cards in articles pushed by subscription accounts . After understanding the introduction of beauty products and consumption experience, users can directly scan the "group QR code" at the end of the article, join the group and purchase the recommended products mentioned in the article. Group members stimulate each other's consumption and provide customer service to each other. The large-scale and massive content will precipitate higher-quality content and accurate product selection and positioning.

Through the method of "community operation + diverting purchases", the "iDS Big Eyes Community" has split into 700 flash sale groups within a month, reaching more than 50,000 people, and at the same time carrying out precise fermentation and amplification. The purchase links in the flash sale groups will directly place the two e-commerce mini-program cards "Big Eyes Shopping Store" and "Big Eyes Shopping Global Store", directly realizing the seamless conversion of mini-program matrix traffic to purchases. During this year's "Double Eleven" period, the GMV peak reached 10.2 million, the transaction conversion rate reached 18.67%, and 82% of the products were sold out.

iDS Big Eyes provides merchants with a model reference for content marketing in mini programs, but it should be noted that:

• Have clear goals, fully understand users' key needs and fully explore the content of users' needs.
• Think about user scenarios, consider the user's situation and provide content that matches it to improve the user experience.
• Establish connections with users through multiple channels and launch high-quality content to attract users and avoid monotony.

The marketing model of iDS Big Eyes "community operation + traffic purchase" can be divided into the following two functions of the third-party platform:

• Information: The information function can help merchants update and publish the latest business and industry developments in real time, showcase corporate culture, and promote interaction with consumers.
• Circles: Similar to “communities”, merchants set up hot topics of interest to users in the background, initiate topics in mini programs, and gather users with the same interests to interact in circles and conduct social operations.

Focus on fans’ real needs and build fan strategies

Another important point in the Three-Three Rule of Engagement is the user strategy for becoming fans. With the development of the Internet economy, the operational strategy of becoming a fan is based on the trust endorsement of users. The relationship between merchants and users is becoming increasingly close, and the honor and interests of users are gradually magnified.

" Starbucks Says with Stars " is a mini program similar to "Sending Red Envelopes" launched by Starbucks in April 2017. Users can choose different forms such as pictures, texts, videos, etc. in the mini program, and purchase Starbucks gift cards and send them to WeChat friends according to different objects or occasions. Data shows that the user who uses " Yongxingshuo " the most has given more than 100 gifts to friends. The "Starbucks Yongxingshuo" mini program has entered the gift e-commerce segment with its "fans + commercial cards and coupons" operating model .

1. A new way of information interaction to enhance the emotional value of products

"Promoting connections between people through unique and exquisite experiences" has always been Starbucks' core value. The Starbucks Mini Program makes coffee an ideal "medium" for connecting friends and family through the form of gifting cards and vouchers, catering to Starbucks fans' expectations of the brand and elevating the purchase of coffee originally out of physiological needs into a gift purchased based on social needs. By using gift-giving as a tool, we have increased our user base, enhanced consumers’ recognition and loyalty to Starbucks, and made the product more heartwarming.

2. Pay attention to users’ emotional needs and personalize product content

Using Xingshuo to package commercial vouchers into Star Gift Cards, and realizing that users have different gift-giving scenarios and emotional needs, the team spent 5 months designing 196 different Star Gift Card designs. Whether it is to cheer up a good friend, or to express an apology that you have been holding back for a long time; whether it is the brotherhood of gratitude, or the sweet words between lovers , there are corresponding card designs to truly meet the user's personalized needs.

When building a fan strategy, businesses should pay attention to the following tips:

• We should take advantage of interactive events such as festivals to increase the loyalty of old fans and attract new fans.
• Create a sense of belonging, deeply explore the emotional value behind the product, and create feelings that are higher than the physical properties of the product.
• Give users an identity, drive their sense of honor, stimulate their desire to share, and achieve dissemination.

Combining Starbucks ' "fans + commercial vouchers" marketing model , the marketing methods of the main third-party production platforms are divided into the following three types:

• Membership card: Merchants can set membership thresholds in the backend system. The system will match the user's recorded consumption behavior to determine the user's membership level and the membership rights and benefits he or she should enjoy.
• Points: After the merchant sets the points earning criteria, the merchant can match and accumulate points based on the user's data in the background, convert the points into discounts or gifts, and give them back to the user.
• Coupons: According to the different needs of merchants, there are various types of coupons such as discount coupons, full-reduction coupons, vouchers, redemption coupons, etc. Gift coupons also have the function of transfer.

Summarize

Whether it is leveraging the power of social media to achieve exponential growth in new customers, creating emotional content to deliver an ultimate user experience, or focusing on fan interests to build a fan strategy, the core is to amplify user participation through the social attributes of mini programs, allowing users to deeply participate in every activity of the merchant and break down user psychological barriers.

Use the WeChat platform to open up the process of making products, services, brands and sales, allow users to participate, and establish an ecosystem that is touchable, ownable, and grows together with users, truly retaining customers and achieving a closed loop of traffic.

The mini program game "Jump Jump" opened the curtain for mini program games, and the future of mini programs is gradually becoming clear. Will e-commerce mini programs also add game play to lead the trend in the future? Let's wait and see.

The author of this article @刘子 is compiled and published by (Qinggua Media). Please indicate the author information and source when reprinting!

Product promotion services: APP promotion services Advertising platform Longyou Century