Mini Program Insight Report: Several major gameplays and confusions of traditional brands are all here

Thanks to the update of WeChat, mini programs are closer to commercialization: search, traffic distribution, offline connection, all have been opened. This also makes many players more confused: CRM, customer service, traffic diversion, sales, what can mini programs do? Pioneers have made more attempts, including Hanguang Department Store and Starbucks, which have explored models in connection, function and linkage. It can be seen that mini programs are thin and light, and transit stations are obvious. In a word: mini programs are a bridge, not a house. Walk across it, don't build a house.

1. Brand owners are trying out mini programs, but are still confused about “positioning and gameplay”

In July, WeChat updated important functions, and mini programs took another step forward in their commercialization process.

• Major update 1: For iOS, WeChat 6.7.1 can add frequently used mini-programs to "My Mini-programs";
• Major update 2: Brand search brings brand official area and micro homepage to merchants;

Both of these updates will directly improve the conversion and retention of mini programs.

Although the physical retail industry is still in a state of negotiation, the reconstruction of people, goods and places under the background of new retail has given the physical retail industry new opportunities. Among them, the WeChat ecosystem has given brand owners a new opportunity to revitalize.

Brand owners generally have four major confusions when using mini programs:

• Confusion 1: What is the relationship between mini programs and existing online businesses?
• Confusion 2: The positioning of the mini program is unclear. Is it CRM, brand promotion, traffic generation, or even sales?
• Confusion 3: Can the original online gameplay be replicated on the mini program?
• Confusion 4: Given the uncertainty of WeChat policies, how should resources be allocated?

2. Brand owners continue to actively explore mini programs

Brand owners are actively exploring the use of WeChat’s basic functions in areas such as traffic generation, sales, services, and member management. Currently, they are still in the single-point application trial stage:

There are four typical models that brand owners are actively exploring:

Model 1: "Smart retail model under the mini program matrix", membership card + online mall + service connection

Typical representative: Hanguang Department Store

Mode 2: “Group buying to store mode”, group buying through mini program and picking up at community stores to divert traffic and guide site selection

Typical representative: Baiguoyuan

Model 3: “Gift card sales model”, giving gifts to relatives and friends to increase user activity rate

Typical representative: Starbucks

Although Starbucks was impacted to some extent by Luckin Coffee, the mini program has expanded to stores and social scenarios, and the user activity rate of the Starbucks APP has increased by about 70% year-on-year.

Mode 4: “Pop-up store mode”: flash sales today, use flash sales to conduct concentrated sales of categories, and increase user participation enthusiasm

Typical representatives: Lancome, Yves Saint Laurent, Rimowa, etc.

3. How can brand owners better utilize mini programs?

Brand owners need to clarify the relationship and correlation between official accounts, mini programs and apps

Brand owners need to make sure they have the ability to generate revenue and continue to attract traffic to their mini programs.

It is well known that the retention rate of mini programs is low. It is recommended that brand owners make good use of the more than 60 entrances and public account matrix of WeChat mini programs to identify the portraits and daily behaviors of target users, reach users accurately, and improve the effect of attracting new users.

Brand owners need to be “light” when using mini programs

In the early stage, you do not need to accumulate users and data in the mini program, and directly operate the mini program for the purpose of promoting conversion (flash sales, member registration, settlement and other services); in the later stage, after users develop usage habits, you can consider expanding the application scenarios of the user's full-process service.