Analysis of the competition between TikTok and Tencent Weishi

Short videos have become an important part of people's entertainment life, with Douyin and Kuaishou occupying a dominant position. Tencent Video has been revived after a period of silence, demonstrating Tencent's determination to be reborn in the short video market.

1. Overview of Competitive Products

1.1 Version Information

1.2 Purpose of Competitive Products

As short videos have set off wave after wave of popularity, apps such as Douyin and Tencent Weishi have become part of people's lives. As outstanding players in the short video industry, Tik Tok and Tencent Weishi have been competing in the short video market for a long time.

Tencent Weishi is affiliated to Tencent. As Tencent's flagship product in the short video field, it is highly anticipated. Its strongest competitor, Douyin, has been expanding on a large scale in the short video market at an astonishing speed in recent years, and has gradually penetrated into industries such as e-commerce.

This competitive product analysis analyzes and recognizes the two major short video software, Tik Tok and Tencent Weishi. The main purpose is to deepen the understanding of the current status of short videos by comparing their core functions, page design, advantages and disadvantages, and to analyze and imagine the opportunities for the development of the short video industry.

1.3 Development History

Tik Tok:

Referring to the data provided by Baidu Index and the analysis by Li Zhao, an author of Zhongchuang.com, and Zhihu Yizhan Online, Douyin has gone through three stages from its launch in 2016 to the present (as shown below): the exploration period before May 2017, the first stage of growth from May 2017 to January 2018, and the second stage of growth from January 2018 to the present.

During the exploration period, Douyin's version iterations mainly focused on product-level work such as experience optimization, feature enrichment, and bug fixing.

Since May 2017, Douyin has entered its operation period, which is also the first stage of growth. During this stage, Douyin achieved nearly 12 times of user growth in half a year, achieving very impressive results.

From January 2018 to the present, Douyin has established a firm foothold in the short video market. It pays more attention to optimizing functional experience and controlling the quality of content. It is in a stage of fine-tuning the product. Today, in the second half of the competition in the Internet arena, Douyin is also expanding its market. Whether it is trying to go overseas or moving closer to the e-commerce industry, Douyin is working hard to stay active.

Tencent Weishi:

Referring to the data provided by Baidu Index, the author summarizes the development of Tencent Weishi into four periods:

• Exploration period: Tencent Weishi was officially launched in September 2013 and was initially positioned as an 8-second short video sharing community. Relying on Tencent's ecological platform, Tencent Weishi attracted celebrities from Tencent Weibo, but due to improper operation and ineffective monetization methods, Tencent Weishi did not generate a good response.
• Decline period: In 2015, Weishi was strategically marginalized and only simple technical maintenance was still in progress.
• Shutdown period: In March 2017, Tencent led the investment in Kuaishou, and Weishi was officially closed.
• Rebirth period: In 2018, Douyin, Huoshan Video, and Xigua Video, all incubated by Toutiao, gradually formed a system and formed a three-on-one situation against the short video giant Kuaishou. Douyin even experienced an explosion around the Spring Festival. With the penetration of short videos into users' lives and the growing strength of TikTok, Tencent has revived Weishi and poured unprecedented resources into this product, demonstrating Tencent's determination to be reborn in the short video market.

Tencent Weishi has used the method of drawing traffic from Tencent Weibo to attract users since its launch, and its reliance on the Tencent platform is also one of its biggest advantages. It remains to be seen how the now reborn Tencent Weishi will regain its momentum in the fiercely competitive short video market.

1.4 Positioning slogan

2. Market Analysis

2.1 Market Status (Development Background, Current Status, Traffic Analysis)

2.1.1 Short video industry development background

Since its rise, the short video industry has created waves around the world. With the popularization of mobile smart terminals and the advent of the Internet era, this low-cost, creative life sharing and simple video creation tool has attracted more and more people's attention. Compared with traditional graphic and text forms of expression, short videos can combine audio and video to bring multi-dimensional stimulation to users. Moreover, short videos can be shared and spread on various social media, making them a social media that is extremely easy to spread.

In today's technological context, users can shoot and watch short videos anytime and anywhere, and choose special effects and music according to their preferences. At the same time, the background algorithm will accurately match user interests and recommend the most suitable content. This fast entertainment method makes full use of fragmented time and fully meets user needs.

Regarding the development of short videos, it has been in the exploratory stage in the early days, during which many short video creators emerged. Between 2011 and 2015, short video distribution channels began to diversify, with Kuaishou, Miaopai, Tencent Weishi, etc. established one after another. This period was also a period of transformation for short videos. The period from 2016 to 2020 was the explosive period for short videos. Short videos became a new outlet for content entrepreneurship and innovation. A large number of creators emerged, and financing in the industry showed a blowout.

In this process, the monetization model of short video marketing has gradually been recognized. The gap between the user stickiness of short video applications and online videos is gradually narrowing, and users' usage habits are gradually changing. In the future, the huge challenge facing competitors in the short video industry will be how to ensure content quality and seek more monetization models in order to gain a foothold in this industry.

2.1.2 Current Development Status of Short Video Industry

Market size:

According to data compiled by iResearch Consulting and China Business Industry Research Institute, the size of the short video content market increased from 200 million yuan in 2015 to 126.5 billion yuan in 2019, with an average annual compound growth rate of 401.5%. With the popularization of 5G and the development of short video technologies such as AR and VR, the scale of the short video content market is expected to continue to grow significantly to 317.1 billion yuan in 2021.

The monetization methods of short videos are gradually increasing, and the scale of the marketing market is expanding rapidly. Short video marketing has various forms of online advertising, including short video information flow marketing, event marketing and product placement marketing, which is an important component and driver of the entire online marketing market.

According to data compiled by iResearch Consulting and China Business Industry Research Institute, the revenue generated by short video marketing in China increased from 200 million yuan in 2015 to 102.5 billion yuan in 2019, with an average annual compound growth rate of 375.8%. It is expected to further increase from RMB 172.4 billion in 2020 to RMB 258 billion in 2021, exceeding the growth rate of the overall online marketing market.

User scale:

The scale of short video users is also growing rapidly. As of the end of December 2018, the scale of short video users in my country reached 648 million, and the user utilization rate reached 78.2%; in June 2020, the user scale of China's short video industry reached 818 million, and the utilization rate reached 87%. It can be seen that the penetration rate of short videos among users has reached a very high level.

At the same time, the number of monthly active users continued to grow. As of June 2018, the number of active users in the short video industry exceeded 500 million, a year-on-year increase of 104% compared to 2017. The second half of 2017 saw a surge in the growth of short video monthly active users, with a quarterly compound growth rate of approximately 46%. However, the growth rate of short video monthly active users slowed significantly in the first half of 2018, with the quarterly compound growth rate falling to 10%. As of June 2018, the penetration rate of short video applications reached 46%, which means that nearly half of Internet users have become short video users. This figure is expected to make a breakthrough leap in 2021.

2.1.3 Development Trends of the Short Video Industry

2.1.3.1 Increased Demand from Internet Users

Short videos make full use of fragmented time and are a low-cost and creative form of entertainment. From the above data analysis, we can see that more Internet users are spending more time watching short videos, creating a huge demand for the short video content production market.

2.1.3.2 High-quality content presentation

Given the popularity and high marketing efficiency of short videos, the richness of content has been greatly improved, but it has also brought about problems of low quality and lack of unified standards. In the future development process, each platform should also strictly control the quality of short videos, attract more professional and talented people, so as to improve the overall quality and attractiveness of short videos.

2.1.3.3 The mature value chain of short video content production

The short video content production market has developed a mature value chain, especially with the emergence of MCN, which provides comprehensive and professional support for short video content producers from concept development planning to content production, and further seeks suitable advertisers and network platform resources.

2.1.3.4 Exploring monetization channels

Short video platforms have already tilted toward the e-commerce industry, their businesses have also penetrated overseas, and the scale of their marketing market has further expanded. In future development, each platform will also explore new monetization channels and strengthen marketing to obtain more profits.

2.2 Market Share

The corporate market structure of my country's short video industry is relatively stable. Based on user scale as the main differentiation method, Douyin and Kuaishou are in the first tier, with active users accounting for about 56.7% of the total; Xigua Video, Douyin Volcano Edition, Baidu's Haokan Video, and Tencent's Weishi are in the second tier, with active users accounting for 24.9%; iQiyi Suike, Bobo Video, Kuaishou Speed ​​Edition, Shuabao and other short video apps are in the third tier, with active users accounting for 12.4%.

In addition, in the past three years, short video platforms have not only targeted the domestic market. Going overseas has become a popular choice for many short video companies to seek high efficiency. TikTok, the overseas version of Douyin, is still far ahead among many short video companies going overseas, posing a serious threat to companies such as Twitter, YouTube, Facebook and Snapchat.

Beneath the seemingly stable market structure lies an unstable competition for resources. As a reborn product, Tencent Weishi will surely utilize resources from all parties to compete in the short video market. We will wait and see what changes will occur in the future landscape.

3. User Analysis

3.1 User Profile

Main distribution areas of TikTok users

Main distribution areas of Tencent Weishi users

According to data provided by Baidu Index, there is a large overlap in the main cities where Douyin and Tencent Weishi users are distributed, and the top five cities are exactly the same. This phenomenon is actually not conducive to the development of Tencent Weishi. Since Douyin has already occupied a large market share and has had a solid user base since its launch, if Tencent Weishi cannot create differentiated content, it will be difficult to compete with Douyin.

According to the age distribution data of Tik Tok and Tencent Weishi users provided by Baidu Index, their user groups are mainly concentrated in the age range of 20-39, mainly targeting young users. This type of users is quick to accept new things, has greater entertainment needs and is good at using fragmented time. The main usage scenarios for short video products among young users are: commuting to get off work and during breaks.

In addition, both have a large number of middle-aged and elderly customers. The main reasons why middle-aged and elderly users can accept short videos as a new form of entertainment are that they can spend less time grasping current affairs news, common sense of life, etc., and videos are easier to stimulate users' senses than pictures and texts. The main scenarios for this type of users are: break time, morning and evening news time.

Judging from the gender distribution data, there is not much difference between the number of male and female users of the two, and overall there are more male users.

3.2 Usage scenarios

This article uses user application preference information to analyze usage scenarios:

Tik Tok:

Tencent Weishi:

The user application preferences provided by TalikingData Mobile Observatory show that the user application preferences of Douyin and Tencent Weishi are not far apart, and the basic functions of the two are basically the same. Users expect to experience audio and video, socialize, and receive information on short video apps. At the same time, short video apps are also life and online shopping platforms that meet the various needs of users.

Therefore, it is speculated that the main users and usage scenarios of the two are as follows:

Young groups represented by students and urban white-collar workers:

This type of users are easy to accept new things and good at analysis, and have a great demand for entertainment. Douyin and Tencent Weishi, as representatives of low-cost entertainment, provide a platform for entertainment and social interaction for young user groups. Users can discover interesting things and record their lives here, while also satisfying their needs for creation and self-expression. Their main usage scenarios are: rest time, alone time, and commuting time to work.

Middle-aged and elderly users:

A big advantage of short videos is that they have a wide audience, and middle-aged and elderly users can also become loyal users of short video platforms. The reason is that everyone has the common characteristic of needing rest and recreation. The rich content of Douyin and Tencent Weishi platforms has become a winning weapon in attracting such users. In addition to paying attention to funny videos, this type of users pay more attention to short videos about common sense and news, hoping to acquire knowledge. The main usage scenario is during rest time.

4. Functional Analysis

4.1 Information Architecture

In this section, we mainly analyze the basic functional architecture of Douyin and Tencent Weishi and make a comparison.

By combing through the information architecture of the two apps, we can find that both apps have 5 basic tabs. The common modules are Home Page (including recommendations, following, live broadcast, and search), Photography (can be directly shot or uploaded locally), Messages, and Me (including information display and settings, etc.). The difference is that Douyin has set up a separate module for "Friends", providing users with ample opportunities for interaction, while Tencent Weishi puts friend information under the "Me" module, emphasizing the connection between friends and users, and making full use of the advantages of Tencent's social platform to provide users with an extremely convenient entry point for discovering friends.

The second basic tab of Tencent Video is the colorful "channel" module, which is equivalent to classifying and organizing various types of videos, and combining Weishi short videos with Tencent Video's long videos to attract users. At the same time, the "Challenge" category in this module is a good reflection of event operations, attracting users to participate in events, increasing user activity, and increasing stickiness. There is no specific classification module in Douyin, but its search list shows rankings for music, users, live broadcasts, and brands.

4.2 Core Function Comparison

4.2.1 Home Page Comparison

Tik Tok:

The homepage and sub-modules of Douyin are shown in the picture above. The top of the homepage includes entrances for live broadcast, local area, following, recommendation and search. When the APP is first launched, the recommendation page will be displayed and you can switch videos by swiping up and down.

The tabs below the video mainly present user location, user account, text, topics, music, etc. Click on a topic to watch other videos in this topic, and click on the music or the disc icon in the lower right corner to use the music. In addition, the name of certain special effects will be displayed below the video using the special effects, and users can see other videos using the special effects.

On the right side of the video is the video blogger's information. Click on the avatar or swipe left to enter their homepage. If the user is live streaming, click on the avatar to enter the live streaming page. You can click the follow button directly below the avatar. The interactive area below mainly includes likes, comments and shares. There are two ways to like an image: clicking the heart button and double-clicking the screen. A dynamic effect will appear when you double-click the screen. You can share directly with friends or share outside the site.

Tencent Weishi:

The layout of Tencent Weishi’s homepage is similar to that of Douyin, and the interaction method is not much different. Compared with Douyin, Tencent Weishi has added some details and sub-modules.

At the top of the homepage, Tencent Weishi has richer content, and has added entrances for micro-dramas and red envelopes based on the entrance provided by Douyin. The micro-drama sub-module showcases the differentiated features of Tencent Weishi. The content consists of short dramas produced by Tencent Weishi. Through the form of short vertical screen series, users can grasp the most exciting stories in the shortest time. It is also updated regularly to increase user stickiness.

The red envelope entrance is an incentive for users. As long as users watch the video for a certain length of time, they can get a red envelope. Moreover, users are more sensitive to the red envelope icon, so placing it on the homepage is very eye-catching and can fully attract user participation.

User information, text and video music are displayed below the video on the home page. The difference here from TikTok is the location of the follow button. The author believes that Tik Tok places it below the avatar, overlapping with the avatar, making it easy for users to mistakenly click to follow the blogger when viewing the blogger’s personal homepage. And most users will not perform complicated unfollowing operations due to mistakenly following, so this method can improve user retention. Tencent Weishi places the follow button independently. For users with high requirements, they will not follow it if the content is not very exciting. A decrease in the amount of followers will make it less likely for users to access content in their areas of interest, resulting in user loss.

Compared to TikTok, the right side of the homepage has added a collection of highlights and a statement function. The collection contains videos similar to the currently browsed video, making it convenient for users to scroll up and down to find similar videos. Tencent Weishi aggregates selected collections through intelligent algorithms to ensure that users can see more short videos that suit their interests. However, during my experience, I found that only some videos have the entrance to the "Selected Collection", so this function needs to be further improved to form a more detailed classification.

The expression function is subdivided into five attitudes. The author believes that the setting of this entrance is based on the perspective of user laziness, providing a way for users who do not want to type comments to express their opinions. But I personally think this feature is not very useful. As a form of light entertainment, watching videos does not require much expression.

In addition, the objects of sharing on Tencent Weishi are relatively limited and there is no sharing among friends within the APP, which is not conducive to the dissemination of high-quality content.

Summary and suggestions:

The main page layout and interaction methods of Douyin and Tencent Weishi are very similar. If users use Tencent Weishi based on Douyin, the learning cost will not be too high. The entrance to the Douyin homepage is relatively simple, with independent functions and easy operation. The follow-up setting is conducive to enhancing user stickiness, which is also something Tencent Weishi can learn from. The homepage columns of Tencent Weishi are richer, showing its differentiated functional modules, and providing a red envelope entrance on the homepage for event operations. However, some functions are redundant and can be optimized later.

From the content displayed on the homepage, it can be seen that Douyin's short video content is younger and more popular, while the content presented by Weishi is not close enough to the needs of young users. When my new user friend first experienced it, he was surprised by the frequency of tacky videos on Weishi. The author believes that as a short video product with a majority of young users, Weishi should be more accurately positioned and optimize content presentation in order to win a better reputation and facilitate further promotion.

4.2.2 Comparison of live streaming functions

Tik Tok:

Taking live streaming of goods as an example, the information of the live streaming user and fans is mainly presented above the live streaming interface of Douyin. The same entrance is also provided in the lower right corner, which is closer to the personal homepage entrance of the homepage. In addition, you can also see the related live broadcast list and rankings of similar topics. The fan contribution ranking is displayed in the upper right corner. The ranking competition method is used to arouse users' competitive spirit and stimulate user consumption. In addition, there are some activity banners and more live broadcast entrances to attract users.

The bottom of the page mainly contains functions such as shopping cart, sending gifts to the anchor, and brushing barrage, which promote good communication between the anchor and users/customers during the live broadcast of goods.

Tencent Weishi:

Tencent Weishi’s live broadcast page and interactive method are also quite similar to Douyin, with little difference in basic functions. But the difference of Tencent Weishi is that some anchors will use Tencent's social platform to establish fan groups to facilitate communication, fully creating Tencent's closed-loop ecosystem. In addition, Tencent Weishi focuses on live broadcasts of games and entertainment. When I was experiencing the live broadcast function of Tencent Weishi, I tried to find live broadcasts of clothing and accessories, but most of the live broadcasts presented were about pearls, hardware, etc. There were only a handful of categories that interested me. Compared with ordinary entertainment live broadcasts, live broadcasts with goods have an additional shopping cart entrance, which is similar to TikTok. The author believes that with the current trend of short videos moving closer to the e-commerce industry, it is good for Tencent Weishi to focus on live streaming of games and entertainment and create differentiated content, but its monetization model in these areas has yet to be fully explored. For example, in game live streaming, you can add the promotion of gaming equipment or electronic equipment, etc., use the host’s KOL effect to find more opportunities for commercial monetization.

Summary and suggestions:

Live streaming, as a new area of ​​development for short video platforms, has attracted much attention. Therefore, how to better utilize live streaming to increase user stickiness and create commercial value is an important consideration for the future development of short video platforms. Looking at Douyin and Tencent Weishi, the design of their live broadcast pages is relatively complete. The difference in details mainly lies in that Douyin's off-site sharing is more comprehensive and has richer sharing channels; while Tencent Weishi attempts to consolidate Tencent's closed ecological loop; in terms of the combination of live broadcast and e-commerce, Douyin has attracted a large number of big names and celebrities, and most of the live broadcasts are live broadcasts with goods, with considerable commercial benefits. While Tencent Weishi focuses on games and entertainment live streaming, it should look for more opportunities and channels to get closer to e-commerce.

4.2.3 Same City Page

Tik Tok:

Videos under the Douyin local video menu are presented in the form of video streams, and users can switch cities. And the distance information will be displayed below the video. In addition, Douyin also provides a search entrance for the same city list, making it convenient for users to pay attention to hot information in the same city.

Tencent Weishi:

The entrance to Tencent Weishi's "Same City" is relatively hidden, under the "Channel" Tab, and users need to slide to find the name of their city after entering the Tab. Compared with Douyin, the entrance to Weishi's "Same City" is directly named after the city, which can attract more users' attention. The way of displaying local videos is the same as that of Douyin, but Tencent Weishi adds thumbnail copy below the video thumbnail. This design can explain the content of the video more clearly to users, and users will click on the video out of curiosity to learn more.

Summary and suggestions:

Both Douyin and Tencent Weishi have set up the "Same City" entrance, but Douyin places it on the homepage, reflecting its attention to close social interaction in the same city, while Tencent Weishi includes it in the "Channel" Tab, and users need to take several steps to reach it. Personally, I think Tencent Weishi pays more attention to the interaction and communication between online friends, and gives a lower weight to social interaction in the same city. In addition, Douyin allows users to choose their own cities, avoiding deviations caused by positioning not being turned on or inaccurate recognition. It is very user-friendly. The city ranking function can also provide some reference for users who do not have a clear browsing purpose. Tencent Weishi pays more attention to the details of the presentation of the same-city entrance, such as its name design and the thumbnail text presentation of the video, which captures the user's curiosity well and attracts users to browse.

4.2.4 Comparison of follow pages

Tik Tok:

The top of the Douyin follow page will display the users who are currently broadcasting live and provide an entrance. Scrolling down will display the video updates of the users. Click on a video or scroll down to enter the video. After entering the video, the page presented is the same as the recommendation page, but the number of users who are currently broadcasting live will be displayed in the upper middle part of the page.

Tencent Weishi:

The follow page of Tencent Weishi is presented in the form of a video stream. Users can swipe up and down. When they slide to a video, it will play automatically. A text thumbnail, likes, comments, and sharing information will be displayed below the video to help users understand the content and attention of the video. The format of the video stream is the same as the presentation method of small and medium videos on WeChat, and is also similar to the presentation style of Moments, reflecting the consistent style of Tencent's social platform. Users who start using Weishi from WeChat will also think that such a design is close to their cognition and is simple and easy to use. This page will also recommend other users to users, allowing them to follow them with one click and browse more content.

Summary and suggestions:

The author believes that Tencent Weishi’s follow page is superior in terms of both design and interaction, and fully creates a sense of sociality. Although Tencent Weishi has some gaps with Douyin in live streaming and does not provide a live streaming entrance for followers, with the improvement of its live streaming module, there will be greater breakthroughs in this regard in the future.

4.2.5 Search page function comparison

Tik Tok:

In addition to displaying "Guess what you want to search" to match users with content of interest, Douyin's search page also provides a hot search list divided into five categories. Under the "Brand List", it is further divided into various brand lists. The entrance settings are very clear and orderly. In addition, Douyin comes with a scan function that can not only recognize QR codes and barcodes, but also generate the user's own Douyin code, which is similar to a personal business card, fully demonstrating the user's personality.

Tencent Weishi:

In comparison, the search interface of Tencent Weishi looks quite dull, with no rankings. The entire page layout appears very empty. The author believes that the majority of users who are accustomed to searching pay more attention to the content presented after they click the search box, so Tencent Weishi can make improvements on this page. For example, you can recommend the differentiated content of the platform or attract users to pay attention to its differentiated content through certain entries. However, if Tencent Weishi intends to present more exciting search content in other modules, then while ensuring the existing content, it can make full use of the blank space on this page to attract advertising or promote operational activities. This will not only fill the page, but also bring monetization opportunities.

Summary and suggestions:

In summary, the author believes that since the search interface occupies a certain position on the homepage, it should be relatively rich. Taking Weibo hot searches as an example, its search interface is highly filled and the content covers all aspects. Therefore, from the perspective of users' preference for "eating melons", Tencent Weishi should optimize the search interface and search content, and make this interface a recommendation site for differentiated content to capture users' curiosity and increase user enthusiasm.

4.2.6 Comparison of Shooting Functions

Tik Tok:

The page for shooting videos on Douyin is shown in the figure above. As its core function, the operation process of shooting videos should be simple and easy to understand. For better analysis, the author has made the following video shooting process diagram:

Categorized into video shooting, photo shooting and live broadcast, we can see that Douyin's operation process is relatively simple, and users can take photos or directly post texts, allowing users to break the limitations of simple short videos, creating a rich social atmosphere for users. It also shows Douyin's ambition to continuously strengthen its social aspect.

Tencent Weishi:

For comparison with TikTok, the author also shows the flow chart of Tencent Weishi video shooting as follows:

It can be seen that the operating process of Tencent Weishi's core function of shooting videos is similar to that of Douyin, but Tencent Weishi has set up a creation homepage. Although it increases the steps of user operation, it makes users more clear about the shooting function. In addition, a very distinctive feature of Tencent Weishi is that it provides users with a rich template library, which users can use with one click whether they are shooting videos or taking photos. However, the author believes that video templates are actually covered in various props and do not need to be provided. In this regard, Tik Tok has only designed an album template, which is simpler and easier to use. In addition, the template library recommended on the Weishi homepage mixes together templates that require uploading local files and templates shot on-site, which can easily confuse users and increase the operation process. The author believes that this needs to be improved.

Summary and suggestions:

The core functions of the two apps - the work creation operation process is similar, but the design details are different. Douyin's style is "pragmatic", thinking about what users think and streamlining the video shooting process as much as possible. Weishi provides various templates, which seem to be convenient for users, but actually increase some usage barriers. In later iterations, reasonable classification should be carried out and redundant settings should be deleted. In addition, I personally think that the video red envelope function of Weishi is good, but sending red envelopes requires jumping to social software and sending them to friends on the social software, which weakens the social attributes of Weishi itself. Although I understand Tencent’s social ecological intentions, I think building Weishi’s own social circle is also very important.

4.2.7 Message Function Comparison

Tik Tok:

The "Message" Tab page of Douyin is shown in the figure. It can be divided into two sections in total: the upper section provides an entrance for users to communicate with friends. There is a search bar at the top to search for friends, and there is a "Create Group Chat" entrance in the upper right corner to facilitate users to select friends for group chat. The friend list and online status are displayed below the search bar. Online friends are displayed first, and there is a small green dot in the lower right corner of the avatar as an indicator.

The section below mainly displays messages, using flat design icons to categorize messages such as fans, interactions, customer service, and private messages from friends, and displays the approximate content of the messages, making it clear at a glance. in. Friends' messages are displayed separately and their online status is shown next to their avatars. The camera icon on the right side of the friend message bar allows users to directly shoot videos for friends, simplifying the process of socializing with friends.

Tencent Weishi:

The setting of the "Message" Tab of Tencent Weishi is different from that of Douyin. It classifies all messages at the top. If there is a new message, there will be a red mark in the corresponding category. Users need to click on the categories to view the specific content. Compared with the message thumbnails of Douyin, Weishi has more operation steps and the user operation time is increased. In private messages, Tencent Weishi classifies them into private messages from people you follow and private messages from people you don’t follow, taking user privacy into full consideration. Users can choose to read or not read them based on their own circumstances.

The group chat creation function of Weishi is hidden under private messages and is relatively concealed. Considering that Tencent already has a very mature social platform, the author speculates that it will not set up too many complex social functions in Weishi, and users can also share videos through Tencent's social platform. But I personally think that the APP jump will consume users’ time and patience, so users should be encouraged to create group chats, actively share, and promote dissemination in Weishi.

The friend column is used to discover WeChat and QQ friends, which shows the intention of building Tencent's social closed loop.

Summary and suggestions:

The "Message" Tab of Douyin and Tencent Weishi is used to help users socialize more smoothly and understand their level of attention in real time. Both use flat icon design and categorize messages, but Douyin’s design is more in line with users’ sensitivity to messages, allowing users to obtain messages in the shortest possible process. In addition, Douyin's functions such as searching friends, creating group chats, and online display reflect a strong sense of sociality, which also brings friends closer together and makes the social attributes of Douyin more fully reflected. Although Tencent Weishi already has a user base on Tencent's social platform, the author believes that Tencent Weishi is currently in its development stage. In addition to attracting users from the social platform, it should also attract more users and enrich the social sense of Weishi. It may be more beneficial to its current development after consolidating users and then concentrating.

4.2.8 “I” Comparison

Tik Tok:

The "Me" tab of Douyin mainly displays personal information, likes, follows, fan information, Douyin Mall and personal works.

In the personal basic information, in addition to the personal Douyin account, Douyin designs Douyin QR code for users to create a personalized experience for users in the form of personal business cards. In addition, users can also enter the add friends page, view friends in the address book and follow them to improve the Douyin social circle. Users can add friends in a variety of ways, and the operation is simple, which helps Douyin to fully attract users.

The entrance to the "Douyin Mall" is one of the manifestations of the Douyin platform moving closer to e-commerce. Displaying this entrance under the "Me" Tab will help to fully guide user consumption and provide users with convenient order tracking services.

In the work display, users can manage their own works, and the number of views is displayed below the published works, which makes it convenient for users to control the popularity of the created videos. Users can also set private videos according to their personal circumstances, and the "Like" column has the function of saving favorite videos, making it easier for users to find them.

Compared with the previous version, a "Request Update" entrance has been added to the upper right corner of this Tab page. If fans ask for updates, users can effectively receive them. This entrance brings fans and bloggers closer together. An orderly and benign interaction has been formed.

Basic functions such as settings and help are included in the "More" entrance in the upper right corner.

Tencent Weishi:

Under the "Me" Tab, except for the display of basic personal information, there are significant differences between Tencent Weishi and Douyin. First of all, Tencent Weishi displays friends, collections, etc. in the form of flat icons in the center of the page. The favorites are subdivided into video collections and featured collections, and the featured collections are used to classify videos. In addition, WeChat provides the quickest access to welfare centers, wallets, orders, etc., and the operation steps are simpler than Douyin. The welfare center encourages users to watch videos and win red envelopes by completing tasks, and also links with other APPs to increase user participation enthusiasm. The "Creation Center" is a relatively special entrance where Weishi uses tutorials, data, event promotions, etc. to guide users to create. On the one hand, it can improve the quality of content posted by users, and on the other hand, it can stimulate users' enthusiasm for creation. For the current development of Weishi, it is a very necessary measure.

Regarding the display of works, first of all, Weishi does not classify private videos and public videos in the same way as Douyin, but it will use a lock icon under the private video. However, the author believes that such a display is still somewhat confusing and not clear enough compared to the classification display of Douyin. Furthermore, the work display provides a column for users to "express their opinions" through videos. In the above article, I mentioned my opinion on the "express attitude" function, and I think this function is not very meaningful. And it is even less meaningful to specifically list the videos that have expressed attitudes here. The author can guess the designer's intention, which may be to classify the videos where users leave traces based on user attitudes. However, when using the app, users will not deliberately look for videos that they think are "awesome", "love", "tears ran down my cheeks", or "laughed and cried". In addition, the user attitude icons are too small and not clearly contrasted with the videos, making it difficult for users to find them. So maybe we can adopt a more simple and understandable classification method, or use video folders for classification.

Summary and suggestions:

To summarize the "I" Tab page of the two APPs, the main analysis entrance is the entrance at the center of the page. The author believes that Douyin is very concerned about the improvement of commercial monetization capabilities on this page, and hopes to rely on live streaming to sell goods and e-commerce to obtain more commercial value from users. Tencent Weishi pays more attention to the linkage between "I" and friends, as well as support and encouragement for creation, and hopes to attract more users.

In terms of personal works display, the author believes that Douyin is more humane and fully considers users' privacy concerns, but fails to classify the videos well, making it inconvenient for users to find them. Tencent Weishi takes into account the user's need to classify videos, but the method is not effective enough. In subsequent version iterations, it is expected that a more reasonable and effective classification method will appear. When using these two APPs, I personally believe that setting up a "history browsing" favorites is necessary to make up for the regret that users cannot continue to watch due to network problems or accidentally touching the previous video they watched after refresh.

4.2.9 Comparison of business models

Tik Tok:

Advertising monetization:

The author selected two classic examples of advertising monetization. The left picture below shows big brands advertising on the Douyin platform and often appear in prominent positions on the open-screen page. The use of advertising monetization fully utilizes its communication performance. The picture on the right shows the advertising banner in the live broadcast. Although it is not conspicuous compared to the entire page, it highlights the presence in a sliding form, which can attract attention when users are tired of watching the live broadcast and increase page views.

E-commerce monetization:

Users are allowed to insert product links in Douyin’s video page. This link covers a wide variety of products. In addition to products in the traditional sense, it also includes course resources, etc. Click the link to shop directly. And the blogger's personal homepage will display the products he/she recommended and put them in the entry of the product window. The user's personal homepage sets the "TikTok Mall" entrance, which is similar to the Taobao interface, and users can select product and order management. In addition, there is an activity of "Tik Stars to Change Good Things" in the upper right corner of Douyin Mall. The game uses the method of collecting stars to stimulate users to consume and give users rewards, making users feel interesting, thereby successfully operating and improving monetization capabilities.

Live streaming and fans to brush gifts

Douyin’s live streaming sales are the most popular way to sell products at present, because users can easily buy low-priced products in the live streaming room. In the live broadcast interface, the information of the product being sold will be clearly displayed and its price will be marked with eye-catching fonts and colors. Users can also click on the shopping cart icon to view all live products.

In addition, users can give rewards to their favorite anchors and buy gifts customized by Douyin to give them. In the good atmosphere of Douyin live broadcast room, users' affirmation of high-quality content prompts them to express their support. The commercial value brought by live streaming to Douyin cannot be underestimated, and this will also become the direction for Douyin to continue to deepen its efforts in the future.

Promotion monetization:

As a short video platform with a large number of users, Douyin provides users with a platform to show themselves and explore their own value, attracting many creative talents to settle in. For content creation, how to increase the popularity of content they create is a concern for them. Douyin fully grasps the sharing and communication psychology of young users, provides them with communication channels, and sets different versions of promotion methods for different users. Users can customize the promotion intensity according to their needs, and achieve a win-win situation with the Douyin platform. In the promotion interface, Douyin also provides users with promotion tutorials, so that humanized settings will facilitate transactions faster.

Tencent Weishi:

Tencent Weishi implemented a huge subsidy plan when it was reborn to attract users. At this stage, Weishi is also looking for directions on the road to monetization.

Weishi's monetization channels are similar to Douyin, and it also focuses on e-commerce monetization, live streaming and sales. For its main games, entertainment live broadcasts, fans can also provide monetization functions for giving gifts. Regarding the placement of advertising, I personally believe that Tencent Weishi has fewer channels than Douyin.

Summary and suggestions:

Douyin has its own e-commerce platform. Click on the product link included in the Douyin video and you can buy it directly without jumping to the page. Tencent Weishi also needs to jump to WeChat, which increases the complexity of the operation. Compared with the business models of the two, Tencent Weishi's business model is not perfect. Tencent Weishi is difficult to shake the strong foundation of Douyin in a short time, and can only rely on differentiated content to create corresponding monetization channels.

For example, as the author said in the previous article, we can make full use of game live broadcasts to improve monetization capabilities. In addition, for some operational activities that motivate users, we can gradually change the incentive method, first attract users to consume, and then motivate users to form a complete closed loop.

4.3 Differential function analysis

Tencent Weishi-Channel:

In Tencent Weishi, the most obvious and most different sector is the "channel". As a product that Tencent has invested heavily, it has indeed spent a lot of effort on content and event operations, and these efforts are fully reflected in the "Channel" column.

The channel column provides a direct entrance to Tencent Video, and users can watch the film and television resources in the Tencent Video Resource Library on the embedded web page. Compared with the live broadcast entrance on the homepage, the live broadcast classification under the "Live Broadcast Ranking" column in the "Channel" is richer and clearer, and there are a large number of activities under this column to attract users to participate. Under the "Seeking Dramas" column, videos related to current popular TV series and variety shows are excerpted from complete videos, helping users quickly obtain exciting content in the form of short videos. In addition, Weishi has implanted the Tencent game platform to attract users by watching live broadcasts and doing tasks, and motivate users. In addition, the challenge column under the channel mainly stimulates user participation through cash incentives and VIP rewards for other products of Tencent to increase user activity.

It can be seen that compared with Douyin's main short videos and live broadcasts, Tencent Weishi has a rich content, and relies on other Tencent products, covering a wide range of areas. The author agrees very much and is very optimistic about Tencent Weishi's current good content operation and event operation. The reasons are as follows: 1. Weishi is now in the development stage. For short video social platforms, it is very necessary to attract more users to participate in the event operation. In addition, cooperation with Tencent Video and Tencent Game Platforms with a large number of users can achieve good traffic and stabilize user effects. 2. The short video market is becoming saturated and the competition is very fierce. The next stage of winning magic weapon is to optimize and strictly control the content. Tencent Weishi uses the power of Tencent Video to conduct joint publicity and create topic collections for dramas and variety shows. Using short videos to show the wonderful content in long videos is a very good method and perfectly matches the needs of users.

However, the author believes that although the content under the channel is rich and concentrated, it is possible to consider releasing certain columns separately. For example, live broadcast only needs to set an entrance on the homepage and optimize the homepage live broadcast square. On the one hand, it reduces the redundancy of micro-visual functions, and on the other hand, it is close to user cognition and facilitates search. In addition, other columns under the channel, such as "Selected", "Funny", "Positive Energy", "Hotspots", etc., can be classified as selected collections of short videos and presented on the homepage without additional classification. Through such reorganization, the "channel" section will become more "elaborate" and more distinctive.

Tik Tok:

Compared with Weishi, Douyin does not have much difference in its functions, and it focuses more on the richness of short video content and live broadcasts. Due to its mature period, it does not require too many new activities to operate, but focuses on improving content quality and user experience to retain old users. Judging from the iterative versions released by Douyin and the improvement of details, Douyin is very concerned about the construction of social circles within Douyin, focusing on creating a closed-loop social circle, breaking social barriers and forming competition with other social platforms.

In the new version of Douyin, the author discovered the "Tiuyidu" function. After shaking the phone, users can find friends around them. Through settings similar to WeChat's "Shake" and names matching Douyin, they stimulate users' curiosity and further build an easy social platform.

5. Competitive Product Summary

5.1 Competitive Product Overview

We analyzed the two short video platforms, Douyin and Tencent Weishi, for competitive analysis. Douyin is positioned as a short video community that helps users express themselves and record a better life. With the slogan of recording a better life, Tencent Weishi strives to build a short video creation platform and sharing community, aiming to make video creation simpler and help users find more interesting.

5.2 Competitive SWOT analysis

5.3 Summary and Suggestions

As two products with similar positioning, highly similar functions, and almost identical attributes, the competitive analysis of the two is of great significance. Especially at the current stage of Tencent Weishi's development, it is necessary to understand and analyze the design, interaction, and functions of competitors.

During the competitive product analysis, the author found that the two have many commonalities and a few different functions, and each has its own strengths in design, providing users with rich experiences that do not exceed the basic understanding of short video APPs. But overall, Douyin is more mature in terms of user positioning, content presentation and monetization methods. Its next step is to strictly control the quality of content, retain more users, and at the same time, it must also control the quality of e-commerce products and consolidate its position.

Although Tencent Weishi has strong platform support, it has problems such as inaccurate positioning, insufficient UGC content and poor quality. In addition, it still has a long way to go in creating differentiated content and improving monetization capabilities. For both and even the entire short video industry, controlling the quality of content is the top priority. Only by improving its core functions can there be development in other directions, and the market conditions of short videos will get better and better.

Author: Lorain

Source: Lorain