Tencent has used WeChat to create a mobile ecosystem for China, which has more smartphone than PC users. By steadily integrating value-added services into a social media app, Tencent has made it increasingly useful to both consumers and businesses. That means WeChat has more opportunities than other messaging apps to make money. In contrast to Facebook, which earns most of its revenue from advertising, WeChat monetizes by integrating online payment functions that encourage shopping through the app and selling games. In the second quarter, Tencent recorded RMB 4.5 billion in revenue from games purchased through WeChat and its older instant messaging app QQ, up 11% year-on-year.
My ‘App-y Life: Living Life Off Mobile Apps in China
Mobile apps in China have created a bubble in which people can get most of the things they need without stepping out of the comforts of their home
China’s Taxi Apps Fight it Out: Didi Dache vs Kuaidi Dache
A look at China’s fast-changing market taxi app market, and how the two big rivals, Tencent-backed Didi Dache and Alibaba-backed Kuaidi Dache, are burning cash to outdo each other.
Heart 2 Heart: Online Dating Sites in China
Online and mobile dating should be a natural fit for the country, so why are are dating sites in China not making more money? Swirling pools of onlookers and parents pore over a bulletin board in Shanghai’s bustling marriage market, nestled in People’s Park in the city’s center, occupying what was formerly a colonial racetrack. Filled with […]
Gaming in China: Can China Make the Next Angry Birds?
Gaming in China is a passion that knows no bounds. But can the Chinese gaming industry build something as phenomenal as Angry Birds? Max Zhang has 16 games on her smartphone and usually plays 2-3 hours per night. The 26-year-old Shanghainese teaching assistant prefers casual games for their simplicity. “I don’t want to use my […]
China By Numbers: The China Data You Need to Know
A look at the China data that you should care about. From China’s burgeoning commodity exports to the changing profile of migrant workers. Also, a look at the apps that are gaining traction in this vibrant tech market and some good news there for caffeine addicts. Now, let’s reach out for that latte! (All the data pertains to the […]
Chris Stibbs, CEO of The Economist: A Finger on the Reader’s Pulse
Chris Stibbs, the new CEO of The Economist, on staying competitive in the fast-changing world of publishing, native advertising, new sources of competition and more. Few publications have the kind of loyal readership that The Economist enjoys. Despite being more than 170 years old (it was first published in 1843), the magazine has continued […]
China’s Mobile Gaming Companies and the Battle for Users
China’s mobile gaming companies are using every trick in the book to lure users in what is now one of the world’s largest and fastest growing gaming markets. Welcome to the new battleground in China’s fast-changing internet economy. “Welcome to this super cute game! Protect the carrots from monsters!” This is the lead of the second edition of the Chinese mobile […]
China’s App Stores: The Battle for Mobile Share
As app stores gain traction in China, companies vie to get a piece of the pie. When China’s independent app store Wandoujia was launched in 2010, there were less than a million Android smartphones in China. In contrast, today Android devices account for 86% of the country’s total 200 million smartphones. Back in 2010, Wandoujia’s […]
Upwardly Mobile: Chinese Mobile Technology Start-ups face an Uphill Battle
Swarms of start-ups in mobile technology are feeling the effects of hyper-competition, illusive investment and fickle consumers. Fu Cong was a stubborn smartphone convert. For years, the 28-year-old Shanghainese communications consultant carried a bare-bones Philips mobile that he favored for its simplicity and immense battery power—it could easily go 72 hours without being charged. Fu […]
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