Why China's communication app WeChat is an application of the future and how it will influence the trends in technological development and social life?Anyone who has been in China more than a few hours knows how essential for the daily life is the WeChat app. And anyone who used it, even for a while, could easily predict that this app can have a large impact on the improvement of all other applications worldwide.
Why is that?
Because WeChat combines and exceeds the functions and capabilities of well-known Facebook, WhatsApp, Viber and it continues to expand its scope.
WeChat / Weixin from Chinese "micro-message" / is a cross-platform instant messaging service developed and released in 2011 by a Chinese company Tencent Holdings Limited, based in Shenzhen, the fastest growing city in China known as the "Technology Mecca" worldwide.
It is enough to mention, that this top messaging application of China has over 840 million active users to understand that it is rooted in almost every aspect of the society. Moreover, it is also used successfully as a way of business communication.
Here are the main advantages of the Chinese application:
1. A tool for daily bilateral and group communication through text, voice, sticker exchange and information exchange through QR codes. It is curious that the user can not only create a group conversation between friends but also easily find WeChat thematic groups according to his interests.
2. However, not the communication possibilities offered by the program are most significant. What makes WeChat better than other applications is that it offers its users the possibility of comparing product prices.
It is sufficient to scan the barcode of the selected product to see the best price of the same product available in other offline (shops, supermarkets, malls) and online (online shopping platforms) stores.
3. Electronic payment. From already more than a year WeChat has introduced the function Quick Pay electronic payment which has been successfully implemented in the daily life so now Chinese people do not need anymore carry cash and especially the annoying coins. By connecting the app to your bank account (WeChatWallet) one can do online payments even for minimal amounts just by scanning the QR code. Fast, easy and convenient.
4. Payment of bills and subscriptions. Another option that gives WeChatWallet is the payment of telephone and Internet subscriptions, of electricity, water and other bills. No queues and loss of valuable time. It is enough just one online action through your own phone.
5. Web WeChat. The app can be used on smartphone and computer. The convenience is that WeChat works simultaneously on both devices and makes easy the instant files, photos and other data transfer from the phone to the computer and vice versa.
6. WeChat offers even the possibility to use a number of public services such as buying bus tickets, weather forecast, mobile library, creating and sending digital postcards. All these public services are managed by third parties - suppliers. For example, after preparing the digital card by the sender, the card get printed and sent directly from the postal service.
7. One of the new features of the program allows to track the status of express deliveries by scanning the delivery form’s barcode.
8. Edit names and aliases. Any foreigner for whom the Chinese names are impossible to read and memorize knows this function - when adding a new contact or after that one can change the contact’s name in a way that is easily recognizable. This function can be used to change the name separately for every thematic group.
9. Setting a content for sharing between contacts in the list and participant in the group. Given that in China WeChat is used as a way of personal communication but also as a way of doing business this function is particularly important.
10. Voice recognition which for convenience can replace the digital password input.
11. Order food, reservation in restaurants or for various services, interaction with favourite brands.
12. Measuring the distance by step tracker
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The ambitions of the creators of the program does not stop here. WeChat is about to launch a so-called "mini programs" embedded applications that require no download or installation.
In fact, many companies have already instant applications that are ready for use on WeChat.
It is true that in May last year, Google announced a similar feature called Instant Apps for Android, but it still not active.
The speed with which the Chinese consumer accepts and applies the new high-tech features will undoubtedly accelerate the entry into service of the new "mini programs" designed to be discovered socially through friends or in the real world by scanning the QR codes. This will confirm WeChat as a pioneer in the modern online community trends.
Sabina Popova
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