WeChat, the most widely used messaging app, is being used for an ever longer period of time and is growing into a lifestyle choice embedded into daily activities and interactions, a new survey has found.
But have you ever thought that how WeChat changes your life?
Average Daily Time
In 2016, 1/3 of WeChat's 889 million monthly active users spent a solid 4 hours or more per day on the mobile chatting tool, twice that of a year ago, according to Penguin Intelligence, a research arm of WeChat's developer Tencent Holdings.
The average daily time spent is also up slightly, now at 66 minutes, surpassing that of Facebook's average 50 minutes recorded last year.
Business Tool
Already cementing WeChat's position as the nation's most-used app, users found a majority of newly added contacts are casual acquaintances, notably in work-related communication. About 45% of WeChat users reported to have over 200 contacts, up from just 10% a few years ago.
Such a trend is turning the app into a virtual workplace. Over 80% of people have handled office work on WeChat, from transferring files and coordinating tasks to taking video calls and making transactions.
Last year, WeChat users helped drive 174.3 billion RMB ($25.3 billion) of information-sector spending and created jobs for 18.8 million people, according to a separate study by the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology released in early April.
Mobile Payment
A striking 92% of respondents to the survey said they prefer mobile payment over cash and credit cards when shopping in stores. Speed, convenience and "not bothering to carry cash" are the top three reasons cited for using mobile wallets to buy movie tickets and pay utility bills.
"The all-in-one super app is radically changing the way I live. When lining up for coffee, I can't see a single customer holding a wallet — instead they hold mobile phones over a reader and the lattes are theirs," said Fred Wellington, an Australian auditor working in Shanghai.
Transform The Way of
Getting Information
WeChat's public accounts, which allow media services, industry bloggers and corporate branding campaigners, to feed content to subscribers, are quickly gaining traction. Nearly 60% of users expressed the willingness to tip good content producers.
What’s more? "Moments" is another social platform you share daily life, get information, keep up correspondence with far-flung friends and etc.
Third-party Service
Mobile apps are gaining additional steam by integrating payment functions into public service platforms.
With a few taps on the phone, users can declare personal taxes, pay traffic fines, buy movie tickets, rent Mobike, make medical appointments, and etc.
Source: ChinaDaily
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HACOS,Business Services Solutions Master
