4 ms·
Speaking of FB Messenger/WhatsApp getting around to copying WeChat, what's taking them so long? Are the US, or non-China, markets simply not ready to embrace a
by Inconel 9y ago
Speaking of FB Messenger/WhatsApp getting around to copying WeChat, what's taking them so long? Are the US, or non-China, markets simply not ready to embrace a WeChat style all encompassing app?
Full disclosure, I've never used either FB Messenger or WeChat, but I do use WhatsApp, so I'm just basing this on what I hear.
- tristanj 9y agoI think it just takes a long time. Messenger is already trying to emulate WeChat, they are just not there yet. I believe Messenger is the only app in the world that's positioned to match WeChat's ecosystem. They've been copying WeChat over the past few years. They copied the voice message feature (very popular in china), QR contact scanning, Games, Mini-apps (Messenger bots), and Wallet (Facebook Pay). Other features that come to mind are stickers/sticker packs and "stories", although those were copied from several companies at once. On market opposition, I think the biggest obstacle are the payment vendors, specifically Visa and Mastercard. Alipay and WeChat wallet had an easy time taking off because they weren't competing against credit cards. Visa makes so much money in its present rent-seeking market position they have no incentive to innovate.