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Most people just want a messenger though. They're not really interested in their messaging client selling them stuff. Feels like the article makes a pretty bold

by RyanZAG 13y ago

Most people just want a messenger though. They're not really interested in their messaging client selling them stuff. Feels like the article makes a pretty bold leap in assuming because a messaging company is experimenting with a store front, the company is actually succeeding in converting messaging users to purchasing users. I'm fairly sure that conversion number is extremely low, especially in China.

SandersAK 13y ago
I thnk that's a fair point but I do think the WeChat examples are compelling. If you think of chat app potential in terms of whales and fishes there could be some big power spenders. Selling 150,000 phones in 10 mins is compelling enough to me to,suggest there's potential there.
- deepinsand 13y ago
  I think a lot of it is cultural. If you look at any portal or popular site in Asia, it's crammed with information and call-outs. OTOH, US sites and apps have been moving in the opposite direction. Facebook itself acknowledged this by moving to an "unbundled" app development strategy.
  - seferphier 13y ago
    That may be true in the past. However, if you taken a look at recent designs, they have been moving towards minimalism. see: http://pan.baidu.com/wap/welcome http://pan.baidu.com/wap/welcome
chaz 13y ago
WeChat would tell you otherwise. They launched a taxi-cab hailing service in January. In the first month, 21 million cabs were hailed. http://www.techinasia.com/wechat-21-million-taxi-rides-booked/ http://www.techinasia.com/wechat-21-million-taxi-rides-booke... This is why messaging is a threat to Google and Facebook -- it's an entire ecosystem that sidesteps their channel.
- thinxer 13y ago
  There are two tech giants (Tencent and Alibaba) trying to grasp the mobile payment market. In fact they are "paying" users for taxi.
  - chaz 13y ago
    Nothing wrong with that -- it's just paying an acquisition cost. PayPal paid out millions: $10 for new registrations, and $10 to the referring user back in 1999 (?). By incentivizing customers to add payment info, it takes the friction out of future opportunities.
- turingbook 13y ago
  The truth is Tencent invested in a big cab hailing service Didi Dache, and promoted its payment service by paying both drivers and customers. Tencent wants to eat shares from Alipay.
- colordrops 13y ago
  Wechat has the concept of "public" accounts, with an API for managing conversations and interactions with customers. THAT is the secret sauce. See grata.com for an example of what is possible with a chat API. Facebook will surely add an API to WhatsApp.
PakG1 13y ago
I'd be interesting in figuring out if people just want a messenger because they don't know what's possible with something more, simply because they've never seen a well-implemented version of something more, or if it's because they truly do simply want only a messenger. An example like WeChat is funny and interesting because payment functionality is something you'd think should be either a dedicated app (like what PayPal, Square, and others are trying to do), or a core function integrated into the OS itself (like what Apple is trying to do, especially with their new fingerprint thing making their phone more secure). WeChat being able to get into the payment space is interesting precisely because (a) they are not a dedicated payment company, they've only just figured out how to monetize their user base in a unique and innovative way, (b) they're not a phone manufacturer, and (c) they're not a mobile OS company. I would not have predicted this at all a few years back. So I think a few years back, I would have agreed with you simply because I would have not thought of it, not because I actually didn't care for it. edit: coin Henry Ford quote here about faster horses

by RyanZAG 13y ago

SandersAK 13y ago

I thnk that's a fair point but I do think the WeChat examples are compelling. If you think of chat app potential in terms of whales and fishes there could be some big power spenders. Selling 150,000 phones in 10 mins is compelling enough to me to,suggest there's potential there.

deepinsand 13y ago
I think a lot of it is cultural. If you look at any portal or popular site in Asia, it's crammed with information and call-outs. OTOH, US sites and apps have been moving in the opposite direction. Facebook itself acknowledged this by moving to an "unbundled" app development strategy.
- seferphier 13y ago
  That may be true in the past. However, if you taken a look at recent designs, they have been moving towards minimalism. see: http://pan.baidu.com/wap/welcome http://pan.baidu.com/wap/welcome

chaz 13y ago

WeChat would tell you otherwise. They launched a taxi-cab hailing service in January. In the first month, 21 million cabs were hailed. http://www.techinasia.com/wechat-21-million-taxi-rides-booked/ http://www.techinasia.com/wechat-21-million-taxi-rides-booke... This is why messaging is a threat to Google and Facebook -- it's an entire ecosystem that sidesteps their channel.

thinxer 13y ago
There are two tech giants (Tencent and Alibaba) trying to grasp the mobile payment market. In fact they are "paying" users for taxi.
- chaz 13y ago
  Nothing wrong with that -- it's just paying an acquisition cost. PayPal paid out millions: $10 for new registrations, and $10 to the referring user back in 1999 (?). By incentivizing customers to add payment info, it takes the friction out of future opportunities.
turingbook 13y ago
The truth is Tencent invested in a big cab hailing service Didi Dache, and promoted its payment service by paying both drivers and customers. Tencent wants to eat shares from Alipay.
colordrops 13y ago
Wechat has the concept of "public" accounts, with an API for managing conversations and interactions with customers. THAT is the secret sauce. See grata.com for an example of what is possible with a chat API. Facebook will surely add an API to WhatsApp.

PakG1 13y ago

I'd be interesting in figuring out if people just want a messenger because they don't know what's possible with something more, simply because they've never seen a well-implemented version of something more, or if it's because they truly do simply want only a messenger. An example like WeChat is funny and interesting because payment functionality is something you'd think should be either a dedicated app (like what PayPal, Square, and others are trying to do), or a core function integrated into the OS itself (like what Apple is trying to do, especially with their new fingerprint thing making their phone more secure). WeChat being able to get into the payment space is interesting precisely because (a) they are not a dedicated payment company, they've only just figured out how to monetize their user base in a unique and innovative way, (b) they're not a phone manufacturer, and (c) they're not a mobile OS company. I would not have predicted this at all a few years back. So I think a few years back, I would have agreed with you simply because I would have not thought of it, not because I actually didn't care for it. edit: coin Henry Ford quote here about faster horses