The recent article in New York Times reports that a Chinese messaging
app, called “WeChat” is gaining ground in China and, most importantly, elsewhere
in the world. Like Whatapp, WeChat is a messaging app that allows users of
mobile devices like iphone or android phone to text each other, share photos,
and even video chat. I was introduced to the app earlier this year by a friend
from Chinese and have used it ever since. Wechat is developed by Tencent, an internet
giant in China who is best known for its messaging program called QQ. QQ has
been a very profitable to Tencent. The company built a revenue model for QQ by
charging users subscription fees, selling virtual merchandises that can decorate
your avatar, and even more, offering up services like Groupon.
For Wechat, I cannot help but to think how the company is
making money from this app. Even though the company is boasting that it has 200
million users, the app is free to download, and there is no display ad or any
type of ad shown in the app. My guess is that the company is still trying to
find a way to monetize this huge user base, while use its only cash maintain
the backend of the app, hoping to grow users.
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