Digital Landscape in China

The digital landscape in China comes with a few key differences, compared to how digital marketing is run in the rest of the world. As opposed to a “mobile first” or even “mobile only” strategy, China calls for a “WeChat first” and in a few cases even a “WeChat only” strategy.

I think most digital professionals have heard about WeChat by now, but it didn’t hit me how big it actually is until I experienced it for myself this summer visiting customers in China. I remember watching the New York Times video about WeChat last year and I remember thinking how the video is probably exaggerated and how it will take some time before traditional digital channels lose their relevance. I didn’t realize at the time that traditional digital channels in China never played the role they played in the US or Europe, especially the email channel. So if you haven’t seen the New York Times video yet, please watch it below:

What this means for brands doing business in China is that they have to completely rethink how they go to market with their products and services. Here is an example of an international consumer brand and its traffic mix in China:

Even though, China’s digital landscape calls for a “WeChat first” strategy, most brands are committed to heavily investing in their owned channels, specifically their mobile website and their native mobile app, because it gives them greater control over the customer experience.

There is a lot more to talk about this topic, especially how Adobe can help brands connect with their customers in China, but I will leave that for some other time :-)

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