WeChat’s TikTok-Inspired Video Feed Triples Viewership — Retail Bum

Tencent’s WeChat messaging app is seeing success in driving engagement through its TikTok-style video feed, having recorded a threefold increase in viewership in 2022.

The app’s video feed, WeChat Channels, saw a 400% increase in viewership based on AI recommendations and a 237% increase in views for news content. This growth, in turn, helped drive the app’s eCommerce livestream business by a stunning 800%, according to company executives.

The high engagement rates are welcome news for WeChat, the most popular app in the country, which has been seeing a slowdown in its search growth rates and has struggled to keep its users engaged amidst the rise of Douyin, TikTok’s Chinese version. As of late, WeChat has also struggled to monetize its streaming and domestic games division, Bloomberg reported.

WeChat is betting that Channels, which recorded a 200% increase in viewership last year, will help make up for the losses in the live-streaming and gaming business. The company is expecting revenue from Channels to surpass $150 million in Q4.

The Channels feature was first unveiled in 2020 with the goal of offering a Douyin-like experience, allowing users to scroll through an endless stream of photos and videos cued together by algorithms. The offering also enables users to look for content produced by local live streamers and offer tips using virtual coins.

Originally published at https://retailbum.com on January 10, 2023.