Is Wechat O2O A Bursting Bubble?

The appearance of WeChat brings endless imagination to all marketers, media practitioners and IT practitioners. Whenever it comes to mobile Internet, WeChat will be talked about. Almost all those who have a little understanding of WeChat have begun to worry about WeChat's commercial mode instead of media sharing, games, O2O, CRM and so on. If you focus on WeChat's public accounts of WeChat entrepreneurs every day, you will surely think WeChat is almost a lifeline for the localization of SMEs. But this is not the case.

Recently, the author investigated some businessmen who used WeChat to do some marketing, and found that WeChat membership card is just a huge bubble. The WeChat O2O profit model advocated by many circles is worrying. In recent years, the author has concentrated on more than 40 shops in Beijing, including catering, entertainment and so on, which are closely related to life. Although I often see the words of O2O in some articles pushed by some public accounts, but in the communication with the above stores, they find that their awareness of WeChat is still at a very primitive stage. Among them, nearly 30% of shops did not use WeChat at all, while more than half of the shops had WeChat accounts, but they did not understand how to use WeChat to do marketing. Some shops have invested all aspects of WeChat, but little has been achieved.

The writer came to a friend of Sichuan and Chongqing on the side of a hundred days, and chatted with the boss about the source of tourists when he was waiting. When it comes to WeChat, the boss said that it was opened last December, but it has never been used. Customers who have never entered the shop have never asked him about it. WeChat has just left it there. The similar situation also happened in several stores in Wudaokou. The staff of Fu Miller color TV playing city said to the author, "WeChat has been opened, but it has never been used before, and other chain games are not very clear."

The staff of the famous men's clothing brand Selected revealed to the author that WeChat had opened its headquarters, but there was no two-dimensional code posted. The specific circumstances were not very clear. I once played with a friend in the night melody billiard room on Tsinghua East Road and chatted with the boss about the way to promote the billiard room. The boss said he had no interest in WeChat and had no idea of opening WeChat. The current promotion means of the billiard hall are mainly offline channels and spot raffle. On WeChat, the author searched for WeChat's public account, so she went to ask. When it came to WeChat, the staff was confused and ignorant.

When I went to a Italy wine cellar in Guanghua Road, SOHO, Chaoyang District, I found a cheerful fact. Outside the shop hung the posters that scanned WeChat's two dimensional code plus attention to enjoy twenty percent off discount, but the staff kept talking to micro-blog about the author. He said that we have been making brand marketing through micro-blog, developing regional agents under the line, and also saying that scanning two-dimensional code on doors and windows can focus on their micro-blog and get preferential treatment. Then, pointing to the poster on the window, I said, "is this not the two-dimensional code of WeChat?" he immediately said that he was not aware of the situation, and no one was enjoying the purchase discount with the news of WeChat.

When Beijing is the first tier city with such a high degree of popularity in mobile Internet, it is hard for me to imagine whether the development of WeChat in other cities or regions is really promising. If these cases are generalize, then I would like to mention a few companies that have used WeChat. Using the tedious and ROI puzzle, in the process of investigating WeChat by the author, using the tedious and the marketing effect can not be measured has become the focus which the shop owner complained to the author. These problems will be even more frightening than WeChat's recognition, because it involves WeChat's marketing worthwhile.

Jinfeng Cheng Xiang is a famous cake chain store in Beijing. After searching for its official WeChat, the author went to Zhongguancun South Street to investigate. Found that after adding public accounts, the purchase of toast and other staple food bread will enjoy 12% off benefits; there are small posters near the cash register, there are two-dimensional code, scanning can enjoy the designated food preferences; but when the author asked whether WeChat could increase sales, respondents showed no significant effect. In the middle street of Jinsong, Jinfeng Xiang shop, the store owner told the author: "we will use WeChat members, but the process of opening and running is too cumbersome." When asked about input costs and output, shopkeepers only said "feeling worthless".

Coincidentally, in Panjiayuan, a company called "Hong Zi Yuan" porridge shop, the boss told the author that he would enjoy a free porridge and other special dishes on sale after opening. He also revealed that WeChat members used more frequently, and basically did not maintain the account number of WeChat. Taobao shopkeepers are the most sensitive group of new technology, many of whom are skilled in using WeChat for marketing.

I inquired of a Taobao store online, he revealed: "I have opened the WeChat public account, often released promotional information containing two-dimensional code, but since the use of WeChat only a deal." Through further communication, the shopkeeper told the author that WeChat was relatively closed, merchants were in a passive position and could only wait for users to take the initiative to pay attention, which was easily overlooked. And in the promotion process of WeChat, he really felt that the small two-dimensional code is very easy to be ignored, and for all modern people pursuing convenience, the scanning procedures are too cumbersome for all the modern conveniences, which will drain some potential customers.

The "one-way street" located in Chaoyang Joy City is a bookstore. This store often uses WeChat to issue new books, cultural salons, promotional activities and other information courier, and also maintains members. But the clerk told me that the effect of WeChat is not very clear, mainly based on the relationship maintenance of old customers, the slow expansion of new customers, and little help from WeChat.

A Guilin rice noodle shop in Huixin East Bridge, North Fourth Ring Road, opened a poster in the shop at the end of last year: WeChat's two-dimension code was launched, that is to say, the members of the Guilin sent the marinated eggs. But when I went to the shop again, I noticed that the poster had been quietly removed. Shopkeepers said that although there are several universities nearby, few people have brushed up their membership except for a few fresh customers. What worries shopkeepers is that WeChat is now working with businesses for free, but there is a great possibility of future charges. "Is this not a consistent tactic of Tencent?" a poster with a WeChat two-dimensional code has been hung outside the restaurant near the author's company, but it has been discovered recently. Later, when I went to the store to ask questions, the store shook his head, indicating that no one was concerned. WeChat was just chicken ribs, and the account was wasted for a long time.

In addition to the above business information, the author also asked a number of companies commissioned by WeChat marketing company to do marketing, most of them said that they are now just testing the water stage, and the investment in WeChat marketing is only a small fraction, depending on the effect and then deciding on the next step. But at the same time, the company told the author that WeChat marketing was simply blind and unable to measure. I didn't know how many people attracted the money to promote WeChat. When did the bubble burst?

Some time ago, WeChat's case was thrown up by some WeChat marketing companies and the media. But according to one of the industry's friends, the circle is only frying each other, and there are too few successful cases. The data released by them is that the arrival rate of WeChat is 100%, the opening rate of information is more than 40%, and the diversion rate is 4%. But the truth is, he said, "ha ha, you know."

He also told me that since last December, some business owners have begun to try WeChat marketing. But because the industry has just begun, the result is not very good. Sometimes we tell our customers how much the result is, and because of the lack of a unified measure of marketing results, customers will not recognize it. Recently, there has been little publicity about WeChat membership card and its O2O case.

In fact, due to the closeness of WeChat platform and the fact that the third parties can not see the true marketing effect, the authenticity of WeChat's previous case of big publicity is doubtful. The bubble has always been there, but just because the people in the bureau are blinded by the interests of all parties, they are trying to hide their eyes. Maybe after the bubble burst, they will find out who is swimming naked. I believe that when WeChat's industry chain begins to realize that money is still difficult, the bubble will burst.