Everyone knows about Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp but the story of messenger apps doesn't stop there. Messaging apps have been extremely popular in Asian markets and two of the most significant and innovative are WeChat out of China and Line from Japan. These two apps have introduced features that have been copied worldwide and are both poised to make serious dents on western markets including the US. With that in mind let's take a look at these two apps and what makes them different.
Line:
What started out as a communications tool for engineers following the devastating earthquake and tsunami in japan in 2011, Line has grown into not only a messenger app but a full-fledged social platform in and of itself. Originally created by the Japanese branch of the South Korean Naver Corporation, an online game and content company, Line, with over 200 million users, is now it's own independent company and just had a successful IPO.
At its core Line is very similar to many of the messaging apps. It's platform agnostic so users can message each other regardless of the device they are on. It offers free voice and video calling as well. Additionally, every chat has a bulletin board that allows users to post more static updates that can be liked or commented on. What makes Line unique though is the way that Line Corp has turned the app into a platform outside of just messaging.
One of the most interesting aspects of that platform is the way that Line has embraced creatives through their sticker store. Line was one of the originators of sticks in messaging and they have embraced that as one of the key features that really helps Line stand out because they offer a platform for not only brands to create new stickers for promotion but also a way for users to create their own stickers to sell through the Line Creators Market.
The other aspect that sets Line apart is the way that the company has leveraged Naver's history with online games to turn your Line account into a social gaming login much in the way people used to think of Facebook. Offering a variety of different games that users can download and play with friends online through their Line accounts. And on top of that Line has been very proactive about getting into the chatbot game.
WeChat:
If Line is the fun messenger than WeChat is the business. While many of the features of the two apps at their core are very similar, as are many messaging apps at this point, WeChat's ubiquity, over 700 million users and flexibility for its users has made it an absolutely necessary tool for many in it's native China. WeChat was created by Tencent an enormous internet company in China that is also responsible for QQ the Chinese ICQ clone that become ubiquitous with instant messaging in China in the early days of the internet there. WeChat was their play into the mobile space by creating a free, lightweight, messaging app that works on almost any mobile device with an internet connection which made it very appealing in mainland china in its early days.
In many ways, you can compare the ubiquity of WeChat in China to Facebook in the US. The service has become a default tool for people in China. While messaging is at the core of WeChat it has transformed into a full-on internet platform for many. The vision for WeChat is to create one app that handles everything users need on the internet including e-commerce, sending money, ordering food, and more. In many ways for small businesses in China it has actually become a cornerstone in their business by allowing them to more easily communicate with potential customers more freely and easily.
WeChat is also extremely quick to copy popular ideas from other apps to help keep users in its ecosystem. That includes the integration of stickers and their own characters in such a way that is extremely similar to Line and chatbot support within the app. They also integrated a Moments feed that is very similar to Facebook's feed and allows users to post updates for all their followers and friends to see.
WeChat has made attempts at moving into western markets but they haven't caught on quite as easily as they did in China. In China, they were on the ground floor but in the US and other western markets messaging tools and other apps have already taken hold in such a way that establishing a foothold hasn't been easy.
Admittedly, Line and WeChat are just two of a wide variety of messaging tools out there but their success and creativity have made them both hard to ignore. Between stickers, chatbots, and e-commerce tools these apps have a lot of potential for brands and businesses. Have you given either of them a try yet? If you haven't it might be time to give them a shot. If you have, let us know what your experience has been like.