Mobile Messaging App Competitors Adapt Strategy to WeChat / Weixin and Tencent Global Expansion

As explained before, WeChat is a powerful application. We discovered its growth is faster than Facebook. The expansion is not limited to Asia (first world map!).

Competitors Adapt their Respective Product Strategy

Whatsapp has been free on the Apple store in December 2012.

We believe Skype is still a very used chat application.

In the USA as well, Kik is quite popular with several dozens of million users worldwide.

Viber released a new version with additional features. Before this update, only emoticons were fun. Now, like WeChat, the UI is pleaseant, fun stickers are available, the user can share her/his location.

Line and KakaoTalk, both Asian firms, will develop further monetization, try to innovate with the next versions, and find partners for user expansion.

Facebook has a chat function. The firm also launched a specific app in August 2011. Reacting to competition offering, the firm will offer now Voice Messaging and not only Text Messaging. “Facebook Poke”, very similar to Snapchat, will be a success and will help the firm to be a main player for chat services.

Google has been advanced with a chat function included in Gmail since over 5 years. We might expect a new product from Google, a new version of GTalk or maybe better a new social app taking the Google+ users to a disruptive usage.

The Tango app development should be carefully followed. The start up introduced new features like text messaging and voice messaging. If Google decides to buy the start up, the American giant would be back into the leading group of chat mobile app.

Telecom companies like Orange, AT&T, China Mobile are worried about growth of pure Internet players.

They have 2 types of strategies:

• -internal strategy through the development of their own app like Orange with Libon.
• -external strategy through partnerships and acquisitions.

Expanding the mobile user base is the most important focus to have for all the global players of the Internet during year 2013.

Smaller players with no cash reserve should focus on finding to right business models to monetize quickly their user base.

Source:
Financial Times, URL: http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/2/c1975e8a-c372-11e0-b163-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2PLvNdnqL