WeChat, the Swiss Army knife of apps, defies imitation. Its ecosystem seamlessly integrates messaging, payments, social networking, and more. No app has replicated WeChat’s multifaceted success. Digital strategy consultant Jeffrey Towson explains why the “everything app” model remains elusive.
What Lies Ahead: As WeChat’s dominance endures, the tech world anticipates the next wave of super apps. What innovations will shape the future?
In this week’s podcast, we focus on the phenomenon of WeChat, an app that has embedded itself into daily life as the ‘everything app’. I provide a strategic breakdown of how WeChat managed to achieve this status. Tune in to understand the graphics, slides, and insights shared on this platform, also available on iTunes and Google Podcasts
ChatGPT has added a mobile app and plugins. That gives it the same 3 things WeChat had on smartphones: A 10x product that everyone uses A position at the front of the cue for users on their phones An innovation platform (plugins are like mini programs). ——Transcription Below
In Tech Strategy Podcast 161, Prof Jeff discusses the international success of TikTok and Shein, contrasting it with the less global impact of WeChat and Kuaishou. He identifies three key factors: having a 10x product and user experience, offering a service that’s standardizable across borders, and the ability to build on or develop competitive advantages rapidly.
I recently wrote about my visit to iQIYI, the TV and film streaming giant of of China. And I’ve been keeping an eye on Alibaba Pictures and Tencent Pictures for a long time. Chinese entertainment is a pretty interesting strategy topic. And these three companies are well positioned to win big as consumer spending continues […]
A few years ago, I went to the WeChat Open Talk meeting in Guangzhou and founder Allen Zhang (see photo) gave a talk that really stuck with me. He talked about about the powerful role of information flows in society and life. And how the digitization of these information flows has created a situation where […]
In 2019, Mark Zuckerberg released a memo on “privacy-focused messaging and social networking” – and charted a new direction for Facebook. In theory, the memo had some big implications. It looked like the first move in a strategy to turn Facebook into a much larger and even more powerful company. From very big to ridiculously […]
In this week’s episode, Jeff Towson dives deep into the concept of the rate of learning as a competitive advantage, a significant shift from its origins in production-intensive products to a digital necessity. He explores how Amazon and Tencent have harnessed this capacity, transforming it into a formidable competitive tool. The episode offers insightful perspectives on the ‘smile marathon’, the experience effect, and the emergence of the rate of learning as a key competitive advantage.
In this podcast, Jeffrey Towson discusses Elon Musk’s attempt to purchase Twitter and his plans for the company. He talks about Musk’s vision for Twitter as a platform for free speech and how he plans to make it more open and transparent. He also discusses the challenges that Musk faces in his attempt to transform Twitter, such as the company’s culture and its financial situation.
I recently wrote about Shein and how they are increasing on rate of learning (plus low prices). That article is here. And I characterized their rapid updating of their site (adding +1,000 new products per day) as “retail at the speed of algorithms”. However, there are other types of rate of learning. One is when […]