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Apps Buzz China Chinese Digital Business Life in China Lifestyle Marketing

Kuaishou 快手 Rival of Douyin 抖音 : Hottest Video App in China

Kuaishou快手. This name might not ring a bell for you but in fact it’s the rival app of the popular Douyin 抖音 . Short videos and live-stream are the new trends in social media for Chinese Millennials. Live-streaming is popular among young Chinese who see it as an easy way to make money and become famous.

Kuaishou is now the fourth largest social media platform in the country, after WeChat, QQ and Sina Weibo.

 

What is Kuaishou 快手 ?

Kuaishou 快手, or “fast hand” in Chinese was founded in 2011. It began its life as a destination for photo sharing on mobile. At the beginning Kuaishou was similar to our Instagram with + 400 million users. Nevertheless, it quickly started to launch its own video-sharing platform, letting its user doing live-stream or upload pre-recorded short clips.

Today, Kuaishou 快手 claims to have reached 120 million daily users, with five million videos uploaded to its service each day. Backed by Tencent, Kuaishou 快手 is expected to go public in Hong Kong this year. Indeed, the company’s recent value has risen to $18 billion. (according to Jiemian).

Who are the users ?

The main users of China’s short video apps are young. Most of them belong to the post-90s generation. Users of Kuaishou 快手 are majority from China rural areas, from smaller third-tier cities.

The app itself make it to the top by a relatively low use of marketing. Before 2016, the app didn’t have a marketing department and there was no celebrity endorsement, no KOL promotions and no monetization. The mission of the app is to record real lives, of real people, as stated by the founder Sua Hua:

“Celebrities and internet KOLs have taken up too much attention online, whereas ordinary people, especially those living in rural areas or less-developed cities, do not have a space to share their lives.”

 

What are they sharing ?

The types of videos shared on Kuaishou are varied and diverse. Firstly, the social media was supporting creative self-expression of country side people.

Kuaishou-rural

 

 

 

(Photos: Elephant Room)

 

 

 

 

 

However, a huge part of the content of Kuaishou is made up of comic videos. Besides, the most viral are the one at the “US Jackass” style, like people swallowing lightbulbs, stuffing firecrackers down their pants or performing magic tricks. Check “Gourmet Sister Feng” account. Like most video and live-streaming services, virtual gifts are a major revenue source for Kuaishou.

As Douyin 抖音 , Kuaishou 快手 also has it’s “Memes”. Discover the mic-shouting (喊麦) and social-shake (社会摇).

社会摇

Moreover, Kuaishou 快手has been a channel, and probably the only one, for recording social injustice in the Chinese society.  Look at the example in 2017 of Chinese Migrants.

 

Bad buzz & Government Attention

China Central Television (CCTV), critiqued the platform for providing to teenage girls the ability to show off their adolescent pregnancies and compete with one another to be crowned as the youngest mother on the internet. (SupChina)

China’s regulator for the media and entertainment sector, SAPPRFT has just released a public statement (in Chinese) on their official WeChat account asking Kuaishou to start cleaning up their sites of “inappropriate content”.

Kuaishou 快手  plans to set up a research institute with Tsinghua University to restore its reputation after the scandal about  publishing vulgar content. The objective is to improve Kuaishou’s algorithm to automatically recognize emotions and the meaning of videos in future, to avoid offensive or violent content.

 

Key Take Away

  • 120 million daily users mostly from rural areas.
  • Controversial contents.
  • Videos with the most followers : people eating food, shopping, tutorials and funny or bizarre performances.
  • GIFS and short video are really popular.
  • Others apps to follow Douyin, HuoShan & XiGua.

 

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Bitcoin Blockchain Business Crowdfunding Cryptocurrency ICO

ICO : A Guide to Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs)

ICO market has grown very rapidly in recent months and has been a new avenue for blockchain community.

Introduction to the Token Sales (ICO) : What is a token? How is the market ? Underlying characteristic of ICOs with this infographic :

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Categories
Apps Buzz Marketing MBADMB

VERO: The New Trendy Social Media App

Do we have space in our lives for another social media app?

VERO is apparently THE new social media app to be on in the West. Since a week, a social media app is the most popular application in the entire AppStore.

  • VERO is the new popular social media trying to be the anti-Facebook/Instagram.
  • The first million subscribers will get a free VERO access.
  • No ads, only content.

What’s VERO ?

The app has been around for few years, but only gained a lot of attention thanks to a marketing campaign using KOL’s. The sudden surge about VERO also appears to be partly due to the frustrations with Instagram’s algorithm and the new Snapchat update. VERO has been launched in 2015 by Lebanese billionaire Ayman Hariri, son of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

My favorite bit about VERO is that posts can be classified in different categories with options like: Pictures, Songs, Movies, IBooks, Links and Places.  Just click on the large “+” button at the bottom of the screen and pick the option you want. As other apps, you can also chat, see your notifications and view things in your feed organized into collections. Like Facebook or Twitter, VERO is built around a central feed.

 

The biggest difference with other social media is the chronological timeline and no ads. You might be afraid to miss some posts but theoretically you’ll be able to see everything if you scroll down. You can interact with all the posts by commenting or pressing on the heart button to “like” it. It’s also possible to share some posts.

Is it free?

This time there is no algorithm choosing for you what you should and shouldn’t see. VERO emphasize on their privacy policies. They state that they are only collecting a minimal amount of data about their users and don’t provide data to advertisers or other third parties. Nevertheless, brands will still have the chance to use the platform for advertising. Vero has a ‘buy now’ feature that allow brands and influencers to sell products directly from the app.

For now, there are no ads on the platform. Vero says they will earn money thanks to user subscriptions fees, but the company hasn’t begun to implement it yet.  It’s not clear how much it’s going to cost, but it’s not expected to be a lot.

The first million of subscribers will get a free lifetime membership.  The recent flow of downloads led to technical issues. The company tweeted that they believe they had identified the problem and are working to solve it.

 

Privacy & Finding Friends

Finding friends on VERO isn’t easy as you need to add all your friends from the search bar. The easiest way will be to post your profile on other social media sites, so your mates know exactly how to search for you.

As Facebook or Google+ you can choose in which group you want to share your content. You can control the privacy around what you are sharing with –  close friends, friends and acquaintances. You can also post content and keep it completely private. To personalize your settings and adjust your “connections” friends list just clicks on the small profile link, represented by a head in a circle.

The VERO manifesto states: “When you can control who sees what, you can behave in a way that is more natural. We created a social network that lets you be yourself. Hence the name Vero. Meaning truth.”

 

Not everybody needs to be your friend. You can follow someone by clicking the “follow” button and not the “connect” one. Hence, you will stay up to date with all of their posts without having to share your content with them. Already few accounts have been certified (blue tick verification) and also media are on it such as Paris Match or British GQ.

 

What are you waiting for? Download the app sharply before getting charged.

VERO is available on iOS and Android.

Categories
China Life in China Lifestyle MBADMB Shanghai

Quiz : Which Foreign Student in Shanghai are you?

 

Welcome to Shanghai !

Have you ever wondered which type of foreign student are you?

Let’s see in which categories you are. Hence, our “Which Student Are You” quiz will put those niggling doubts to one side for once and for all.

Whatever happens, the results are based on a unique algorithm and are guaranteed to be accurate .. or not! Our researchers have developed this quiz 100% for fun. Therefore, we disclaim any responsibilities if you are not happy with the results given to you. So, just give it a go and see what you get !

 

 

Categories
Apps China Chinese E-Commerce Plateforms eCommerce Life in China Lifestyle Shanghai Tips

Best Wine & Spirit Delivery in Shanghai

Having trouble to find your favorite beverage in Shanghai? Or too tired to go to the shop? Leverage Chinese lifestyle and order anything you want from your mobile to your home! This is our top selection of delivery app to satify all your needs…

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Drinkuaidi 鲜酒极速

Website  //  WeChat

Drinkuaidi is a key player in the beverage market in Shanghai. If you are a beer aficionado you will find what you like. Otherwise they offer cool cocktail packages which I am sure will make you look like a great host! If you are organizing a last minute party it can also provide you with snacks.

Info

– Operating hours: 11am – 2am

– Minimum order: 78 RMB for free delivery (Fee: 8 RMB)

– Language: Chinese / English

Pros

– Delivery within an hour

– Right temperature beverage, ready to drink!

– Available on WeChat & possibility to chat with them for advices

Tips

– Enjoy 50¥ discount on your first order with the code DKLM (min. order 100¥)

– Animate your house party with a cocktail workshop (no tools included)

Cons

– No rating system

– Few product descriptions

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1919.cn

Website

One of the top 3 Chinese biggest online distributors of alcoholic beverages. Thanks to their huge numbers of offline boutiques around the city, they will deliver you in less than 19min. They have a nice selection of wines and spirits to a decent price.

Info

– Operating hours: Until 9pm

– Minimum order: None

– Language: Chinese only

Pros

– 19-minute delivery

– Free delivery

– Review system

Tips

– Look out for their discount

– Visit their shops for advices and other promotions

Cons

– Order after 9pm delivered the next day

– Chinese website & app only

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Shanghai9 

Website

Great beer selection and overall large selection of beverage! For special beverages or prenium spirits, this is the place for you. If you want something that’s not on their website, just call them up and they’ll try to find it for you.

Info

– Operating hours: 11am – 9pm

– Minimum order: 500 RMB for free delivery (Fee: 20 RMB)

– Language: Chinese / English

Pros

– Delivery the same day if order before 5pm

– Call them for advice if needed

– Very large selection: find everything you need!

Tips

– Order premium imported cigars to look badass!

– Large imported spirit selection

Cons

– No WeChat, only through the website

– No rating system

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Tippler 酒先生

Website

The only delivery app of this list which is operating 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Hence, is perfect if you need booze in the middle of the night. Have a tipple! Drinks will be delivered to your home within one hour.

Info

– Operating hours: 24/7

– Minimum order: 75rmb

– Language: Chinese / English

Pros

– Delivery within an hour

– Order 24/7!!

– Right temperature product, ready to drink!

– Order from WeChat directly

Tips

– Discounts on Eleme, Baidu Waimai, Meituan Waimai

– Be crazy and order all night long!

Cons

– Small selection

– No rating system

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BottleXO

APP

Great for wine!  Get your bottles already chilled, at perfect drinking temperature ! It’s all done through their app, there’s no delivery fee and no minimum purchase. For the vinophile each wine is accompanied by a lengthily description and icons of suggested fruits, vegetables, cheeses, and meats to pair it with.

Info

– Operating hours: 2pm – 12am

– Minimum order: None

– Language: Chinese / English

Pros

– Delivery within an hour for free!

– Great UX on the app

– Affordable prices

– Track your order

Tips

– Contact then to participate in their wine tasting events

– Look at their product page to see what is the best pairing with your wine

Cons

– Have to download the app

– No rating system

Professional sommelier

For more premium service and a focus on quality product, referring to a professional often offers a better experience.

There are plenty of wine company in Shanghai, importing large selection of wines, tasting and various event. For anything concerning sommelier advices, company events, event or party animation I would recomment to hire the services of a professional.

Here is one, Vinica , also available on wechat.

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