Building Rich WeChat Experiences to Drive Platform Onboarding: An Example from the

EdTech Industry

International businesses looking to enter the Chinese market often mistake WeChat for a
messaging app. Well, indeed it is. But it can be so much more. Our team recently worked
with XNode – a Startup & Corporate Accelerator based in Shanghai - to showcase how
edtech platforms are utilizing WeChat to build rich experiences that provide a natural lead-
in to platform onboarding.

INTRO TO CHINA’S EDUCATION MARKET

The edtech space is buzzing in China. There are four key trends converging to drive growth
for demand in education-based services, resulting in a market that is expected to exceed
714 billion yuan ($104 billion) by 2025. These trends include:

Parent pressure:
Demand driven by hyper competition between parents wanting to get kids into the best
schools. The private education market is driving diversification, resulting in the emergence
of new categories of service including early immersion programs and “baby MBAs”. 93% of
parents send their children to “private enrichment” sessions.

Career Upgrade:
Online recruitment platform Zhaopin.com publishes an annual job competition index which
suggests that the ratio of CVs recruiters receive to the number of vacancies available stands
at around 31 nationwide (as of Q3 2018). Beijing has the fiercest competition, with an index
of 82 CVs : open positions. Individuals are under pressure to better themselves to remain
competitive and the internationalization of Chinese businesses is placing increased import
on the ability to function well in foreign markets.

Foreign Study:
Over 600,000 Chinese students enroll in Western universities each year, according to the
Chinese Ministry of Education, over half of whom study in the United States. We anticipate
a cooling effect induced by the tensions between the US and China however there are
plentiful opportunities in other markets and an increasing savvy among top universities to
cater to the needs of Chinese students.

Outbound Travel:
120 million mainland Chinese now have passports, with as many as 30 million more being
issued in 2019. The desire to travel and consume abroad is largely unabated despite the
slowing economy, with Japan once again coming back into vogue as a popular destination.

As a result of these trends a variety of offerings have emerged in the form of online courses,
apps, VR experiences, digitally-enabled offline classes and more. A general survey of the
edtech market suggests that most offerings are positioned according to the following
matrix:
One of the early issues with edtech was that there was little understanding of how a series
of games, or a flashcard app, could meaningfully contribute toward language mastery – or
an explicit outcome beyond memorization. Furthermore, as each individual has his or her
own preferences and learning style, it seemed that early digital services were fundamentally
limited in their capacity to learn and evolve with the user.

AI (in theory and partially in practice) is positioned to solve some of these issues by bringing
in that capacity to learn about the learner and grow with his or her needs over time. It
enables content customizability and micro moment-based feedback that can steer learning
outcomes in real-time. It remains to be seen how effectively AI (without support from a
human teacher) can really make language learning more outcome oriented, but this is an
ongoing trajectory for development and competition in the market.

EDTECH CASE: 英语流利说

英语流利说 (Speak English Fluently) is the market leader in the category of AI-enabled
education platforms, with a monthly active user base of around 5.9 million users. The
company was founded in 2012 and is positioned as an artificial intelligence-driven
educational technology company. The company rebranded in 2018 to “LAIX” which stands
for Learning + AI, with "X" being the unknown or the infinite possibilities that can be
unlocked with language.
Speak English Fluently effectively partitions elements of the service offering onto WeChat to
drive lead-in to the platform. It offers a balance between value proposition experience, and
actual conversion from WeChat, and does so in the following ways:

WeChat Menu1 练英语 (Practice English)

The 练英语 menu is packed full of features to get visitors immersed without requiring any
commitment or form submissions. It features three mini program-based experiences, a
web-hosted proficiency test, and a tab converting to the download page of an app geared
towards training for the IELTS English qualification.

Teacher Tony Mini Bot

The Teacher Tony Mini Bot allows students to converse in English or Chinese. Finding a
friend to practice with is a key pain point for language learners however an always-on bot
offers a way to cram a quick chat in between Metro stations. It is unclear how sophisticated
the NLP system is however an initial test proved somewhat disappointing.
Daily Practice Flashcards

This mini program serves the user daily vocabulary accompanied with imagery, audio and
example sentences. Each card is sharable so friends can get involved. As a standalone mini
program it offers a lot of value as a tool in the learner’s toolbox.
Translation Challenge

The user is presented with a short phrase which he/she must translate in the provided text
box. Key vocabulary is highlighted and tips are granted in the case you get stuck.

English Proficiency Test

While the mini programs provide a fun entry into the learning experience, the proficiency
test is a crucial conversion goal for the platform. Almost any educational offering begins
with benchmarking through a 1:1 interview, test, or combination of the two. Here then we
have our first example of how WeChat can be used to begin the onboarding journey.

The user initiates the test and completes questions in rounds that get progressively more
difficult. Questions include identifying images, filling in the blanks and other common
formats.

The results page feels like a missed opportunity. It displays the learner’s score and time, but
isn’t particularly attractive. With a more impressive design, the learner may be more willing
to share the result to their social feel, encouraging others in their network to try the test.
WeChat Menu 2 懂你英语 (Understand Your English)

The centerpiece of this menu is the WeChat store, powered by Youzan. Learning packages
start at 45RMB and go up to full-feature courses priced at 4298RMB/$640. When the user
enters the account a promotion is embedded in the welcome message.
WeChat Menu 3 服务 (Service)

The service menu is where the main app download call-to-action is displayed. Another key
feature is the user centre, which (once the user binds his/her ID) shows the learner their
progress – average points, days, content studied and time.
SUMMARY

International businesses and startups are becoming increasingly familiar with China’s digital
ecosystem. WeChat in particular attracts a lot of coverage. However, what is often missing is
the understanding that WeChat offers the opportunity to deliver value with zero
commitment to end users. This can increase the chances of successful onboarding – and
even monetization.

WeChat is not just a communications channel – it is an experience channel. By drawing on a

mix of web-hosted content and mini programs, platforms can unbundle some of their killer
features or services. This applies to all kinds of industries and businesses, beyond content-
based offerings. When building a strategy for WeChat, take time to think about the
onboarding journey and how to lower the barrier to getting that app download or first
purchase.