Digital Sophistication...Chinese Style

Chinese millennials, a group of 400 million young adults, comprise a very digitally sophisticated segment of Chinese society. While millennials around the world have the reputation of being "digital natives", the drivers behind mobile behaviors differ from culture to culture. For example, Chinese millennials tend to use mobile technology to broaden their horizons whereas American millennials are more focused on fun and entertainment. According to research done by Labbrand, 55.3% of Chinese millennials share everything online vs. 28.3% of American millennials. Where is this powerful group of Chinese consumers sharing, purchasing, and connecting? Take a look at some of the most popular platforms below...

WeChat

So much more than just a messaging app, WeChat users (numbering 700+ million) can also maintain a social profile similar to a mix of Facebook and Twitter(remember that Facebook is banned in China), pay bills, transfer money to friends, pay in stores like Starbucks, and engage in gaming.

Taobao

Taobao is the go-to place for online shopping in China where you can buy anything and everything, similar to an Amazon or eBay. It recently announced that vendors will no longer be allowed to sell foreign media via the site, even if the media has been approved for circulation in China. Stay tuned...

Ele.me

Feeling hungry? Ele.me literally means "Are you hungry?" and is a leading food delivery service in China. The Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba invested 1.25 billion dollars into the site as part of its entry into the online-to-offline market space.

Meitu

Do you want to transform your selfie into an anime-style caricature? Meitu is a popular Chinese image filtering and editing software. Users beware: this app controversially requests permission to access a lot more of your phone data than seems necessary for photo editing.

QQ Music

Music streaming, exclusive downloads, concert tickets, and more all in one. With reports of 100 million daily users, QQ is turning a profit where other global competitors (e.g. Spotify) are falling short.

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