China Digital Update: Meituan Bike Is Here

Hello!

And welcome to the weekly China Digital Update by REDSTAR. In these updates we will share trends, hot topics, feature KOL's and dig in on any new developments happening in China.   

Through our regular updates we hope to keep you, our clients and fans of REDSTAR in the loop and connected to what China is all about. As you are well aware things change and happen here at a breakneck pace and it can be a struggle to stay informed.

With just 5 to 10 minutes of your time you will be in the know of things happening in China and developer that deeper connection, that allows you to stay in the loop.

So with that out of the way, let's jump into our update!

Jingdong opened 5G Experience Store

China is one of the biggest providers of 5G equipment. After Huawei launched its first 5G commercial Smartphones, Jingdong, as the leader in consumer electronics, has collaborated with Huawei and China Unicom to open 5G Experience Stores in China so people experience the new technology first hand. Huawei provides those available 5G phones and trains their staff to answer those technological questions to those customers who are interested while China Unicom staff are also available on the floor to explain things. 

5G, the next generation of mobile connection technology is approaching soon. Are you ready? Have you been to any of those 5G experience stores yet? Let us know your thoughts. 

WeChat Connects Moment Ads to E-commerce Stores

According to the Chinese tech media platform Ebrun, WeChat added a new function that allows brands to connect Moment Ads with e-commerce shops directly for a better return instead of paying Moments Ads for event registration and other stuff only. This new function is alike to Instagram "click to buy" ads, it can help brands attract more attention from customers who are intended to purchase their products and bring more revenue.  

To create an e-commerce shop on Youzan, a B2B template tool encouraged by Wechat, companies need to register online first and verify their Chinese office location. Then they can set up the visual, products, shipping, coupons, etc on the WeChat Store. WeChat offers various advertising options, but they are all pricier than Tencent's other advertising channels such as Qzone. The minimum cost of one Moment Ad is around 50,000 RMB (around $7454), hopefully, this new function can boosts sales and extra revenue for brands to return this big investment.    

Super Typhoon Lekima Ravaged China's East Coast

While citizens live along the east coast of China have been used to annual monsoon season every summer, the past Typhoon Lekima has caused lots of damages with heavy flooding and killed 44 people in several provinces.  

Chinese authorities said that Lekima is the fifth-worst typhoon to have hit China in 70 years. During this period, more than 1 million people in Shanghai and Zhejiang Province were evacuated and more than 3,000 homes were damaged. 

Our top tips of what to do in a typhoon is closing your windows and doors tightly before a typhoon, staying indoor with enough water and food, and remember to check your drainage system after the typhoon is gone. 

Meituan Bike: Rebranding of Mobike

There's a new bike in town people! Have you check it out yet？

Known as formerly Mobike, Meituan Bike has finally finished its complete transformation and now available for riding by simply scanning the Meituan-Dianping app. Meituan-Dianping company acquired Mobike for $2.7 billion last April, this pricy takeover marked its further push into mobility and its aggressive business expansion. 

In late January earlier this year, Mobike has moved all its service to Meituan Dianpi ng, but previous users can still access and ride the bikes on both Mobike app and the Meituan app. And we spotted that the brand new Meituan Bike on the streets of Chengdu with new designs especially the iconic yellow color of Meituan brand, and you can only access them via Meituan app. Some domestic industry insiders pointed out that after the rebranding of Mobike, the competition of local services between Meituan and Alibaba will heat up soon. We shall wait and see what will come up next. 

Chinese Architects win an unofficial Notre Dame Design Competition

Two Chinese architects Zeyu Cai and Sibei Li have won an unofficial competition held by GoArchitect for rebuilding Notre Dame's roof and its spire. The name of their design is "Pairs Heart Beat", and there are 226 designs from 56 countries worldwide.  

According to both architects, their design features a multi-faced mirror roof, city kaleidoscope and Paris time capsule on roof and spire, which would have a floating tip powered by magnetic levitation. The core concept of this design is to give the cathedral a new look and reflect the changes to the French capital over time. 

Even though the design looks stunning to most people, it's very likely that the proposals will not see the light of day because the French parliament has already passed a law to ensure the reconstruction will remain faithful to what came before. 

CHina CHat is back! Come and Join Us!

Attention friends of REDSTAR! The Annual CHina CHat Conference is back again in September!!! 

Organized by China Channel (ChCh), CHina CHat is 2-day gathering dedicated to WeChat and China online digital marketing with the top industry speakers and experts from across China including the WeChat. There will be presentations, in-depth workshops, panel discussions and networking with more than 500 attendees from different industries. 

We have arranged a booth there and we will be there to showcase our company and share what we have been working on. Hoping to meet many of you there. So make sure you mark the date and catch you soon in Shanghai on September 19th and 20th.  

Ok, that's it for this time. See you on the next update!

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