On October 22, it was rumored that WeChat was testing a function to check and delete one-way deleted friends with one click. This rumor originated from some netizens discovering that the new version of WeChat displayed "recommended deletions" and would show some reasons for the recommended deletions. Screenshots from the internet showing Tencent customer service's response indicated that this was due to users reaching the upper limit when adding friends, and the system would recommend deleting some friends based on "certain logic." These details indirectly supported the rumor.

Some netizens argued that the average person would not reach WeChat's generally recognized upper limit of 10,000 friends, and one could check whether a friend had unilaterally deleted them without leaving a trace by attempting to transfer money to them. Regardless of whether the function to check and delete one-way deleted friends will gradually become available, there is no doubt that as China's largest social platform for acquaintances, every small update in WeChat's functions is shaping the way people socialize with acquaintances.

This is precisely the underlying reason for the slow progress of the video number e-commerce system today.

After all, this is already the fourth year that video number e-commerce has participated in Singles' Day. Douyin e-commerce, which also operates on the same short video logic, had already reached a peak in its fourth Singles' Day in 2022. Video number e-commerce both thrives and lags due to Xiaohe. The core logic supporting its differentiation is every function and link in private domain conversion, but having too many function links is also the primary reason for its slow development.

For some merchants, compared to other e-commerce platforms that only require manipulating public domain traffic, the private domain precipitation link that supports video number e-commerce is instead a "heavy asset" for them. From some practitioners in the WeChat ecosystem service industry, we learned that there are still too many building blocks, and no one truly knows where the direction lies.

01. The Last Puzzle Piece Has Instead Become a Heavy Asset for Merchants

As mentioned in a previous article in "New Standpoint," another relatively mature e-commerce system, mini-program e-commerce, is also part of the WeChat open platform, along with Enterprise WeChat and official accounts. Given the limited ability of these modules to operate public domain traffic, video number e-commerce can naturally be regarded as the last puzzle piece of the entire WeChat e-commerce system.

We can broadly categorize merchants willing to try video numbers into those who had already laid out their WeChat private domains before the era of video numbers and those who joined after.

Customers who joined after the era of video numbers have generally undergone sufficient market education and recognize that video numbers are still in their bonus period. These customers often already have a presence on platforms like Douyin and find it convenient to open a store on video numbers. They may be brands or influencers looking to replicate their success on Douyin on video numbers. However, such merchants may not have had a private domain e-commerce need or experience before, so they are still observing more private domain precipitation functions or strategies.

As for merchants who joined before the era of video numbers, their early choice to lay out private domain e-commerce was mostly due to their products being suitable for secondary conversions in private domains or because other platforms were becoming saturated, prompting them to seek new growth channels.

As video number e-commerce gradually rises, it adds icing on the cake for merchants who have long laid out their WeChat private domain presence.

According to Peach, who is close to a WeChat mall service provider, sharing with "New Standpoint": "In the past, the most frequently asked question from clients, which we indeed couldn't solve, was: 'Can this mini-program acquire customers on its own?' Now, combined with video numbers, we can package a WeChat e-commerce system: from acquiring customers in the public domain to multiple conversions in the private domain."

However, for merchants who have never laid out private domain e-commerce, "some of them only want to do video numbers." Peach noted that some merchants who have already achieved certain successes on Douyin have little interest in private domains. "Some of the merchants I've encountered approached us through video numbers and were initially quite enthusiastic. However, when we further communicated with them and advised them to also lay out mini-programs and Enterprise WeChat, we could clearly sense a decrease in their willingness."

This is not difficult to understand. Merchants are accustomed to the "big opening and closing" of traffic business, and the support logic and private domain precipitation link of video number e-commerce are instead a "heavy asset" for such merchants.

Even "the cost of purchasing services for multiple modules" is not the primary reason for discouraging these merchants, quoting a merchant directly, "Since I'm paying for these services, should I also allocate more people to manage them?"

In response, Peach revealed to us: "Our service content, of course, also includes training and fixed-frequency follow-ups. However, the crucial point is that this adjustment period is often longer than we anticipate."

However, the feedback from these merchants is inherently related to the mini-program e-commerce system that Peach wants to promote. Still, as mentioned earlier, video number e-commerce has its own shelf space and was renamed from Video Number Store to WeChat Store in August this year. These two shelf spaces will generate a certain competitive relationship. Mini-program malls excel in diverse gameplay and a mature system, while WeChat Stores win with simplicity and direct connection to video numbers.

Viewed solely in terms of the relationship between video numbers and WeChat Stores, it may not seem "heavy." However, when merchants are solely attracted by the traffic on video numbers, they will discover that it is challenging to differentiate and gain an advantage over short video e-commerce platforms like Douyin and Kuaishou.

And when merchants realize that they need to make additional layouts beyond WeChat Stores to unleash the power of private domain e-commerce, they will discover that there are indeed too many WeChat-related sections related to e-commerce.

Of course, other e-commerce platform services are also diverse, and the key lies in the fact that platforms like Taobao, JD.com, and Douyin can all run their business models by merely deploying basic sections. Without clear and comparable successful cases in the same category for private domain e-commerce, merchants need to invest not only in advertising costs, service fees for multiple sections, and human resources but also spend a significant amount of time exploring suitable private domain e-commerce models independently.

02. Too Many Building Blocks, and Service Teams Struggle to Find the Optimal Solution

For large brands or merchants, laying out an additional sales channel is not difficult, and they have more patience and resources to explore their private domain models. However, whether an e-commerce ecosystem is approaching maturity is more dependent on the penetration rate of small and medium-sized merchants. In this context, a "benchmark case" suitable for small and medium-sized merchants becomes the crucial key.

However, it is not easy to explore benchmark cases suitable for small and medium-sized merchants, as Peach mentioned earlier, "The adjustment period is often longer than we anticipate." In addition, whether it's video number e-commerce service providers or other section service providers, they all need to pay attention to the input-output ratio. With limited payment capabilities for small and medium-sized merchants, after standardizing service processes, it can be challenging to select a benchmark.

On the other hand, sharing and disseminating benchmark cases is even more difficult. Once a benchmark case is established, the case details will become one of the core business assets of the service provider. However, the so-called "video number gameplay" that can be disseminated in the market is rarely able to touch upon the essence. Moreover, the experience of the project operator itself is also crucial. Borrowing the words of a client Peach encountered: "Where can we find someone who understands both the business and your system well and is willing to follow our project closely in every detail?"

Based on this, it is not difficult to understand why WeChat merged the video number live e-commerce team into the WeChat open platform in May this year. After all, increasing system openness and case resource fluidity is a necessary choice. However, this also means that various third-party service teams will have richer resources to integrate and require more mature operators.

In fact, as video number e-commerce completes WeChat e-commerce, the burden of "WeChat business" has become heavier. As Tencent President Martin Lau said, "We recently repositioned our live e-commerce business to be more like WeChat e-commerce. That is to say, the ecosystem we aim to build is not solely based on video numbers and live channels; we aim to establish an e-commerce ecosystem within WeChat that is connected to the entire WeChat ecosystem, still drawing much strength from our official accounts, video numbers, and live channels."

In other words, WeChat is almost convinced that the public domain traffic of video numbers is used to revitalize various sections within the WeChat ecosystem. However, video numbers carry a heavy burden in terms of traffic patterns, and it is challenging to increase traffic scale.

After all, the traffic distribution pattern of video numbers is also a familiar social pattern with more decentralized traffic. Users' perceptions and preferences are also more dispersed, making it difficult to generate scale effects. Even Zhang Xiaolong has stated that video numbers are not exclusive to top players and do not invite celebrities to join. We can even observe that the number of followers is not displayed on the video number page.

From this perspective, video number e-commerce, much like Xiaohongshu e-commerce, is suitable for small but beautiful businesses with high stickiness. However, Xiaohongshu's advantage lies in its precise traffic push, and the relationship between merchants and consumers is well-balanced between stickiness and boundaries. Video number e-commerce still lacks a similar mindset.

At this moment, let's return to what was mentioned at the beginning: every function point of WeChat influences contemporary people's way of socializing with acquaintances. The "burden" that WeChat itself bears in grasping the social scale is the deeper reason for the slow progress of the video number e-commerce system today. When our communication tools for socializing with acquaintances are filled with advertisements every day, and we face multiple merchants promoting products to us in a "familiar" way, these are likely situations that WeChat does not want to see.

As the last puzzle piece of the "WeChat business" system, video number e-commerce can be said to thrive and lag due to WeChat, with both mutually becoming each other's "heavy assets."

03. Conclusion

Enterprise WeChat, another essential section of WeChat's commercialization system, has developed relatively smoothly. In the view of "New Standpoint," one of the core problems that Enterprise WeChat solves is the issue of official endorsement during business communication through WeChat.

After years of development, Enterprise WeChat has gradually matured from its rudimentary stage and seamlessly integrated into the entire WeChat ecosystem. This natural integration is inseparable from WeChat's overall control over the scale of building connections with clients for Enterprise WeChat.

However, the specific scale of "familiar e-commerce" that video number e-commerce needs to pay special attention to after integrating into the WeChat system remains unknown, and no one knows the correct answer yet.

Therefore, during this shopping festival, it is not suitable for video numbers to accelerate forward.

*The lead image and illustrations in the article are sourced from the internet.