--- title: "The Boundless Growth Potential of Instant Messaging Apps" locale: "en" language: "en-HK" published: "2014-10-10T12:41:28+08:00" updated: "2026-03-17T23:06:04.349Z" canonical: "https://accordhk.com/blog/the-boundless-growth-potential-of-instant-messaging-apps-245" --- # The Boundless Growth Potential of Instant Messaging Apps Instant messaging apps offer substantial business potential. WeChat enables customer service, online shops and embedded services, while Line and WhatsApp help Hong Kong online retailers communicate with customers. ## In brief Instant messaging apps offer businesses opportunities to serve customers, promote products and support transactions. This 2014 article highlights WeChat’s potential for Hong Kong companies entering the mainland market, alongside customer communication opportunities on Line and WhatsApp.         [Instant messaging apps]() have enormous growth potential. With 4.38 hundred million active users worldwide, WeChat is used for far more than casual conversation. In mainland China, it has become a revenue-generating platform for businesses, supporting not only information sharing but also flight bookings, online shops, taxi bookings and more. Ocean Park has launched a WeChat official account to reach independent travellers from mainland China. The account provides basic customer service, automatically replying with information such as opening hours and ticket prices. It also regularly sends animal photos to subscribers, which is expected to help build the park’s image. The globally popular instant messaging apps [WhatsApp, Line and WeChat]() have already surpassed 6 hundred million users this year. This demonstrates that instant messaging apps rank first worldwide among [mobile apps]() in terms of popularity and importance. **Official Accounts Offer Greater Interaction Than Facebook** Two years ago, WeChat launched its official account platform, which has become a hot business opportunity in mainland China. WeChat’s official account platform offers greater interactivity than Facebook. Besides sending promotional information to users, it allows automatic replies to be configured for basic enquiries. Businesses in mainland China are already investing resources in comprehensive customer service, with dedicated staff responding to user enquiries in real time. Official accounts can also incorporate relevant business systems to deliver a variety of services. **Powerful Features Let Businesses Imagine More Possibilities** However, people in Hong Kong have a limited understanding of WeChat, regarding it as a mainland Chinese version of WhatsApp. 。WeChat has considerable potential to become the platform of choice for Hong Kong companies entering the mainland market. Businesses can explore more possibilities, such as opening online shops or embedding a mobile website within WeChat to create a “microsite” that facilitates instant communication, buying and selling goods, and other activities. Some people in Hong Kong plan to open online shops on WeChat that let travellers rent mobile internet devices. By connecting to a phone’s GPS function, users can check nearby locations to arrange convenient handovers. In fact, WeChat still offers many possibilities that Hong Kong businesses have yet to discover. Tencent acknowledges that the only aspect of the system still awaiting completion is that payments cannot currently be made in Hong Kong through WeChat. However, Wechat says that WeChat Pay has been operating in mainland China for almost a year and has expanded to support purchases of investment funds and lottery tickets, giving it considerable technical experience. In Hong Kong, approval has already been obtained from government departments, and the Hong Kong version of WeChat Pay could be launched within a year. There is also a public account platform accessible to businesses and merchants, offering data and chart-based analysis. Businesses can check daily follower numbers, identify the most-viewed content and see which information followers have shared or forwarded, helping them understand user preferences. SMEs interested in this can commission IT specialists to [develop their WeChat platform through embedded integrations.]()。 Although the discussion above focuses solely on WeChat’s business potential, beyond WeChat, other instant messaging apps such as Line and Whatsapp also offer business opportunities. Online shops in Hong Kong have already begun using Line and Whatsapp to communicate with customers in real time. In addition, Line offers a desktop version for people working in offices, as well as fan pages and mini-games to attract the attention of potential users. Businesses planning to [develop dedicated apps]() could attract greater attention from smartphone users by connecting those apps with instant messaging apps. ## Frequently asked questions ### How can businesses use WeChat official accounts? Businesses can distribute promotional information, set up automatic replies to basic enquiries and have dedicated staff respond in real time. Official accounts can also incorporate business systems to provide additional services. ### How does Ocean Park use its WeChat official account? Ocean Park uses the account to reach independent travellers from mainland China, automatically providing opening hours and ticket prices. It also regularly sends animal photos to subscribers to help build the park’s image. ### What did the article report about WeChat payments in Hong Kong? At the time of publication in 2014, WeChat payments were unavailable in Hong Kong. The article reported that government approval had been obtained and that a Hong Kong version could launch within a year. ### What business opportunities do Line and WhatsApp offer? The article states that Hong Kong online shops had begun using Line and WhatsApp to communicate with customers in real time. Line also offered a desktop version, fan pages and mini-games to attract potential users.