instant messaging in China ::
:: originally published in an Analysys International instant messaging marketing report (Q2, 2008), and also shared in CIC’s recent white paper, “The Chinese Internet Word of Mouth (IWOM) Landscape” (view / download the paper in English or Chinese), the chart below shows market share for instant messaging software in China.
Tencent’s QQ still dominates China’s instant messaging market. Active QQ user accounts reached 341 million in the second quarter of 2008, giving QQ 80.2% of market share, followed by Fetion with 4.2%, and Microsoft MSN with 4.1%.
// AjS
December 21st, 2008 at 6:43 pm
Wow.. I have been told QQ was popular but that MSN was also making a move. By the looks of it, they don’t stand a chance in a billion. 80% market share.. that is very, very impressive.
How does Twitter stack up? Is that included in the “others”? Or is it not really considered to be an IM tool? I assume Skype is in that “others” group too, which is equally as surprising to me since everyone in China I try to voice-chat with insists on using Skype.
December 21st, 2008 at 7:09 pm
For those who are faced with brutal cuts in marketing budgets for 2009 this is probably as good as it gets when making an argument for brand utility
December 22nd, 2008 at 8:41 am
Adam:
Does this account for user overlap? Most people I know either only use QQ or use MSN in addition to QQ. I’ve never met someone who only uses MSN without running a QQ account at the same time.
Also, Ali WangWang, while purely being instant messaging software, has more of a specialized purpose connecting sellers and buyers on Taobao. Again, most people I know will run Ali WangWang only when they want to ask questions to a seller on Taobao. After asking their questions, they sign off.
If anything, I’d say the 80% market share for QQ under-represents their slice of the market.
December 22nd, 2008 at 10:26 am
@ Matt in CQ, thanks for your response.
- I don’t think the data accounts for overlap…if I find out otherwise, I will note here.
- Agree that most people using MSN also use QQ, but not everyone: although they’re in the vast (VAST) minority, I know plenty of local Chinese (white color / first tier city / working in MNCs) that only use MSN. In some cases, it seems like a status symbol of sorts.
- Agree re: Ali Wang Wang
- Agree re: 80% perhaps being too low a figure…at any rate, QQ thoroughly dominates the space, and will do so for the foreseeable future.