Incentivized sharing 2.0Īs we mentioned, WeChat has always been strict on incentivized sharing, meaning giving any kind of incentives (red packet, coupon, points, information…) to encourage users to share content. Other information that needs to be clearly displayed includes whether the customers are able to receive a refund if the group buy deal did not meet the target. It also contains a lottery feature that could mislead users to make an unintended purchase. Group purchase events with no clear and definite rules, or the rules are not publicized to the users in a an obvious noticeįor example, the above group buy is considered to break the new term since the group-buy rule is not clearly displayed in a visible space.Group purchase events with lottery nature.Fake group purchase events, where … the amount paid by some group participants is obviously not equivalent to other participants.This is now explicitly prohibited by WeChat: Many merchants took it a step further, spreading false or misleading information to trick users into purchases. Group buys are a great way to spread your marketing messages to the direct contacts of your customers. It is forbidden to use any strong language when asking user to share content (“You’re not Chinese if you’re not sharing this”, “You must share this right now!”, etc.).It is forbidden to offer any incentive to a user (including but not limited to red envelopes, coupons, vouchers, points, credits, data, content) that they will have to claim outside of WeChat (in another App or website).It is forbidden to give any incentive to a user (including but not limited to red envelopes, coupons, vouchers, points, credits, data, content) in order for them to perform an action on WeChat (share, like, read, comment, etc.).These rules are not specific to the new regulation (they were already in place previously), but it is good to have a refresher on them as the new regulation suggests they might be enforced more strictly:
IS WECHAT SAFE TO DOWNLOAD FULL
The full regulation detail accessible via the link at the end of this article. While the purpose of the regulation is to improve end-user experience and protect user’s privacy, it could be a deadly trap for companies that are trying to acquire marketing leads. Providing a service that’s similar to WeChat features.Sharing a link that contains users’ profile picture and user name.Editing or re-use of user’s profile pictures or user information.Group buy campaign are highly regulated.Here are some of the highlights of some of the new bans: The policy banned some of the most common campaign tactics. WeChat just released its most rigorous policy to date regulating incentived sharing and external links.