News |
by
Muntazir Abbas
NEW DELHI, INDIA: Even as the fretting telcos are
grappling with tantrums, the consumer apps are poised to be a lucrative
segment. While messaging apps such as Google and Facebook are reaching
heyday, a fierce rivalry between WhatsApp and WeChat is brewing.
WhatsApp and WeChat feature similar messaging capabilities and are
free to download and use. Available on smartphone platforms such as iOS,
Android, Windows, Symbian and BlackBerry, both rivals have today
maintain almost similar number of consumers.
While rumors of WhatsApp's Google acquisition take churns, WeChat,
owned by China-based Tencent, is eyeing user-base surge which currently
stands at roughly 300 million. It has also recently wedged deals with
Yahoo Cricket, Tradus, Goibibo, Cafe Coffee Day and Big Bazaar.
Speaking to CIOL, Tencent India president Rahul Razdan said that they
are currently focusing to increase the user engagement in India. "Our
WeChat app has already caught the imagination of youth and also of
organizations in India. The consumers who use could easily see value
preposition in it," he said.
Commenting on competition, Razdan said that they strive to improve
their service, based on their own set of benchmarks. "WeChat offers many
unique and innovative features that have been designed with the
end-user in mind," he added.
Improving the product experience vis-a-vis growing user engagement,
Razdan said, is key focus area for them. Tencent is also looking forward
for partnerships in the mobile Internet ecosystem to facilitate value
addition for end users.
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