WeChat continues to be a dominant force in China’s digital landscape, and understanding its evolving trends is crucial for Western companies aiming to succeed in the market. The digital marketing landscape on WeChat is undergoing significant changes, driven by expanding user bases, technological advancements, and stricter regulatory frameworks. Here are five essential trends to watch in 2025.

1. Expanding User Base and High-Value Audiences

China’s social media user base is projected to exceed 1.15 billion by 2025, with WeChat’s monthly active users reaching 1.38 billion. This growth has pushed its penetration rate to 95%. Users are spending over 90 minutes on the platform daily, with younger demographics and high-end users emerging as key consumer groups. The digital marketing market is expected to grow from 385 billion yuan to 450 billion yuan, intensifying the competition for high-quality users.

Practical Advice: Focus on creating high-value content tailored for premium users. Develop long-term user retention strategies by leveraging the deep integration of the WeChat ecosystem.

2. Technology-Driven Marketing and Precision Targeting

Technology is reshaping marketing on WeChat. AI customer service now has a 40% adoption rate, and the penetration of smart marketing tools is expected to rise to 60%. Location-based services (LBS) for localized ad delivery, dynamic creatives, and smart bidding technologies have increased ad click-through rates to 2.7%. The average cost per thousand impressions (CPM) remains stable at 45-60 yuan after cross-platform data integration. Customer acquisition costs in the education sector are 37% higher than in retail, highlighting the need for sector-specific strategies.

Practical Advice: Prioritize investment in smart marketing tools and establish industry benchmarks. Optimize advertising strategies, especially in high-variance sectors like education and retail.

3. Diversified Content Ecosystem: UGC and PGC

WeChat has created a hybrid content ecosystem driven by both user-generated content (UGC) and professionally generated content (PGC). The platform now allows for videos up to five minutes long in Moments, and multimedia replies support images, videos, and emojis. The support from Channels (视频号) has led to peak exposure gains of 5,000%. A new group-buying feature in Moments enabled a brand to acquire 800 new members in just three days while increasing the average transaction value by 18%.

An innovative “pay-to-promote” model allows for customized content to be automatically generated after a transaction, using Channels to drive promotion. This has led to a 20% average increase in new customer traffic and a 35% improvement in repeat purchase rates for merchants.

Practical Advice: Develop mid- to long-form content for Channels. Create interactive UGC tools and establish a PGC content review system to ensure compliance.

4. Private Domain Commercialization and OMO Models

The gross merchandise volume (GMV) of Mini Programs has surpassed 3 trillion yuan, with live e-commerce accounting for 35% of this. The “Online-Merge-Offline” (OMO) model is becoming a major trend. Enterprise WeChat, a platform designed for internal and customer communication, has reduced customer complaints by 68% through its compliant marketing features. A pharmacy chain, for instance, increased its private domain conversion rate to 28% and achieved an average transaction value 4.6 times higher than general e-commerce platforms by using a “licensed pharmacist live streaming + medical qualification filing” model.

Practical Advice: Build a comprehensive compliance system that integrates content review, licensed payment, and electronic contracts. Focus on private domain operations in highly regulated industries like healthcare and education.

5. Stricter Compliance and Risk Control

The regulatory environment is becoming more stringent, with live streaming marketing now falling under the

Internet Advertising Management Measures. WeChat intercepts 1.2 million pieces of non-compliant content and bans 24,000 non-compliant Mini Programs daily. While 37% of businesses in the private domain live streaming sector have been eliminated, the number of official brand live streaming rooms has grown by 215% year-on-year. Compliance capabilities will be a prerequisite for market entry.

Practical Advice: Invest in compliant technological infrastructure and develop industry-specific risk control solutions. Prioritize partnerships with SaaS providers that have achieved Level 3 certification for information security protection.

Audio Overview: WeChat Deep Dive Your 2025 Guide to Dominating China’s Digital Market (and Avoiding Pitfalls)