WeChat Partners With Unicef HK to Showcase Payment Beyond Borders
There are mutual benefits for both Unicef Hong Kong and WeChat after a micro-financing platform was launched on the Chinese social messaging app.
Tencent’s WeChat is hoping a partnership with Unicef Hong Kong will help demonstrate its sophisticated payment platform beyond its mainland Chinese user base.
Last month, Unicef Hong Kong activated its mobile payment platform to respond to the Nepalese earthquake, allowing users to make donations using Visa or MasterCard credit cards issued by local Hong Kong banks. Registered Hong Kong WeChat users can sign up to Unicef Hong Kong’s official account by recording the QR code or searching the WeChat ID “unicef hk” to receive news and information pushes or to make a donation using a Hong Kong credit card linked to the app.
By pioneering a new way to be charitable, WeChat is hoping to make a big splash among charities and international businesses alike. “The new Unicef HK Official Account and WeChat Payment features break new ground for charities and similar organizations as they find new ways to engage the public via channels such as WeChat,” says Norman Tam, general manager for Hong Kong and Taiwan operations of Tencent’s international business group.
“The way Unicef HK is utilizing WeChat and the new payment platform is a great example of how technology can take people’s interaction with charities to a whole new level,” Tam says.
While WeChat boasts more than 500 million monthly active users mostly in mainland China, few outside the mainland are using WeChat or its Wallet capabilities, such as booking taxis, paying gas bills, buying group discounts, or transferring money between WeChat friends . However, if Hong Kong audiences take advantage of WeChat’s payments to give to Unicef, they may be open to using the platform for other transactions.
“WeChat has a big international ambition, but outside of China, real-world case studies are harder to find,” says Elisa Harca, global client partner and regional director for digital agency Red Ant. “In China, we don’t need to “sell” WeChat to brands but outside of China we really do, as there is no accurate data available from WeChat re the active users.”
Unicef and WeChat are also hoping to “sell” the social media network and the concept of donating via mobile to a younger audience in Hong Kong by offering a more convenient and effective channel for public donations, says David Fong, chairman of Unicef Hong Kong’s fundraising committee.
“We hope that with the massive number of WeChat users, Unicef HK will be drawn closer to the public, gaining support from them during natural disasters and releasing instant emergency and fundraising reports,” says Fong.
Fong says tens of thousands of donations have been made through the WeChat Payment channel and that those numbers continue to rise. In addition to making donations, users can also use the platform to send “Inspired Gifts” to friends and relatives in the form of supplies such as vaccinations, education or micronutrients.
