Last Updated on July 10, 2024
Public reviews are highly valued in Chinese culture. So, for brands trying to break into China’s business landscape, Meituan Dianping serves as an online-to-offline marketing channel to boost their domestic credibility and connect with customers who are eager to find reliable services.
In this post, we’ll explore the value of using the Meituan Dianping app for foreign and local businesses in China and guide brands on maximizing their presence in this all-in-one review platform.
What is Meituan Dianping (美团点评) Used For in China?
Before 2015, Meituan and Dazhong Dianping (大众点评) are two separate apps. Initially, Meituan was founded in 2010 and became mildly popular for its group-buying coupons and discounts. However, as the platform gained more users, it expanded its services to food delivery in 2013.
Meanwhile, Dazhong Dianping (大众点评) is a platform often referenced as the Chinese Yelp for featuring consumer reviews on local services. It allows users to rate businesses and post their recommended dishes for other customers.
As a super app, the platform goes beyond Meituan’s group-buying features or Dianping reviews. Meituan Dianping now covers full-scale travel and lifestyle services, from in-store coupons and movie tickets to hotel reservations and ride-hailing options.
Basically, it’s an app that connects consumers to service establishments online, whether they’re looking to order food, discover new restaurants, visit museums, or get their hair permed.
Like Ctrip, Dazhong Dianping users can share pictures, videos, and notes regarding the hotels or restaurants they visit. These featured reviews can be viewed by other users when they search for any keyword related to the posted content.
Consumer Profile of Meituan Dianping Users
We can all agree that Meituan Dianping offers more diverse features than some social media and e-commerce platforms in China. Because of that, it’s important for businesses to take a closer look at who are the users this platform is serving and their purchasing behavior when using the app. Here are a few statistics worth paying attention to:
- Meituan Dianping serves over 678 million active users.
- The app has a daily order volume of 60 million.
- Its business revenue reached $10.19 billion in 2023.
- It garnered over 477 million annual hotel overnight bookings.
- The local service currently has3 million active registered merchants.
- It has recorded an average of 8 transactions per user.
How to Create a Business Profile on the Meituan Dianping App
1. Download the application
If you’re downloading Dianping from outside China, you can access its download page in the Google Play Store. Users with existing accounts can simply visit the app’s web version and log in via a QR code.
Once installed on your device, the app will require you to input your login credentials. You can either provide your phone number or connect to your WeChat account.
Keep in mind that it’s a domestic app. So, if you don’t write, read, or speak Chinese, chances are you won’t understand a thing written on Dianping’s homepage. This can be a potential challenge for foreign businesses who want to engage with users using the app.
Here’s a quick overview of what you’ll see after a successful login:
2. Choose an account type for your brand
For businesses that want to build a presence on this app, Meituan Dianping offers two options: free and premium accounts. For free accounts, any user (including you) can create a business profile for your brand or company.
Once the dedicated brand page is created, all reviews, photos, and videos related to your business will appear there. However, since you’re using a free Dianping account, you have no control over any information listed on this page and no access to the platform’s marketing or advertising features.
On the other hand, users with premium accounts can create and manage their own brand page. They can also distribute discounts and coupons to entice more customers to visit their virtual shops.
Beyond digital advertisements, brands with premium accounts can moderate or monitor content and comments about their businesses. The app also offers marketers control over their shop layouts and mini-program management.
3. Register on Appropriate Account Portals
For mobile app users, all you need to do is click on the three dots in the upper right corner of the screen. After that, select the third option for “Add Merchant.” It has a logo similar to a store, so it’s easy to spot.
Brands might need to provide business information for the virtual shops they’ll be opening in the app. Kindly note that this process is separate from “Merchant Collaboration,” which will give you access to Dianping’s advertising platform.
Desktop users can simply visit the platform’s website address and log in to their accounts via a browser. After that, they must select “Merchant Services” or “商户服务” and click on “Merchant Collaboration (商户合作).”
It will trigger a prompt for brands to select the kind of business they’re creating an online profile for. Businesses can also register in different Meituan portals based on their industry:
4. Submit Business Requirements
While creating your Meituan Dianping official account, you’ll have to submit specific requirements to verify your credibility as a business. You must provide a business license, an identification card, details about your company representative, and payment information.
With the new laws launched by the Chinese government, e-commerce shops or mini-programs must undergo the ICP Filing process.
Best Brand Marketing Strategies in Meituan Dianping
● Optimize Your Business Listings
If you look at the top of Meituan Dianping’s homepage, you’ll notice that users can click on different categories to explore businesses that offer the services they are looking for. They can even narrow down their search to a specific location to find the best match for their search.
With an internal search engine in place, businesses must input detailed information in their brand profiles and optimize their content with popular industry keywords. This strategy increases their visibility on the app and allows them to gain new audiences in the long run.
Meituan Dianping’s Search Results for HomeStay in Shanghai
For example, if a customer selects “Shanghai” as their location to find businesses related to the keyword “homestay,” they’ll find business listings offering this service. On those brand pages, marketers can input additional details about their listing, like contact details, address, price range, etc.
It’ll also show you notes and online reviews posted by other users. Most user-generated content comes with images, videos, and detailed ratings.
Stay in the loop with customer reviews. Along with service quality and popularity, they’re one of the ranking factors on the app’s search engine.
● Participate in Free Trial Offerings
The first thing Chinese consumers look for in a service-booking app is either a review or a discount. If you want to hit two birds with one stone, inviting active users to a free trial lottery is an excellent place to start.
Winners of this event can try your service or product for free, whether it’s free dishes at a restaurant or significant discounts on hotel accommodation. In exchange, the person who won the lottery must write reviews about your offerings and their experiences.
The review requirement does not guarantee that the feedback will be good. Customers still have the freedom to write reviews according to their opinions. Nevertheless, it’s a strategy that’ll enhance your visibility on the platform.
Free trial offerings examples
● Target Top Reviewers or KOCs
Dianping users who post reviews on products and services they have used can become KOLs and KOCs when their posts reach a certain visibility level. They’re typically called “V达人” or “V experts” because their content often gets featured on the platform’s homepage.
Their reviews often work well in an online-to-offline marketing campaign, primarily because local users see these posts as credible and authentic sources of information.
They can either leave a short review with a rating about an establishment or a note (long article) detailing their experience in its full glory. These long-form posts offer more insights, so they often piqued the interests of more Chinese travelers than typical reviews.
● Leverage Dianping’s Advertising Options
This app has a dedicated ad platform called TuiGuangTong, where marketers can buy ad slots. This strategy allows businesses to create push marketing messages as inbox notifications when the app user enters the brand’s commercial zone.
This ad type sends promotions to platform users who are in close proximity to your shops. You can customize this type of campaign based on selected keywords and audience demographics.
Other than that, paid brand promotions on Dianping can range from premium banners to new product launches and seasonal campaigns.
Meituan Dianping In-feed Ad Example
● Cross-Platform Integration with WeChat
Dianping’s lifestyle-centric niche bodes well with the interests of WeChat users, who use China’s biggest super app for everyday social networking needs. You can execute cross-promotion strategies smoothly between these two platforms, especially with WeChat’s diverse content creation tools.
It can serve as an online-to-offline promotion as long as the content aligns with the marketing goal you’re trying to achieve. For example, a restaurant can post a WeChat article about their food services along with the establishment’s address, contact number, and other details.
The article should also include real-life dining experiences from customers to attract more user engagement. These images and videos can come from Dianping reviews on your brand profile.
Quick Q&A
Is Meituan Dianping still popular in China?
Yes, Meituan Dianping remains the largest food delivery service in China and a reliable source of O2O solutions for many businesses. In terms of revenue, the platform ranks fifth among the country’s leading internet and tech companies.
Your Trusted Meituan Dianping Marketing Partner in China!
The marketing environment that Meituan Dianping offers opens opportunities for foreign brands to gain more visibility among Chinese tourists and consumers. It is a good O2O channel, encouraging your potential audience to explore your offerings.
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At Sekkei Digital Group, we understand the importance of creating a digital presence in platforms as populated as Meituan Dianping. With our team’s extensive experience and expertise, we can guide your brand to maximize its features and reach.
Whether you want to open an official brand profile on Meituan Dianping or intend to attract top reviewers to build credibility among consumers, we have all the digital solutions you need. Contact us today, and let’s start collaborating!
References:
Meituan-Dianping
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