A day in a life of a Chinese Millennial.

A day in a life of Eliza Mao, Customer Success Director at Splio in Shanghai.

I think the life of Millennials all over the planet is very much alike, but it’s true that one particularity about the Chinese lifestyle nowadays is our relationship with WeChat.

I am very happy to share with you a glimpse of my daily way of life so that European retailers and brand marketers that wish to develop in China or target the Chinese tourists in Europe understand a bit more about young Chinese consumers.

7 am. Wake up call.

I generally wake up by checking for new messages from my friends on WeChat. We love to exchange tips, good deals, and gossip.

I also quickly swipe through WeChat Moments* to see the posts from the weekend late night party people or the early birds who share news or motivation to start the Monday grind.

I glance at YSL’s new ads in a WeChat Moment, where it shows a limited gift box for Valentine’s Day. I immediately shared the news with a friend of mine who’s in a cold war with his girlfriend…it may be helpful!

8 am. Coffee time!

I found a new coffee shop nearby. The staff welcomed me with warm smiles and told me to scan the QR code to get a welcome coupon on WeChat. What a great way to start the day!

I scanned the QR code that redirected me to a WeChat Mini-App*. I received my coupon in 1-click without even giving out my phone number. 

I picked out my coffee and a muffin and the team scanned both my coupon and my WeChat Pay* account. I received a WeChat Service message right after showing me my new Loyalty points balance.

I have to walk approximately 10 minutes to get to the metro station but as the sun is shining today and I saw some Mobikes parked in front of the coffee shop, I decide to go for a Mobike ride! I take my phone out again and scan the code on the Mobike: it unlocked immediately with a nice welcoming voice.

8.30 am. WeChat Metro Peak Time

When I arrived at the metro station, I needed to scan my phone to go through the turnstile. It’s THE peak time on WeChat because all the travelers are staring at the app. I find out about this morning’s hottest news and read some articles and benchmarks written by my favorite KOLs*.

Last week, I bought a new red dress on the WeChat Store of my favorite KOL and this morning, I saw that she just launched a new cardigan that would perfectly match with my dress! I added it to my cart: I’ll see later if I buy it or not.

To get out of the metro, I once again had to scan my phone. My Alipay account notified me right away to show me the cost of my ride. 8 yuan deducted from my account as well as a discount. Thank you

On my way to the office, I stopped by the convenient store to get some chewing gum. I paid by scanning the Alipay QR code on the counter and took my chance on the Alipay lottery.

10 am. Coffee-break with my colleagues

After my meeting, I discovered what my colleagues have been sharing on our employee WeChat group. One of them bought a case for his smartphone on Pinduoduo*, another one a bottle of milk on Elema* and the last one shared a promotion for free delivery of coffee from Luckin Coffee, a very famous Chinese coffee shop chain.  It’s Monday morning and we need a high amount of caffeine, we all ordered a coffee and they were delivered 15 minutes later.

12:30 pm. Lunch-break exchanging good deals

I had lunch with a customer today! We got our phones out and scanned the restaurant’s QR code that redirected us to a WeChat Mini-App. We chose our menu and placed our orders.

We spent a great moment together and we shared some news and marketing trends. She showed me a great WeChat Mini-App, a game promoting the Louis Vuitton Travel Exhibition in Shanghai. I played, of course, and then sent it to a friend of mine that immediately replied that we should definitively go. I bought our tickets for next Saturday directly in the Mini-App and shared the booking confirmation with my friend.

Such a great weekend in perspective!

2 pm. Back in the office

I just received a notification: I forgot that my little cousin’s birthday is tomorrow! I have no idea what I should buy for a baby. I went on the chat section of the « Xiaohongshu » app to get some insights. Some posts and videos were displayed.

I opened the Taobao app and found some brands suggested on Tmall. I checked out the customer reviews, geo-localized the products and found him the perfect present. I placed the order and gave my cousin’s postal address so he can receive his present right on time tomorrow. Perfect!

4 pm. Some Aloe Vera, please!

I have an appointment downtown, so I booked a taxi on WeChat. While I was in the taxi, my Mom called: she just got back from the beach and is complaining about some severe sunburns. I ordered her an Aloe Vera lotion on JD.com for a delivery today. Hold on Mom, the Aloe Vera is on its way!

I got out of the taxi and the taxi cost has been automatically withdrawn from my bank account.

6 pm. What should I have for dinner tonight?

I better do some delivery grocery shopping if I want to eat tonight. I’ve ordered some fish and vegetables on Elema for delivery at 7:30 pm.

7:30 pm. Finally, home!

There is a new access system in my building since yesterday. I just need to scan the WeChat Mini-App QR code to get into the entrance hall, goodbye keys!

The Hema delivery is right on time. Let’s go eat!

8 pm. End of the day and new notifications on my phone

It’s the end of the month, time to pay my bills and my rent, which I did in a few clicks on Alipay… I also took a quick look at my monthly expenses on Alipay and WeChat thanks to the category ranking. I’ll need to take it easy on expenses next month!

*WeChat Moments is a news feed dedicated to friends to like, comment and share photos and other content.

*WeChat Mini-App, also called WeChat Mini-Programs, is an app inside the WeChat app.  Developed externally, they allow brands to have additional notoriety without getting out of WeChat.

*WeChat Pay is the leading payment method in the Chinese market.

*KOL: Key Influencer Leaders

* Pinduoduo is an e-commerce website specialized in the low-price products.

*Elema is restaurant delivery platform.

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