Apple created a Weibo account to offer technical support and tips to Chinese customers. Since launching yesterday, the account has garnered over 130,000 followers.
Weibo, which is often likened to Twitter but in fact provides broader functionality than its American counterpart, is one of China’s most popular social networks after Tencent’s WeChat and QQ, with over 462 million monthly active users and 200 million daily active users in December 2018, and likely many more off-platform (non-registered) users.
Launching a Weibo channel will help Apple to build out its brand presence in an increasingly challenging Chinese market. Last quarter, iPhone sales dropped 20% year-on-year in Q4 2018. Meanwhile, home-grown rival Huawei’s soared 23%.
The move complements Apple’s existing customer service channels in China, including its official WeChat public account and Apple Support app, launched in 2018 and 2017, respectively.
Editor: Nadine Freischlad
