Line next: From Tools to platforms

Wen/Yang line is undoubtedly the forerunner of mobile IM. In the recent online version of the micro-letter 5.0, we can vaguely see line of various products shadow: "Every day love to eliminate" and line Popo a bit similar (line Popo is the line most popular game), micro-expression store launched a pay map, And line's mapping revenue accounted for 20%. What is the next step in line? NetEase Technology last week to Japan visited Line Tokyo headquarters, and and line chairman Morikawa Liang, executive director of the Tian Chun (Masuda June) and other people exchanged. The next step in line is very clear and firm: from Tool to Platform, from tools to platforms. In addition to the existing free voice calls, free SMS, game operations, home and dynamic messages, textures and expressions, official accounts and sponsor accounts, sponsored maps, and photo comics, line also released its ambitious plan for nearly a year: Video calls, line music (music), line MALL (store), line Web store, and a variety of upcoming games. Before we study line's next step, let's look at line now. Now: How does a line with 230 million users make money? The number of line users established only 3 years of rapid development, with its chairman Morikawa bright words, daily growth of 67000 users: July 21, 2013 announced the user volume of more than 200 million, August 23 in the "Line World Congress" (Hello,friends in Tokyo 2013 the number of users announced over 230 million. Not only the number of users increased rapidly, in the commercial expansion, line also out of many China Mobile internet entrepreneurs "have users can not be changed" dilemma. According to line executives, there are now four types of business models: Game operations, emoticons and mapping fees, business-to-business marketing programs, and other licensed goods. Revenue for line in the second quarter of 2013 was 9.77 billion yen, the number in the first quarter of 2013 was 5.85 billion yen, and only 300 million yen in the second quarter of 2012. The substantial increase in income comes from the dramatic increase in game and expression income. In the second quarter of 2013 revenue, game operating income accounted for 53%, mapping income of 27%, other income from the official account, sponsorship map and so on. The formidable cash flow brought by the game operation cannot be questioned, the game income 3.1 billion yen per month. As of August 21, 2013, line game released a number of 35, the cumulative download volume of 190 million times. One of the most popular line Popo global download Breakthrough 33 million times, line BUBBLE Global Download volume breakthrough 25 million times, line Pokopan global Cumulative Download volume Breakthrough 14 million times,Line wind runner global downloads 14 million times. According to Line's high-level introduction, the line game transports the proportion to be high, the line streams, because to many only has the game product no channel the developer to say, if does not put the game on line, this game cannot fire. The income of the texture and expression can account for 27% of the revenue. At present line has more than 250 kinds of famous characters of the map, each month to line to contribute 1 billion yen income. At the map store, line maps are priced at 12 yuan each. At the start of the push, some of the executives and employees at line have doubts: how many people are willing to pay for it? How much money do you earn? But surprisingly, the revenue accounted for 27% of the revenue in the second quarter of 2013, followed by a "cash cow" game that accounted for more than 53%. Some characters such as "Blanchon" and "Can Ni Rabbit" and other images popular in Japan. In addition to the user's purchase of paid maps, line also cooperates with other enterprises, the introduction of corporate sponsorship map, that is, the image of the enterprise to use the map to provide users, users will be the official account of the company as a friend, or buy enterprise products can download the map. This is another way to commercialize it. The popularity of textures is inseparable from the love of the Muppets and comics markets in Japan and throughout South-East Asia, but for mainland China, the user's paid mapping habits need to be nurtured. Through a lot of mapping characters in the hearts of the people, Line began to dabble in the "authorized sale of goods" business, at line shop, a 20-centimetre-tall "Nicole Rabbit" Muppet can sell around 1700 yen (about 100 RMB), as well as various images of T-shirts, cups, cushions, cards, pens, cards, notebooks, etc. Prices are expensive compared to similar products. Line of the characters authorized to sell, 4 billion yen a year, the scale is still growing. The fourth model is business-to-business marketing, which opens the official account of the star, the official account of the enterprise, the official account number of the published information and other types. At present, the company opened 116 accounts in line, the official account cost is 3.3 million yen per month, as can be said in the official account list, you can easily get more than hundreds of thousands of friends, and the number of friends Unlimited. In addition to the official account, catering groceries beauty clothing and other physical stores, media, etc., you can also set up line@ account, the account fee is only 5250 yuan per month, but the authority is smaller than the official account, only in the official account list smaller classification shows that the friend limit of 10,000 people. At present, there are 11,000 line@ account number open. Viewed from line's current four business models, games and textures are at the core, accounting for more than 90%, licensed goods and business-to-business marketing are still under exploration. Next: No package platform line next, line executive director Masuda June summarized as 3Cs strategy (communication, Contents, CommerCE). Specifically for this year's launch of the three major products: Video calls, music, mall services. The "Video Call service" will be released globally in the fall of 2013, adding a new "video Call function" based on the original voice call and chat function. Free video calls can be made between devices that have operating systems such as IPHONE/ANDROID/PC (WINDOWS/MAC) installed. Once the function is stable, it is a big shock to Skype and the operators ' business. By contrast, "line MUSIC" will be launched in Japan this year, followed by a gradual push to Asia and the world. Users can buy music through line music, share it with friends in line, and get some other unique features and experiences. Another product "line MALL" is also scheduled to be released in Japan this fall, and line MALL is an E-commerce service offered by smartphones. As long as the user has this application, can achieve in the application complete all transaction steps, when and where all can carry on the commodity transaction. The line mall similar product line Web Store program was released in Japan and Taiwan in September, a product that allows users to purchase paid-map and line game in the "line Web store" via their computer and smartphone web browsers. Not only can use the previous app Store/google play and other settlement methods, but also can use credit cards, PayPal, telephone billing, electronic money, point card and other settlement methods. According to the introduction, point card will be September 30 in 7-11 and other Japan's range of 36,500 convenience stores gradually sold. Of course, in addition to these new businesses, line plays a big game. According to Executive director Masuda June, the new games to be released this fall will include line FISH ISLAND, line Ironslam, and the line let ' s GOLF. From simple communication tools to all-encompassing platforms, line ambition is clearly---to be the gateway to the mobile internet era. In line executives ' vision, perhaps there is no "product is overweight", "complex platform to match the needs of different user groups", "marketing will affect the user experience" and so on, line will explore new roads or also because of the greedy and swallowed? Walk to see. PostScript China Market: Yearn, how to hit the line at the 2013 World Congress, Line executives on the mainland market conditions are not mention. Line Executive Director Tian Chun (Masuda June) in and NetEase technology and other Chinese media communication, the initiative to ask Chinese reporters think line how, how to do in China. ' We're very interested in the mainland market, ' he laughs.So interested. Line currently in China has not officially set up an office, but the business since last December began to carry out, and NetEase news client, NetEase Youdao, 360, peas and so on have cooperation. In Dalian also has the technical product team in support line's Chinese version development. However, the Chinese mainland market, the number of users, the specific strategy and so do not give disclosure. On the contrary, the south-East Asian market line has opened up smoothly. Line in the Japanese user 47 million, accounting for 20%, other countries and regions accounted for 80%. Taiwan Province of China more than 17 million users, Thailand more than 18 million, Indonesia more than 14 million. Spain is the best market-developing country in Europe, with more than 15 million users. On the one hand is the temptation of a huge market, on the other hand, a strong local competitor micro-letter, Ishin, line on the Chinese market yearn but do not know how to start. Hyunbin Kang, vice president of overseas markets, said that the challenge for line is that China's 3G users do not understand the line service at present and are not well-known. Line to carefully analyze how to get more users. North wide users will be line's most preferred user base, these users have overseas travel experience, more easily accept line. In addition to north-Canton cities, second-tier cities need to expand. Speaking of China's rival micro-letter 5.0 version of the many new features of the "plagiarism" line function of suspicion (such as games, expression stores, etc.), line global Chairman Morikawa appeared to be prepared for the problem, he said the internet has no national boundaries, learn from each other. Perhaps he did not want to offend his opponents easily until he had fully entered the Chinese market. Some experienced line products peers told reporters, "line of products and services are good, but I can not find my relationship chain, I do not often use it." "For line, it's not a product problem, it's a channel and a business problem to get users in mainland China." This is also a headache for line executives.