Baidu strengthens ‘super app’ foothold with 100 million monthly active mini-program users

Baidu, China’s largest search engine operator and artificial intelligence "national champion", said its mini-programs have amassed 100 million monthly active users since being introduced two months ago.

Ping Xiaoli, head of the company’s app and news feed business, made the claim at a media briefing earlier this week, the transcript of which was verified by a Baidu spokeswoman on Thursday.

The Nasdaq-listed company first announced the launch of mini-programs at its AI developer conference in July, with a full roll-out expected by the end of the year.

Mini-programs refer to applications typically smaller than 10 megabytes that can run instantly on the main app’s interface. They offer faster access speeds for users because the program does not have to be downloaded from an app store, rather they run from within the app.

“Mini-programs are a strategic product, based on the open platform of the Baidu app,” Ping said at the media event this week. “Through it, developers can provide a more seamless experience to users.”

The move comes amid efforts by Chinese internet giants to build “super app” platforms, similar to WeChat operated by Tencent Holdings, that can host multiple services and deliver greater convenience to consumers in the world’s largest smartphone market.