Three years ago, Yandex launched our Zen platform to help users discover new and relevant personalised content online. The service, which is powered by Yandex’s AI technologies and global search index, helps users discover blogs, videos, images, and other posts by analyzing user behavior and providing content based on their interests. Now reaching over 40 million active users, a number of Yandex services incorporate Zen, in addition to other global browsers and messaging platforms.
Today we are excited to share Yandex Zen is now working with Cốc Cốc, one of the most popular search providers and web browsers in Vietnam, to deliver an enhanced browsing experience and better content engagement for their users. The integration in the Cốc Cốc browser, which serves nearly 24 million monthly active users, is Yandex Zen’s first integration into a platform offered in Southeast Asia.
The Cốc Cốc browser start page features a Zen recommendation feed on both desktop and mobile through their Newtab 4.0 feature. The recommendation feed analyzes online content and user behavior to display personalised posts for users in Vietnamese. For example, users who enjoy cooking and music will see more content on those topics along with other subjects they may like. Users can further personalise their feeds by providing feedback such as selecting the like or dislike buttons on each article.
“People across the globe are increasingly seeking content tailored to their interests and needs,” says Dao Thu Phuong, Cốc Cốc COO. “At Cốc Cốc, we aim to provide this sort of meaningful experience to all Vietnamese users and fulfill our vision of becoming the most relevant browser in Vietnam. To address the growing demand to improve processing information, we created Newtab 4.0 - a personalized content delivery platform, based on Yandex technologies. By working together with Yandex, we are making new experiences available to users in different parts of the world.”
The partnership with Cốc Cốc is just the latest in a series of integrations Zen has established with global companies including Opera Browser in Russia, other CIS States, and Turkey; Bip Messenger in Turkey; Meizu Browser in their main markets including Russia, Indonesia, Spain, Italy; and C Launcher globally.
"Yandex Zen offers relevant recommendations regardless of users’ preferred language,” says Head of Yandex Zen Dmitry Ivanov. “By supporting over 50 languages and utilizing Yandex’s global web index, Zen can easily be integrated into platforms operating in new foreign markets. According to our initial tests integrating Zen technologies into the Cốc Cốc desktop browser, usage time increased by 10%. Through our collaboration, Cốc Cốc users now have an unlimited source of interesting and relevant content, and content providers have a new opportunity to boost user engagement."
Zen offers the benefits of world-class AI technologies in an out-of-the-box solution to grow user engagement and increase platform activity. By providing dynamic content, users remain engaged on the platform. On average, Zen users in Russia spend over 40 minutes on their feed. The platform supports over 50 languages and utilizes Yandex’s global web index to analyze content relevant for users anywhere. The platform also features additional revenue opportunities through ads inside Zen.
We are excited to be working in Vietnam, where both the growing internet audience and online media market are expected to continue to create new opportunities. According to eMarketer, the internet audience in Vietnam is expected to reach 62.2 million users by 2022. The online media market in Vietnam (games, social media, and video platforms) has grown from $600 million in 2015 to $2.2 billion in 2018, with expected growth to reach $6 billion by 2025.