SOUL Zhang Lu: Embraces the Emerging Gen Z Economy

As exemplified by Soul App, a group of emerging apps have recently gained momentum in the traditional social network market that has long been dominated by well-established players. After its launch, the connection-focused SOUL has attracted more than 100 million users, with its MAU (monthly active users) skyrocketing to over 30 million. On a global scale, SOUL has successfully entered markets in North America, Japan, and Korea, etc. Its founder and CEO, Zhang Lu, stated that SOUL aimed to build a social metaverse for young generations. Is this the secret behind SOUL’s meteoric rise? Let’s take a look.

The demographic shift that is taking place in social networking communities is driving SOUL’s explosive growth. The majority of Soulers (Soul App Users) are from Generation Z. They are the first generation who have grown up with widespread access to the Internet and spend significantly more time online than their older peers. According to SOUL’s Generation Z’s Social Life Report, nearly 90% of Gen Z was surveyed that they desired more diversified online socialization when Internet-based technologies have permeated every aspect of life, particularly social life. 

Actually, the majority of social networking products continue to operate under the outdated paradigm that is focused on pre-existing social circles, which puts younger users who prefer to express themselves freely and honestly under social pressure. Under such a market background, SOUL has distinguished itself by riding the technological wave of big data and AI. 

The app has sought to act as a social platform where Soulers can communicate with one other in a straightforward, sincere manner from its inception. Led by Zhang Lu, SOUL targets building a social metaverse for young generations. In the past years, SOUL has been dedicated to this mission and makes use of effective machine learning algorithms and models to automatically recommend fascinating individuals and content based on each Souler’s unique traits, such as personality and interests.

Soulers can find someone who truly resonates with them thanks to the APP’s algorithm-powered recommendation system and customized content feeds. Particularly, Soulers can use their Planet to match with others and communicate with their friends directly using tools like Audio Call and Soul Cam. While scrolling through exciting posts published by others, Souler can also discover possible friends who have similar interests, whereby common interests breed friendships.

Additionally, SOUL has unveiled a variety of innovative designs to establish a stress-free environment that promotes sincere interactions. For instance, its recommendation system prioritizes desirable and high-quality content over trending subjects, giving every Souler an equal opportunity to post whatever they want without worrying about engagement. The app has also developed Memoji, a customized emoji to enable Soulers to convey their own feelings.

SOUL completely serves Gen Z’s multi-scenario social needs that demand fast response in fragmented time slots with an effective matching system, a variety of creative tools, and a stress-free environment, growing its user base and stickiness at a quick and steady rate. At the moment, Soul App claims an MAU interaction ratio of over 95% and an average daily time of over 60 minutes.

From a business standpoint, with its 100 million young users, SOUL is set to develop into an ideal space for other companies aiming at Gen Z to drive traffic and conduct effective marketing campaigns. Indeed, several brands have already established commercial cooperation with SOUL. For instance, the famous automobile enterprise has set up crossover cooperation with SOUL by releasing its first 3D avatars.In the future, under Zhang Lu’s leadership, SOUL will likely develop a more significant impact on Gen Z’s social life. Zhang Lu and her team are prepared to embrace the emerging Gen Z economy while exploring the untapped economic and social potential of social networking services.