Despite having over 700 million monthly active users, the payment app lacks the features to entice its huge user base to stay on the platform beyond making transactions. Why it matters: Developing a sustainable content ecology based on short videos, livestreaming, and social engagement would pave the way to new revenue streams for Alipay. Neither Alipay nor third-party database platforms announced the app’s per usage hours during the eight-day Chinese New Year holiday period. Taobao and Alipay are no longer as tightly bound as they once were, another reason Alipay needs to shift quickly to accelerate traffic monetization. It was reported recently that Alibaba’s e-commerce marketplace is gradually introducing an option to pay using rival platform WeChat, something it has long resisted.