WeChat started out as a messaging app. But soon it encompassed social media. However, the core of the WeChat business model today is eCommerce. WeChat shop is a website/product page that you can create within the WeChat app. WeChat users can access your website and pay for the product/s from within the app.

Features of WeChat Shops

WeChat shops come with many features which make them one of the top draws in the Chinese eCommerce landscape.

With the help of WeChat payment, customers can pay for a product from within the WeChat app itself with ‘one click payment’.

With automatic phone number and address collection, you can access the phone number and address of the user on whose name the WeChat account is registered (requires user approval).

WeChat shops or stores are easy to share with friends and family through WeChat. They are therefore the right tool for viral campaigns, group buying, etc.

You can also re-target users based on their WeChat shop behavior with WeChat ads or WeChat messages from your official WeChat account.

Opening a WeChat Shop

You can develop your WeChat shop from scratch. However, most brands and companies rely on third-party WeChat shop providers to open a WeChat shop.

However, to open a WeChat shop, you need to first open a verified WeChat account.

If you are an overseas company, you can open a WeChat service official account.

If you don’t have a Chinese business license, there are two ways to open this account.

One, you can borrow the license of a business partner or use a third party agent. Two, you can apply for an official account directly through Tencent, WeChat’s parent company by paying a fee.

Once you have opened a WeChat shop, the next thing to do is to design the shop and upload the products. Use more images than text because Chinese characters make it hard to load pages.

You can connect your corporate bank account with WeChat to receive cross border payments directly from Chinese customers. Chinese users can pay in RMB and you can collect payments in USD, HKD, AUD, NZD from anywhere in the world.

Generating traffic to your WeChat shop

WeChat is not search engine based. So, you need to help your customers find your WeChat shop. Below are a few options to drive traffic to your WeChat shop:

WeChat Influencers

If your brand is new to China, you can take the help of Chinese bloggers and influencers to drive traffic to your WeChat shop. The endorsement of influencers can help you gain initial momentum. Due to the nature of the Chinese market, influencers have much more power in China than they do in the west.

A WeChat shop allows you to easily create a link from an influencer campaign to a product page. This enables a high conversion rate. Brands which steadily invest in influencer campaigns, therefore get a good ROI.

WeChat Display Advertising

WeChat display advertising is very effective in driving traffic to your WeChat shop. Here we will discuss two types of WeChat display advertising formats-WeChat Moments ads and WeChat banner ads.

WeChat Moments ads are displayed on the social timeline of the user. ‘Moments’ on WeChat are like ‘Newsfeed’ on Facebook. Once a WeChat Moments ad is approved, it will remain on the WeChat network for 48 hours. If the user ignores the ad or opts out of it, the ad will be removed within 6 hours. If the user clicks on the ad, the possibility that his or her friends will also get to see the ad increases. Therefore WeChat Moments ads are extremely visible and a powerful branding tool.

WeChat banner ads are like banners on websites. Only a WeChat banner ad is displayed at the bottom of an article written by another WeChat official account. They are more affordable than WeChat Moments ads.

Difference between a WeChat shop and a WeChat Mini-program

A WeChat Mini-program is a sub-app within the WeChat app. It can provide eCommerce services or other kinds of functionalities. A WeChat shop refers to any eCommerce experience optimized for WeChat. It could be a simple website/product page or it could be a WeChat Mini-program.

Do you have any questions about WeChat Shop?