This Christmas, Find Out What Brands in the Chinese Market Have Been Up To

December 22, 2022

In the last decade, Christmas has settled as an important event for brands in China. Of course, it is not as large as traditional Chinese holidays or e-commerce festivals, but many brands, particularly those with Western roots, are celebrating with their fans in various ways. 

Shopping malls, restaurants, and entertainment venues in China’s major cities are all decked out with Christmas trees, and Santa is on his way to deliver gifts to children. This year, we looked at several different international and domestic brands to see how they celebrate Christmas. 

🎄 Read our previous article about how Christmas changed in China over the last couple of years

Christmas in China

When it comes to any festive campaign, social media plays an important role. With WeChat being the biggest social media platform, brands are super keen to get the best engagement for their campaigns. We’ve seen a lot of beautifully crafted interactive articles and WeChat campaigns for this Christmas. Again, we worked with Montagut to produce a fun interactive post that led readers through a short narrated story with a Christmas-themed setting. Scan the QR code to open the article and interact with it for yourself.

Montagut Christmas China WeChat

This is not the first time we’ve collaborated with Montagut on holiday content. Click here to learn more about our “Winter Wonderland” Christmas campaign. 

Christmas in China is more about gifting between couples during romantic dinners or self-gifting than it is about family gifting. As a result, many jewelry brands are taking this task seriously and planning eye-catching and interesting campaigns. Tiffany and Boucheron created some cool interactive posts. Harry Winston, on the other hand, delights with an online quiz that helps you find the best gifts for your other half or for yourself. Fendi prepared a whole winter-themed universe leveraging WeChat Channels, stickers, and gaming, all in one! Not to mention creating a super cute brand mascot – Brother Fen to top off the trends targeting Chinese Gen Z. 

🔥 Explore more about China’s Gen Z as Luxury Consumers

 

 

Fendi – Brother Fen’s Universe:

Fendi China

 

Harry Winston Mini-Program Quiz:

Christmas WeChat Interactive Posts:

 

Interactive Post from Pandora:

 

Interactive Post from Boucheron:

 

Interactive Post from Tiffany:

Advent Calendars in China

Many beauty companies have released Christmas-themed products as well as full-fledged advent calendars. Following last year’s public relations disaster, in which the Chanel advent calendar was deemed overpriced for the value of the products inside, other brands’ seasonal blind boxes fared well this year due to customer satisfaction with better product quality and price points.

In China, blind boxes are a popular marketing tool, and advent calendars fit the bill perfectly if done correctly. Brands such as Charlotte Tilbury, MAC, or Diptyque released theirs through their own channels as well as in collaboration with KOLs. The following are some of the 圣诞限定礼盒 (Christmas Limited Edition Box) mentions on Xiaohongshu, “RED,” where users were unboxing and showing off their treasures.

RED Xiaohongshu Advert Calendar China

Christmas on Chinese E-commerce Platforms

Naturally, compared to complete promotional takeovers during 11/11 or other shopping festivals, Christmas is less visible on e-commerce. However, many brands prepared their own promotions and Christmas content for their official Tmall stores. Many brands took a creative approach to Christmas, tying the festive season with more inclusive winter, astrology, or winter sports themes rather than a dull Santa and reindeer approach. Since the Olympic Games in Beijing in early 2022, the latter has also become synonymous with winter.  Astrology is also a big trend leveraged this Christmas, particularly in makeup, and can be seen not only in Western brands like Dior and Gucci but also in Perfect Diary. 

Christmas Tmall Taobao

This year’s lower enthusiasm for celebrations is also related to the recent surge of COVID-19 cases across China as a result of relaxed restrictions, which appears to be the first step toward China’s reopening in 2023.    

📌 Click here to learn more about WeChat interactive posts and how you can make the most of it!

Takeaways

It only makes sense for a brand with European roots to want to celebrate this holiday with its customers and provide them with a little extra.  You can engage and amuse your fans with a comprehensive marketing campaign, depending on your goals and resources. You could also offer exclusive holiday discounts or festive add-ons. Alternatively you could just wish them a happy holiday in a special post or interactive article. 

Additionally, international B2B brands shouldn’t be reluctant to celebrate Christmas with their clients. In fact, this is one of the few times when you can get away with using lighter language. We assist our clients in planning holiday events each year that will highlight their brand values and improve their relationships with their staff, partners, and clients. See some of the examples from previous years:

 

 

 

Last but not least, since Christmas is here, it means that Chinese New Year is also approaching fast, and this year it falls particularly early on January 22. It’s the last chance to start getting ready for China’s most significant holiday. There are a number of options, including intricate campaigns, interactive articles, holiday posters, and even red packets.

🧧 Visit our article to learn more about what a “red packet” (hongbao) is

Contact us if you would like our assistance with your marketing communications during this special time of the year.

 

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What is Whitelisting and How It Can Help Brands Boost Collaborations on WeChat?

December 5, 2022

All WeChat content creators and marketing managers will agree that getting organic views under their articles is getting tougher year by year. In the highly-saturated space as WeChat is, ads are of great help but do you want to know how to reach new audiences through organic content? That is possible by collaborating with so-called hot accounts (industry accounts with a big reach and strong reputation) and influencer accounts on WeChat. 

We saw a lot of our clients partnering with other accounts to promote their brand but despite sometimes high fees, these sponsored articles didn’t generate any additional traffic or new followers for the client’s account. Did it happen to you too? Learn how to avoid these mishaps in our article and which methods will work towards your particular goals. 

 

What is Whitelisting?

So what is exactly whitelisting and how to share content on Wechat using this method?

Whitelisting is the method of allowing access to resources created and posted by your account to only authorized parties. When it comes to WeChat as a social platform, whitelisting can be very beneficial for users and businesses alike. By leveraging whitelisting your brand can reach new audiences who are already curious about your industry and potential customers. 

Shortly, you can allow other accounts to reshare or as WeChat call it, reprint, your articles on their accounts. 

Content that can be redistributed in this way must have the ‘original content’ mark meaning that you’re the owner of the content. 

Content producers can click the “original content declaration” button in the backend when publishing to claim full ownership of the content. In order to do so the articles must be at least 300 characters long. Note that articles without this designation can be easily copied and redistributed without your knowledge. It’s always good to tick the ‘original content’ box! Find requirements for accounts that post mostly visual-based content and can’t read 300 characters on the official WeChat / Weixin website. 

 

Types of sharing content in WeChat

By default, all accounts can reshare articles from other accounts on WeChat. However, this function is not very popular. It doesn’t look aesthetically pleasing or attractive. You can see it below. 

There are two main types of authorization for third-party partners to reprint your content. 

First of all, the authorization can be granted for individual articles or for all content posted on your account (global reprint permission 全局可转载帐号). The second option means that the whitelisted partner will be able to share all our articles at any time.

In both cases, you will have additional options to consider when allowing other accounts to reshare your content. You can: 

  • Require a partner account to display a link to the original official account: You can require always have a link to the original article visible. This will enable the readers to visit the original article and potentially 
  • Give permission to edit: You can grant the resharing account permission to edit the article; otherwise, the article will be forwarded in its entirety.

Whitelisting

As you can see you can choose different options depending if the relationship with the partner is to be a one-off or a long-term one. 

Secondly, keep in mind that if you don’t require the partner to show the link to the original article you’re losing the chance to redirect the fans to your account. Having a contact card tile with the link to your account or a QR code is a must if your goal is to drive traffic to your account. 

Reprinting – how is it displayed on WeChat?

Sharing WeChat B2B

As you can see in the 3rd option, users will see right away the original source of the article and they can click to follow your account. Your partner on the other hand can add a short note about why they are reposting this article or any other comment or introduction.

New option! 

Just recently, we spotted a new feature in the WeChat backend. This new option, ‘quick repost’, means all accounts can repost your new article. This option comes with some limitations but it’s a good way to get your content spread. It gives you less control on who can share the article but on the other hand, accounts won’t be able to remove the source or modify it. 

According to WeChat:

  1. When quick repost is on, the source will always be displayed when this article is reposted, and cannot be modified.
  2. Quick repost does not affect the repost authorization of whitelisted accounts. The format is as follows.

Interesting thing:

  • Reprinted articles cannot contain internal WeChat links. 

quick repost wechat

Collaboration and mutual distribution

WeChat’s official accounts can work with other accounts in a variety of ways to spread their content among a chosen target audience. This can be done either by providing a ready-to-use article to partners that will be shared via a whitelisting process. You can also opt to create a new, original article.

It is critical that sponsored content maximizes efforts and truly directs readers from the partner account to the original content on your account. For example, a QR code or contact card at the end of the article will help users to reach the original source.

Similarly, if your brand has several official accounts, the most effective way to cross-promote would be to mutually whitelist each other and regularly reshare key content across. 

 

Collaborations with KOLs in WeChat

Collaboration with KOLs (key opinion leaders), your industry experts, or hot accounts from your industry can be very beneficial. After that, publication brands can work with KOLs to direct traffic from these accounts to your account.

 

Brands that cannot advertise on WeChat

Accounts belonging to restricted industries can also greatly benefit from whitelisting as a key method of promotion on WeChat. Since there are stringent regulations for certain sectors it’s often impossible for these brands to advertise on WeChat.  

But brands in these sectors can only grow organically on WeChat and actually thrive. This is where a carefully planned collaboration strategy helps. Because of that collaborations can help reach new audiences, and with whitelisting facilities, organic content from these brands can get better visibility.

⛔️ Learn who can’t absolutely advertise on WeChat. Does your brand fall within one of these categories?

 

Case study on magazine collaboration

Let’s observe the advantages of collaboration with one of our clients. 

Client: AkzoNobel International Marine Coatings

Industry: B2B Marine & Protective Coatings for the shipping industry

Target Audience: Major shipping companies

Objectives: build brand awareness and brand equity

Solution: Collaborate with expert magazines from the industry to publish content from the brand on their WeChat account.

Results: Magazine articles surpassed by 80% and 125% the brand’s best-performing owned article of the whole year among the relevant target audience

Whitelisting Sharing WeChat B2B case study

These PR-style collaborations also serve as backlinks for WeChat SEO, boosting the brand’s ranking in the WeChat search results. These collaborations produce results both in the short term (by providing brand visibility to magazine followers). In addition, in the long term, it improves the WeChat search index ranking.

🚢You can see the full case study here: Case Study: AkzoNobel (B2B Management)

 

Conclusion

Collaborations, be they with KOLs or partner brands, are crucial to expanding customer bases by reaching new audiences. In conclusion with whitelisting, you can reach high-quality followers with organic content. This is especially helpful for brands that cannot advertise on WeChat and solely rely on organic content to reach their potential customers.

If you want to know more about collaborations and content sharing on WeChat, please contact our team. We use our knowledge and expertise to help businesses build meaningful partnerships and develop their networks among Chinese customers. For additional information, please contact us at contact@thewechatagency.com.

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How to Make a Great First Impression on WeChat with an Official Account?

November 4, 2022

WeChat’s active users are steadily increasing, and it has over 1.29 billion monthly users. Today, WeChat is one of the leading social networks worldwide, ranking fifth in terms of active users. As literally, everyone in China is on WeChat so are the brands using the official account function to connect with their fans, business partners, and potential prospects. On average, most of the users followed between 10 and 20 WeChat official accounts. So, it is very crucial for businesses to stand out in order to attract potential customers, and it is not easy.

Here are a few things you can do to make the best first impression on WeChat as the brand’s official WeChat account

How do WeChat users discover and start following official accounts?

How do users come across a WeChat account? There are different ways one might come across a brand’s official WeChat account. People might find official accounts thanks to QR codes which are ubiquitous in China and can be placed on: 

  • Marketing materials,
  • Web sites,
  • Newsletters,
  • Brochures,
  • Business cards. 

The target audience that is using the WeChat app can reach the Official accounts through:

Other methods of fan acquisition

There are even other ways a user can reach an official account inside the WeChat app. However, WeChat users may also be reached through paid promotions, collaborations with KOLs, and other partners. KOL marketing is huge and can benefit businesses by creating awareness. If you think that KOL/influencer marketing is only for lifestyle brands, you might want to rethink your approach. Since WeChat brand marketing is all about official accounts, you can also collaborate with bigger accounts to promote your brand. You can subscribe to our newsletter to receive information about new posts or follow our official WeChat account at KRDS-Agency.

How to make the best first impression on WeChat?

When the audience lands on the account, they first see the main page. It is the flagship of a brand presence on WeChat and it creates the first impression on the audience about the style and the message of the brand. A brand’s official account can be an equivalent of an official website. 

Firstly, the main page showcases the brand logo, description, and menu, and has the latest articles published. It is very important to keep in mind that the information is accurate and stays aligned with the brand. Secondly, you should make sure it is presented in a clear and user-friendly way.

Moreover, there is a welcome message. When a user starts following an official account, a welcome message will be prompted automatically. Typically, the welcome message contains information about the company, the current campaign, a link to the mini-program, and more.

Along with the welcome message, you can see a menu at the bottom. A proper and well-maintained menu is critical as it is one of the most frequently clicked items on the entire WeChat account.

Many users want to get the information right away that they are looking for. It is the first place people reach out and navigate through the account. Therefore, menu tabs should be embedded within WeChat or link to a website hosted on the Chinese server. You can also mirror the menu from the official website.

 

User’s journey through the WeChat official account

Stage 1: First impressions

Regardless of how users found your account, they will land on your main WeChat page and will make a decision if they want to follow your account. They will see the account name, brand logo, description, your company name as on the business license. They will also see how many of their friends are also following your account. Still, even before following you, they can see the latest articles (make sure the thumbnails look nice and eye-catching), interact with the menu tabs and see if you have a dedicated video Channels account.

🎥 What are WeChat Channels and how you can incorporate them in your WeChat planning?

Stage 2: Why should I follow?

When someone first follows an account, they immediately come across the automatic welcome message. In the welcome message, clearly and simply inform what kind of content they can expect from the account. For example, it’s a good idea to include a brief introduction to your company, quick links to your offerings, and contact methods. 

WeChat Welcome message

Stage 3: Did I find what I was looking for?

There is a WeChat menu to help with this. The WeChat menu is an extremely important part of the official account. It is actually quite often overlooked or not updated regularly. For instance even inactive accounts, still see considerable traffic each month just to their menu tabs. 

ℹ️ Learn more about the menu

ℹ️ How to optimize your WeChat menu?

WeChat Menu

Stage 4: Auto-replies

It happens that users don’t find the information they were looking for in the menu. Sometimes they simply prefer a one-on-one and direct conversation. In order to facilitate your customer service work, you can set up automatic replies prompted by the most frequently asked questions and relevant keywords. In other words, your followers don’t need to wait and get an instant reply.

Conclusion

WeChat is a huge deal if you want to attract an audience. The audience can judge a business through the WeChat official account. So, it is very important to understand how to maintain the account in a better way to attract and make the audience follow the WeChat official account.

If you wish to know more about WeChat marketing and content creation or other marketing techniques in China, please contact our team. We use our knowledge and expertise to help businesses build meaningful partnerships and develop their networks among Chinese customers. For additional information, please contact us at contact@thewechatagency.com.

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Why should brands use CRM Integrations on WeChat?

October 27, 2022

CRM or even sCRM is not something completely new. However, when store foot traffic dropped dramatically when the pandemic first appeared in China, brands were no longer able to rely solely on their offline sales. This pushed brands to step up their game and drastically improve their presence online. We can say that even though Chinese audiences were no strangers to private traffic before, COVID-19 really boosted this phenomenon. Clienteling, especially with the help of WeCom (previously WeChat Work), became one of the biggest trends in Chinese retail but B2B can leverage it just as well. 

Learning and understanding consumer data, user journeys, and content consumption patterns are very important for a successful marketing strategy. This is where customer relationship management (CRM) plays an important role. CRM can help connect brands with their customers. With more users becoming selective about what they read and view, it is crucial for brands to have a solid CRM strategy.

There are two types of CRM, 

  • The traditional CRM 
  • The social CRM or sCRM

Traditional CRM includes mails, emails, phone calls, etc whereas sCRM is customer relationship management through social media platforms like WeChat in China.

To learn more about WeChat CRM, as well as how to begin using WeChat for marketing, continue reading.

 

Advantages of CRM

Before going deep into the world of WeChat CRM, let’s see the advantages of using CRM in the first place. How it actually adds value to your business:

  • CRM systems enhance better customer service
  • Helps to identify new potential customers
  • Helps to scale up the business
  • Simplifies marketing and sales process
  • Improves the customer loyalty
  • Provides detailed analysis of customers
  • Helps to observe the most resonating topics and adjust content strategy accordingly

CRM in China is different from Western CRM. So, it’s a great option to choose WeChat CRM for businesses that are targeting Chinese customers. WeChat is more than just a content-pushing platform. Brands can really improve their interaction with their followers – clients or potential leads – thanks to a deeper understanding of their preferences and behaviors.  

WeChat sCRM

WeChat CRM is a powerful way for brands to connect with Chinese consumers, but it can be difficult to get started. CRM platforms give customers a user experience that goes beyond an impersonal buyer-merchant relationship. This leads to better conversion rates and more potential customers. 

WeChat generates data whenever a user interacts with a brand. The data gives a picture of a customer’s platform behavior because it includes information on the content checked and interacted with. The data also provides useful information on how a customer interacts with a brand on WeChat. However, as every marketing manager working on WeChat and checking the backend is aware, the data offered by WeChat is very limited. 

  • We can only see the follower’s avatar and display name (not a WeChat ID)
  • We only get overview data like age, gender, location, system
  • There is no way that we can connect this information by using only WeChat’s built-in functions

It’s possible to create tags and segregate followers manually however it’s a very laborious task. Based on that we can also do a very simplistic targeting when we publish a new article but only limited to country, gender, or our own previously created groups.

WeChat Segmentation

Upgrade your WeChat presence

It’s a very different situation if we connect a sCRM API with our WeChat account. A brand can more effectively engage customers on WeChat thanks to the data produced by the customer’s WeChat activity. Through the use of sCRM platforms, businesses can create campaigns and strategies that are more specifically aimed at high-value leads. In the end, this increases conversion rates and results in satisfying user experiences.

🇨🇳Before proceeding with any sCRM integrations on WeChat, make sure to be aware of the latest China’s latest Personal Information Law.

 

How to integrate CRM into WeChat

Integrations in WeChat are not the same for all brands. Brands have to understand their business needs to pick the best tool that works for them. These will not be the same for B2C or B2B brands. While lifestyle brands will focus more on selling through WeChat, B2B brands are more likely to leverage WeChat CRM to generate and collect leads. E.g. brands that have offline shops and offer WeChat payments to their clients will be able to connect the store data to their WeChat. 

💼10 ways for a B2B brand to generate leads on WeChat

Target audience plays a huge role in determining the best integration tool based on their demographics, technology usage, and more. By knowing your audience, brands will be able to make better-informed decisions about their integrations. 

It’s worth mentioning that only service accounts can use API and 3rd party tools to do segmentation.

Salesforce and WeChat

Many foreign companies entering the Chinese market already had rich databases on Salesforce.

Now, they can also link it with WeChat as it’s optimized for China. Salesforce allows tracking not only article interactions but also menu clicks, mini-programs logs, and more. There are some challenges to connecting both but it can be very rewarding and optimize user experience for your followers in the long run.

For example, Salesforce has some more advanced functions than Hubspot.

Other integration tools for WeChat

Here are some of the other WeChat integration tools available on the market with locally-developed solutions:

Youzan 

Youzan offers a simple data analytics system and a user-friendly WeChat library for managing shop operations. With almost 100 different tools to improve the user experience, this platform was specifically designed for WeChat. For businesses looking to sell products, Youzan is a good option.

Key features: 

  • Order management system for WeChat shops
  • Able to connect to Weibo
  • Simple WeChat backend operation
  • Schedule posting time
  • Auto-reply feature for  web page articles

 

Drip 

Drip has seamless integration with Wechat and a user-friendly backend. You can easily integrate WeChat accounts with Drip for customer management, posting articles, managing QR codes, and other basic functions.

Key features:

  • Personalized campaigns
  • Basic WeChat backend functions
  • HTML5 slides
  • API is flexible
  • Receive customer messages directly on WeChat

 

Parllay 

Parllay manages clients with thorough profiles, and provides client analysis, precise group messaging, and multiple enterprise APIs. It’s a platform that focuses on big data and is an expert at spotting significant data trends. It has numerous e-commerce integrations like QR-based checkout and payments.

Key features:

  • Tracks WeChat user behavior effectively
  •  WeChat QR code tracking
  • Multi-channel engagement
  • User tag automation
  • Predictive segmentation

Conclusion:

CRM can be a little daunting and finding the best solution is hard as there is no one size fits all. It is very important to understand your brand needs and pain points to choose the best one out there. Social CRMs are popular now and WeChat CRM is very crucial for any business that is entering the Chinese market. It helps to manage WeChat contacts and marketing activities effectively. Your brand can experience higher conversion rates and be in a position to always stay ahead of the competition by fully understanding WeChat sCRM.  

If you want to add a CRM integration to your WeChat account or wish to know about other marketing techniques in China, please contact our team. We use our knowledge and expertise to help businesses build meaningful partnerships and develop their networks among Chinese customers. For additional information, please contact us at contact@thewechatagency.com.

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Chinese Advertising Regulations and Those Who Can’t Advertise on WeChat

October 17, 2022

China, like the majority of nations, has enacted laws governing advertisements to safeguard the health and safety of consumers. The Republic of China’s Advertisement Law stipulates general rules that all advertisers must abide by. 

There are also more stringent regulations for certain sectors, such as the tobacco, alcohol, and healthcare industries. However, as non-traditional media platforms like WeChat have grown in popularity, the nation has tightened its regulations on advertising. 

 

Get started with WeChat advertising

WeChat is one of the most used social media platforms in China. That’s why is very attractive to brands looking to market their products in China. Marketing using WeChat can reach a huge number of target audiences. 

And here comes the WeChat advertising. WeChat advertising enables companies to display promotional messages through:

Additionally, WeChat advertising is a great tool for brands to enhance and maximize the number of WeChat Official Account followers, it helps companies to drive their traffic and generate conversions into sales.

 

Industries banned or restricted in WeChat

The Chinese government in general has many laws and bans that overlook advertisements, including ads on social media platforms like WeChat. Here are some of the industries banned by the Chinese government for advertising.

  •  Pharmaceutical/drugs;
  •  Obscenity;
  •  Pornography;
  •  Gambling;
  •  Superstitions;
  •  Terror;
  •  Violence.

In addition, regulated industries for advertisements in China are:

  • Alcohol
  • Tobacco
  • Health and Medical
  • Investments
  • Real estate 
  • Education
  • Legal Services
  • Airlines
  • Financial Services

However the list is very dynamic, and WeChat always has the final say on whether your company is eligible or not to run ads on the platform.

On the other hand, note that for overseas entities WeChat requires a separate application for a WeChat advertising account and the scope of ads is strictly related to your company’s registered business. It can get quite tricky, right?

However, if your company falls within any of the above categories not all is lost. You still have plenty of indirect and legal solutions to promote your content on WeChat. For instance, you can focus on WeChat SEO and optimizing your keywords to whitelisting. Subscribe to our newsletter for more news on this topic.

Advertising regulations on WeChat

The key elements of the advertising law as they apply to WeChat are outlined below. Firstly, qhen attempting to create effective advertisements, WeChat also has its own terms that are frequently updated:

  • Avoid superlative adjectives like best, highest, greatest, etc when talking about any product or service
  • Do not place a brand, product, or service on a scale like 5-star rating or international/national ratings
  • Kindly avoid using words such as top quality, excellent, cutting edge, or premium when advertising a product/service in WeChat
  • Do not use words with “one” like “one of the top”, “one of the best” or “one of a kind” etc to describe anything in WeChat advertisements
  • Please avoid any mentions of scarcity in an ad like very rare, unique, one few left, etc.
  • Do not mention anything claiming to be “national leader” or of “international quality” or words similar to this
  • Do not use any national flag, emblem, or anthem of any country in WeChat ads
  • You can only use RMB for settlements and foreign currencies are not allowed
  • The content of the advertisements must be practical and should not be exaggerated
  • Should not talk about transportation, educational, commercial, or cultural facilities under planning or under construction
  • All the images used in the advertisement should be realistic
  • For the ads related to bank loans and other bank services, complete details of the bank must be provided
  • WeChat ads should not have language that sounds discriminatory

Secondly, there are more requirements for advertising:

  • When publishing ads about limited sales, the exact dates and duration must be provided in the advertisement
  • Do not provide statistical information in WeChat ads until a proper evidence source link is given
  • Avoid ads with unlicensed tie-ups with major events happening in the country like Winter Olympics, Olympic Games, etc.
  • Should not use language that can possibly manipulate the consumers
  • Do not use Click-for-gift tactics in WeChat ads. Any gifts offered must include all the details like name, value, quantity, and any timeline for the event
  • Never use words referring to a special title like superstar, leader, or synonyms

In addition, WeChat accounts registered with overseas business licenses must apply separately for WeChat advertising accounts.

In conclusion, advertisement regulations are a great way to protect consumers. Similarly, China, like any other country, wants to protect consumer safety and health. But the restrictions are stricter than in most countries, and it’s common for all social media platforms, including WeChat.

On the other hand, WeChat has its own restrictions too, which makes it even harder to advertise using WeChat ads. In addition, specific wording requirements might make your ad not pass the verification by Tencent. 

If you are a business that’s looking to advertise on WeChat, it is very important to understand the rules and regulations on the government and platform levels and above all abide to the requirements to not have your WeChat official account suspended or deleted.

At The WeChat Agency, we use our knowledge and expertise to help businesses build content in accordance with the advertising regulations in China and WeChat. We help create meaningful partnerships and networks among Chinese customers. For additional information, please contact us at contact@thewechatagency.com. Feel free to subscribe to our monthly newsletter too. 

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What is the Mid-Autumn Festival and How do Brands Approach It?

September 7, 2022

First of all, happy mid-autumn festival from the WeChat Agency team!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

China has a very distinct cultural history, traditions, and holidays. Such days continue to be essential marketing touchpoints. In recent times they have evolved into shopping plans for the average consumer. 

The second most important festival after Chinese New Year is the Mid-Autumn Festival. This year it falls on September 10. 

So for all the businesses out there, this is a fantastic chance for you to draw Chinese customers in with relevant advertising and merchandise!

And without further ado, let’s learn about the Mid-Autumn Festival and how your company can benefit from it.

 

Mid-Autumn Festival

This holiday which celebrates the end of the harvest season is typically marked by family get-togethers, lantern festivals, and mooncake celebrations, yummy right!
It is celebrated in many other Asian nations as well, such as Singapore, Vietnam, Korea, and Malaysia, and as said earlier, it is the second-most significant festival after Chinese New Year.

When: The Mid-Autumn Festival occurs on the fifteenth day of the Chinese calendar’s eighth month.
Significance: It’s a significant festival in Chinese culture and very comparable to the Western Thanksgiving holiday.
How do people in China celebrate? Friends, family, and delectable food are all that matter, with the mooncake taking center stage. 

As the full moon shines brightly in the sky, people also celebrate by lighting decorative lanterns. Mooncakes and other items with festive themes are frequently given as gifts to friends and family.

 

What ways can brands celebrate? 

Moon cakes

Mooncakes are like the life source of this celebration. In fact, the Mid-Autumn Festival is also known as the Mooncake Festival!
Mooncakes can be a fantastic opportunity for brands to use and take full advantage of the festive spirit.

 

In fact, according to a recent analysis by iiMedia, the size of the Chinese mooncake gift box industry quadrupled between 2016 and 2021, rising from $1.7 billion (11.6 billion RMB) to $2.5 billion (16.9 billion RMB). As a result of this demand, there are now an increasing number of mooncake businesses in China, 40,478 as of July 2022, making it even more important to stand out creatively.

With their purchases, several brands give customers gift boxes of mooncakes to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival.
This can be easily accomplished by collaborating with a nearby eatery or food company so that their customers can use a voucher to purchase a gift-boxed mooncake.

Some brands have also put their own spin on the delicacy. 

They opt for an experimental mixture rather than the traditional red bean or lotus seed paste. Mooncakes are a significant means by which businesses can show that they are aware of regional customs.

Starbucks, for instance, joined the competition with its own coffee-flavored mooncake! Each was stamped with the Starbucks logo and the promotional Facebook post won over 20,000 engagements. 

For the Mid-Autumn Festival, companies can include the moon in their products. In order to maintain the festive atmosphere, Alexander McQueen used traditional ink on a jewel box with festive theme elements that represented the moon and moonlight.

 

WeChat greetings

WeChat is a popular platform for friends and family to exchange holiday greetings. The Chinese usually send greetings to one another via WeChat. In WeChat, people also post images of themselves participating in the festival by lighting lanterns and eating mooncakes. Stickers, GIFs are the most popular ways to do that. 

Tencent developed “Moonments,” a mixed reality campaign intended to represent the potent force of Chinese culture.

People had to focus on the moon from their current location to create it, and once they did, they were told to choose a location on the Great Wall of China. They will get a view of the moon and the Great Wall of China. They can now choose from a list of traditional Chinese poems about the moon. Finally, you’ll have a poster to share on WeChat Moments with your Moon Festival greeting.

Other brands can also create something special, like Moonments, to engage consumers on special occasions and celebrate Chinese culture.

On September 8th, Ayayi started working for Alibaba as the proprietor of Tmall Super Brand. She had her own ID card and launched the first NFT digital mooncake for the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Gaming

The Mid-Autumn Festival is also a great time to gamify your website or app by providing some sort of competition, gaming experience or scoring, or perks because Chinese people love digital trends, games, and other interactive oddities.

For instance, Kate Spade used WeChat to launch a flight game that spread lovely festival lanterns filled with congratulations across the screen. This made it possible for everyone to spread good vibes and well wishes while sharing the branded lantern with family and friends.

The well-known smartphone app game Angry Birds also celebrated the holiday by switching out its standard golden eggs for lovely golden mooncakes and adding 34 levels with an oriental theme.

 

Cool campaigns for Mid-Autumn festival

Mooncakes and holiday-related items are the main presents that are given and received. However, young people enjoy shopping particularly, and many companies advertise specialty mooncakes or limited-edition holiday-themed goods. 

Let’s take a look at some interesting campaigns that took place in recent years:  

 

Mooncakes from Fendi

Fendi adopted a novel method for designing containers. The brand chose a highly functional cylinder shape that could transform into a lantern because lanterns are a prominent aspect of the Mid-Autumn Festival. A small, vertical set of drawers containing mooncakes is revealed when the cylinder is opened. Each mooncake bears the FF stamp of the company. 

The protective film covering a tiny battery on the tube’s side can be removed after the drawers have been taken out and the container has been shut. This activates internal LED lighting that projects light through star-shaped holes onto nearby walls to simulate a starry night. It also rotates.

Their messaging was charming as well. In association with Chinese artist Oscar Wang, they unveiled a 15-second animation featuring Fendidi the Panda. The company’s social media accounts like Weibo, WeChat, and RED, all showed the campaign. Additionally, it was available globally on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. It featured adorable depictions of a full moon, an astronaut, and the panda, China’s national animal.

They also ran a mooncake distribution campaign. The company covered a wide range of topics in novel and enjoyable ways.

 

Perfect Diary: Beauty Products with Mid-Autumn Festival Theme

Some companies choose to use other products that draw inspiration from the holiday rather than traditional offerings like mooncakes. Perfect Diary, a domestic Chinese beauty brand that has been capitalizing on the guochao trend and a strong marketing strategy in the country, released a Mid-Autumn Festival-themed eyeshadow palette. 

They collaborated with the Guochao incubator on Tmall and co-branded the palette with China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, or NASA in China. Chang’E and Jade Rabbit are two examples of characters from Mid-Autumn Festival fables who reside on the moon that have been given names for China’s lunar probes.

Their Mid-Autumn palette also complimented a line of shadows with an animal theme that the company had started in 2019. The brand ambassador for the “Explorer Eyeshadow Palette 11, Rabbit” was Luo Yunxi, and the campaign included beauty KOLs who posted makeup tutorials using the palette on social media.

The company additionally unveiled a computer-generated campaign video with the moon, other planets, a fictitious model, and an enigmatic rabbit. Over 110 million people have viewed the Weibo hashtag #PerfectDiaryRabbitPalette, and over a million people have watched the video. The young followers of the brand loved it. 

 

HeyTea: Serving young thirsty people

HeyTea took advantage of the opportunity to introduce a special holiday beverage and limited-edition goods. The brand created a special custardy, creamy, yellow bubble tea with a picture of the fabled Jade Rabbit, who resides on the moon, in celebration of the holiday. 

In its giveaway promotion, it also provided limited-edition lanterns, stickers, and coupons as prizes. Anyone who interacted with the brand’s accounts on Douyin, Weibo, Xiaohongshu, or Bilibili had a chance to win.

Fans left thousands of comments, reposts, and likes on a Weibo post promoting this unique bubble tea.

 

Tory Burch: Heartfelt family tales strike the right emotional chord

The American clothing company, Tory Burch, did not introduce any unique mooncakes or packaging. They didn’t try to appeal to Gen Z or create a CGI animation. They chose an approach that was less complicated and got right to the point of the holiday. It all came down to family for them.

The company requested that users share touching family stories on Weibo in exchange for a special gift from the company. They demonstrated their understanding of the holiday and provided a platform for people to express their gratitude by choosing such a meaningful topic with such strong connections to the holiday.

 This raised admiration for the brand and raised consumer awareness of it. The brand collaborated with local artisanal businesses to design exquisite packaging for gifts for VIPs and prize winners.

🧧 Check out how other Chinese festivals can be leveraged by brands

Conclusion

Mooncakes, lanterns, friends, and family are the main components of the mid-autumn festival. If you are trying to leverage this festival for sales in the Chinese market, you need to be very creative and innovative in including these in your strategy.

However, Mid-Autumn Festival offerings don’t always have to revolve around mooncakes, lovely jars, or lanterns. Brands can also introduce a limited edition of their usual products and connect it with the holiday through its color, flavor, design, or in other ways.

If you wish to know more about marketing techniques in China, please contact our team. We use our knowledge and expertise to help businesses build meaningful partnerships and develop their networks among Chinese customers. For additional information, please contact us at contact@thewechatagency.com.

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Tips for Reusing Your Western Social Media Content for WeChat in the Chinese market

September 2, 2022

China is the largest social media market in the world, but since Western social media like Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube are blocked there, most people are limited to using domestic social media – WeChat The Chinese social media ecosystem is distinctive because of this ban of other popular social networks.

WeChat is one of the most popular social media applications. It has grown to become the world’s (not just China’s) biggest super-app, with more than 1.25 billion average monthly active users. 

One of the most interesting features for brands is official accounts. There are over 25 million official accounts on WeChat and all brands are fiercely fighting for users’ attention. How to make sure you do it the right way? Even if your content is performing really well it doesn’t necessarily mean that would be the case on WeChat. Content consumption, preferences of the Chinese audience, and format requirements vary from those on Facebook or TikTok. Reposting your Western content directly on WeChat won’t bring you a lot of fans. 

 

Western Social Media vs WeChat Content 

WeChat is an excellent tool for entering the Chinese market. It is frequently compared to Facebook or WhatsApp because its initial, and still the most important function, is instant messaging. However, despite these comparisons, the content that brands share on their official accounts is completely different. 

If your WeChat strategy was to reshare content from your Western social media platforms, that’s not an easy road. WeChat’s content formats differ significantly from those of Western social media apps. 

WeChat articles are lengthy posts that resemble newsletters or even blog articles more than anything else. Whereas Western social media are usually short, visually speaking content. Simply reposting content from Facebook and Instagram with a brief caption is not the best strategy because readers will be unsatisfied and won’t return if the situation occurs again. 

However, it’s not impossible to make Western content work for WeChat. If you have a library of content already created for your Western social media or official website, we can help you to find the best way to repurpose and localize it to WeChat requirements and your target audience preferences.  

 

Tips to repurpose Western social media content for WeChat 

Blogs:

  • Good news! You can simply reuse your blog articles as WeChat posts.
  • Localize the content for the audience by translating the blog posts into the market language.
  • Focus on the most interesting aspects that will resonate with your audience in China and skip paragraphs that are less relevant. 

Examples of Western social media blogs and updates turned into a WeChat article

Image-based content (Instagram):

You can incorporate the images and lengthen the copy by adding an introduction and more details, giving it at least a few paragraphs.

  • You can take additional photos and include them in the article. 
  • Try to combine several posts and see if you can create a WeChat story out of them. 
  • Prepare a nice layout to be visually appealing to the readers.

 

Video-based content (Stories, YouTube):

  • You can create content around videos by directly embedding them into articles.
  • You can also open WeChat Channels. Reuse both photos and videos with this WeChat feature. Literally, it’s the best WeChat feature for utilizing nearly all your visual and video content. 
  • You can add Chinese subtitles added to your videos or fully localize them. 
WeChat Channels Video

WeChat Channels – WeChat answer to TikTok and other short-video platforms

➡️ Learn more about WeChat Channels and how you can win on this WeChat’s sub-platfrom 

With a good strategy and a pinch of creativity, you can smartly reuse existing content to maximize your efforts and save time. This will work for Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and even YouTube content. We encourage you to prepare a mix of global and original content for the local Chinese market – that is the strategy that works best for WeChat. 

 

Conclusion 

WeChat is the most widely used and well-known social media platform in China, so if you want to expand into the Chinese market, you must start producing content on WeChat. 

At The WeChat Agency, we can help you decide on the content that can be reused from the global marketing assets and also help you create the best original content for China.

If you wish to know more about WeChat content creation and repurposing or other marketing techniques in China, please contact our team. We use our knowledge and expertise to help businesses build meaningful partnerships and develop their networks among Chinese customers. For additional information, please contact us at contact@thewechatagency.com.

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Why Adding the WeChat Mini Program to Your Business Will Make All the Difference?

July 21, 2022

Need to switch between different apps for different services? 

The process can be time-consuming and inconvenient, and you might end up with a number of apps that you rarely use. 

They eat up a lot of storage too. 🙄

Additionally, having multiple apps can be challenging for businesses as it requires additional resources and expenses. This has led to “Mini-Programs”. 

Global corporations are now creating their own mini-programs because it benefits both service providers and ends users equally. Tencent, WeChat’s owner and operator, a major Chinese tech company, has also added mini-programs to their applications.

The WeChat Mini-Programs: What Are They?

WeChat mini-programs are “sub-applications” within the WeChat ecosystem. In 2017, Tencent added mini-programs to WeChat. 

As of 2021, over 4.3 million WeChat mini-programs with 410 million daily active users existed. WeChat mini-programs have altered how companies conduct business on the platform. 

WeChat mini-games, lifestyle mini-apps, and e-commerce mini-programs are just some of the various kinds of mini-programs. A few of the popular mini-programs are

  • A restaurant mini program has multiple sections: to order delivery, pick-up, and dine-in along with the full menu and membership program. 

Restaurant mini program

  • A local hospital mini program allows users to check the hospital location, doctors’ availability, book appointment, and process payments.

hospital mini program

  • Housing-app mini program allows users to search for short and long-term leases, chat with apartment owners and explore the city maps to search for places.

housing mini program

 

Accessing WeChat Mini Program

WeChat mini-programs can be accessed in a variety of ways. 

Swiping down on WeChat to access a list of recently used or saved Mini programs is the most popular method. 

Youzan, a WeChat shop platform, reports that this swipe down the interface accounts for 27% of Mini Program traffic. Users can also access WeChat mini-programs via:

  • WeChat Official Account menu
  • Placed inside a WeChat article
  • WeChat’s Discover tab
  • Sharing cards on WeChat groups
  • Mini Program QR Code Scan
  • Search

Interesting Facts About WeChat Mini-Programs

  • 50% of the top WeChat mini-programs also have a native app. Brands can still use a mini-program to draw WeChat users to their app or website even though they already have their own apps.
  • The WeChat mini-programs age ranges are fairly evenly distributed. Therefore, the mini-programs need not be limited to a particular age group and its preferences.
  • Women make up 71% of users of the WeChat E-Commerce Mini program. This is an opportunity for companies in the fashion, cosmetics, beauty, health, and wellness sectors to advertise their goods in WeChat mini-programs.
  • Mainland of China is home to 98.6% of WeChat’s users. The use of this feature can increase sales for businesses that are attempting to market their products.
  • Europe and Russia account for 56.98% of all WeChat mini-program users outside of China. Brands can use WeChat mini-programs to advertise their products in Europe and Russia since it is simpler to obtain permission for one app than for many when using WeChat.

User Participation In Wechat Mini-Programs

WeChat mini-program usage has grown significantly over time. There is an even greater increase in time spent thanks to WeChat mini-games. 67% of WeChat’s mini-program users use them more than four times per day, making them the majority of heavy users. WeChat mini-programs now account for 42% of all orders between 200 and 1,000 RMB, an increase in the percentage of small orders over time. 16.6% of users spend more than 1,000 RMB via mini-programs each month. 

This could be a result of the fact that 7.4% of WeChat mini-program users only make over 10,000 RMB per month. 

Why Should Businesses Use The WeChat Mini-Program?

Users can purchase items within the WeChat app with the aid of mini-programs. Increased conversion rates may result from this. Because of that the app’s key opinion leaders are crucial for utilizing the e-commerce mini-programs. 

It is challenging to turn content into e-commerce because WeChat advertisements aren’t very good at identifying consumers and linking to products in the articles. It was made possible by WeChat by connecting products to eCommerce mini-programs.

In addition to these eCommerce conversions, WeChat mini-programs can be helpful in offline use-cases. For instance, unlocking a shared bike or paying for gas at a gas station.

WeChat Mini-programs will probably still be a crucial component of your marketing ecosystem if you’re aiming to attract higher-end users because they make converting new users easier. Users who try out your offerings through the WeChat Mini program will be much more likely to switch to a native app after that.

In reality, half of the most popular WeChat Mini-programs have a native app as well. This is particularly true in the E-commerce and lifestyle services sectors, where over 80% of the top 100 WeChat mini-programs have a corresponding native application.

Conclusion 

Mini-programs can be very beneficial as social media platforms start to emerge as a business tool. Though WeChat has numerous mini-programs for different purposes, E-commerce mini-programs steal the show as they facilitate better conversion within the app. 

So when it comes to the big question, “Do we need them?”, well, that depends on the requirements of the business.

If you wish to know more about WeChat mini-programs or other marketing techniques in China, please contact our team. We use our knowledge and expertise to help businesses build meaningful partnerships and develop their networks among Chinese customers. For additional information, please contact us at contact@thewechatagency.com.

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WeChat Interactive Articles – Introduction & Examples

July 1, 2022

WeChat Interactive Articles (WIA) are a relatively new and highly engaging way of presenting content on WeChat. They are created by brands and are designed to be quick, easy, and fun! Thanks to different features they can be used to engage with your audience in a very unique way.

What exactly are interactive posts?

You might have seen WeChat posts embellished with GIFs or other eye-catching graphics. Creators can upload such elements into articles directly in the WeChat backend when creating an article. However, WeChat’s native backend offers extremely limited options. That’s why many brands decide to use third-party platforms to create their posts. For example, you can add some features like swiping or ‘click to reveal’ to your posts using popular browser-based editing tools like xiumi. 

More advanced interactive features require coding and are increasingly popular among WeChat brands. 

What Are Animated SVGs?

Let’s begin with a technical explanation here. Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) is a vector picture format for two-dimensional graphics that is based on Extensible Markup Language (XML) and supports animation and interactivity. A less technical explanation is that it is a special kind of image format – a Scalable Vector Graphic. We know, TL;DR. Let’s move to a more practical explanation.

Let us share with you some of the coolest examples of interactive posts. The effects can include tapping, long-pressing, selecting an answer (micro quizzes), and more. 

Montagut interactive post

 

 

 

 

Why Interactive Posts Are a Great Alternative? 

First of all, they are extremely engaging! A social media post with a picture is 10 times more likely to receive interaction. This is due to the fact that our brains process images and colors more quickly than other types of information. Therefore, advancing the idea and animating your image will also boost engagement. If your post hit the sweet spot, there is a good chance that your readers will share it further with their friends. 

Classic static content no longer do especially when users are constantly inundated with new posts from brands. 

Secondly, they can also be an interesting alternative to H5 mini-sites. 

  • Creating an H5 mini-page requires much more effort in terms of time and budget. An interactive post can be a good option for smaller budgets and quick turnaround.
  • User journey doesn’t require WeChat readers to leave the article as it happens when redirecting to an H5 page.  

Montagut interactive post

 

 

 

Naturally, H5 is still a great option for bigger campaigns that need to pack varied special effects or more complex interactions. Tracking clicks is also possible on an interactive article. It is worth mentioning that interactive features on the articles, even with coding, will still be quite basic but nonetheless fun. 

groz beckert interactive post

 

 

 

You can also add a call to action (CTA) to demonstrate to readers the benefits they will receive; it should also be rewarding, contextually appropriate, and consistent with the official account’s branding and content style. When you catch readers’ attention, you can try to redirect them to e.g. your e-shop mini-program. 

blackrock interactive post

 

 

 

Conclusion

When creating interactive WeChat articles, keep in mind these essential components. You might feel tempted to add too many interactive elements. We suggest keeping them to around 5 but well-thought-out and creative ones. Make sure your content is on-brand and that the interactions are clearly indicated.

Always remember that a brand’s engagement and conversion rate are better the more interactive it is.

If you wish to know more about WeChat articles & other marketing techniques in China, please contact our team. We use our knowledge and expertise to help businesses build meaningful partnerships and develop their network among Chinese customers. For additional information, please contact at contact@thewechatagency.com.

 

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Selling On WeChat: How Brands Can Do and Is it Better Than Other E-commerce Platforms?

June 28, 2022

 When you’re entering the Chinese market you might wonder if selling on WeChat is a good strategy. With over 1.26 billion monthly active users and 78% of Chinese people aged 16 to 64 using WeChat, the Chinese application is definitely a key player in Chinese social networks and e-commerce.

Before Tencent announced the new birth of “WeChat shop” in July of 2014, the phrase “WeChat e-commerce” didn’t even exist. Now, after several years, it’s the sweatiest pie in town, and every company wants a piece. Can it be that WeChat e-commerce is even more attractive for foreign brands than well-established players like Tmall? Or even new solutions of cross-border e-commerce available on RED? 

🇨🇳 What is Cross-border e-commerce?

What makes WeChat particularly attractive for foreign brands looking to connect and sell in China apart from its huge size, it’s the uniquely smooth user journey. Paraphrasing Ariana Grande it’s literally an ‘I see it, I like it, I want it, I got it’ approach and let us tell you why. In the second part of this article, you will see why it might be even more beneficial for you to start with a WeChat e-commerce instead of other shopping platforms.   

WeChat Journey

A quick note, brands still cannot share links to their Taobao or Tmall stores on their official WeChat account. We might see it coming soon as relations between Alibaba and Tencent are slowly warming up.

Selling on WeChat – Owned E-commerce 

The e-commerce landscape has changed a lot over the years: from the Yellow Pages-style online catalogs to one-click, same-day delivery.

The transition away from the classic search-based model of selling on WeChat is continuing at a rapid pace in China. China has the world’s most advanced e-commerce business. New interactive experiences replace the old ones that more closely resemble how people buy in the real world while still being entertaining.

WeChat offers a variety of strategic services to assist businesses to compete in the Chinese e-commerce sector.

First Things First

The first stage is to create a store with a user-friendly localized design and extensive selling capabilities including campaign marketing, coupons, flash deals, group purchasing, and a membership loyalty program.

WeChat’s mini-program, which is backed by a marketing automation platform, allows advertisers to automatically uncover sales opportunities among WeChat followers based on behavioral and purchase data analysis, as customers want increasingly personalized experiences. Brands can better nurture high-potential clients at all phases of the customer journey, from WeChat Official Account to WeChat Mini-Program, as well as automate promotional activities, reducing conversion time and increasing conversion rates.

Step 1: Register an official account

Brand posts on WeChat, unlike Facebook or Instagram, do not appear on the main social feed. Instead, they appear in the chat interface of WeChat.  WeChat Official Accounts can be used for marketing in one of two ways:

  1. Service accounts on WeChat:  For WeChat users, these accounts show alongside “friends.” They are highly prominent, however, you can only receive four push alerts per month.
  2. Accounts for WeChat subscriptions: These accounts have the ability to publish items on a daily basis (one push notification per day), but they are less prominent than service accounts. They show up in a “subscription” folder that readers must open to see the most recent articles.

Step 2: Start a WeChat mini-program store

WeChat mini-program stores are e-commerce experiences that are integrated into the WeChat app. By launching a WeChat store, a company can make its products available on the platform through a myriad of touchpoints. These include articles, WeChat search, live-streaming, and QR codes, which are constantly developing. 

WeChat stores have various distinct advantages:

  • Within WeChat, you may search for stores.
  • Customers can pay with WeChat during the checkout process.
  • Customers can authenticate themselves using WeChat’s one-click log-in feature.
  • Your store can use WeChat to pre-fill the user’s shipping addresses.
  • Improved WeChat influencer campaigns integration
  • Influencers can link directly to a WeChat store from a WeChat article.
  • You may provide your customers with a native in-app shopping experience
  • Clients can save on special deals, coupons and more.

Additionally, the WeChat mini-program, which can be integrated with a cross-border payment function, allows Chinese users to pay in RMB using WeChat Pay. After that, the funds will be sent to the brands in their respective currencies. The mini-program also offers cross-border logistical services to help with international shipping and legal customs clearance. 

WEChat Mini programs

Accessible through over 60 alternative entry points…

Since every stage of the user route is optimized for WeChat, conversion rates are also substantially higher. Because of the intimate closed-loop luxury purchases are increasingly growing on WeChat. Brands like Gucci or Dior are regularly leveraging Moments ads. 

How to set up a WeChat store

WeChat stores are not directly provided by WeChat. They’re not the same as Facebook Shops or Google Listings in that regard. WeChat, on the other hand, provides a toolset (SDK and API) that allows merchants to construct WeChat stores using a proprietary programming language. The WeChat store was built using a framework based on the widely popular JavaScript programming language.

You have two alternatives as a merchant when it comes to setting up a WeChat mini-program store:

  1. Develop a fully customized mini-program
  2. Use of a software-as-a-service WeChat store provider like Youzan or Weidian 

Step 3: Promote your WeChat shop

As WeChat posts are not visible to people who don’t follow you on WeChat, a thorough marketing plan is equally necessary to make your mini-program accessible and approachable. 

Marketers may use KOLs’ live-streaming and advertising, especially Moment Ad, in the Tencent ecosystem to drive high-quality traffic and sales conversions.

WeChat offers three different forms of ads: WeChat Moment ads, WeChat Mini-program ads, and WeChat article ads.

WeChat is a great SEO tool as well. Its social search engines can have a significant impact on word-of-mouth marketing for firms as they attempt to be relevant. WeChat keeps expanding the reach of its ecosystem, which already connects one billion active monthly users, using its own search feature.

WeChat Channels are becoming the next big thing when it comes to social commerce. We covered live streaming selling and how to prepare the best strategies to attract customers and increase sales. Check it here >>> Live Streaming on WeChat Channels 🔥

Live Streaming Channels

What Sets WeChat Apart From Other e-commerce Platforms?

WeChat is superior to other Chinese e-commerce platforms because it combines the reach of a giant with the convenience of a smaller platform. When you use WeChat, it’s much easier to reach out to buyers, especially if you’re selling shoes or apparel.

WeChat’s social features are also greatly beneficial to your business. With just one click, you may send personalized messages to customers, such as “I’m attempting to figure out what size shoe I need.”

Another benefit is that you can tell which things are selling well by looking at the demographics of the people who are buying them—for example, if the majority of your customers are women over 30, there may be something about that age group that works for your business.

Plus, on WeChat, there’s always something fresh to see! While browsing merchandise, you may keep up with the latest news stories or watch hilarious videos.

However, the most important thing for any business entering China or trying to expand its sales would be entry barriers. Requirements and fees for Tmall and its solutions for cross-border e-commerce are notoriously steep. They start from a 4,500 USD security deposit, high sales commissions (up to 12%), and often require dedicated warehouses. Major platforms also highly restrict data ownership and advertising options.

On the contrary, creating your own mini-program means you own your data and you have full flexibility in terms of your store operations and promotions. You don’t need to pay any upfront fees to the platform or pay commissions on sales. The drawback is that you will need to secure your own traffic to the store which is normally much easier to achieve when you go with the e-commerce players like JD or Tmall. 

Conclusion

Customers on a number of e-commerce platforms, including WeChat, Weibo, Xiaohongshu, etc., enjoy the rapidly evolving Chinese market. Chinese consumers spend a lot of time reading about other people’s shopping experiences and avoid purchasing unfamiliar things. To keep the brand’s reputation positive, customer word-of-mouth is crucial.

However, the Western market and the marketing techniques that support it are significantly dissimilar from the Chinese market. Thus, in order to successfully join the Chinese market, it is crucial to adjust your marketing methods in addition to localizing your products. To keep up a healthy relationship with users, brands need to establish a strong online presence and engage with them frequently.

Additionally, now WeChat allows for Shopify integration so you can keep all information within one place. Get in touch with us for more details. 

When it comes to e-commerce platforms, WeChat appears to be the ideal choice in China. WeChat is a strong ecosystem for brand launches in China. Companies can expand swiftly in the Chinese market by utilizing influencers and cross-border payments, positioning themselves for future growth through collaborations with offline distributors or other platforms like Tmall.

If you wish to know more about marketing in China, please contact our team. We use our knowledge and expertise to help businesses build meaningful partnerships and develop their network among Chinese customers. For additional information, please contact at contact@thewechatagency.com.

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