WeChat, China’s ubiquitous messaging app, has become a powerful marketing tool. With its vast user base and diverse features, WeChat continues to be a dominant platform for e-commerce, social media, and mobile payments, with its Mini Programs and WeChat Pay being integral to daily life in China. It offers a unique opportunity to connect with Chinese consumers and expand business.

What is WeChat and WeChat Pay?

WeChat is a multi-purpose messaging, social media and payment app. Developed and owned by Tencent since 2011, WeChat is commonly considered an ‘app for everything’ or ‘super app’ in China because of its wide range of functions.

WeChat has over 1.3 billion monthly active users across all age groups as of 2023. Chinese people typically spend a third of their time on WeChat. As a ‘super app,’ people can use WeChat to do almost everything – from text messaging to video conferencing, location sharing and more.

Beyond social functions, WeChat has a proprietary payment method called WeChat Pay, which has an estimated over 1.2 billion active users in 2024 and remains the second most popular digital payment option in China. It is widely used for a variety of transactions, from everyday purchases to larger financial activities, making it an integral part of daily life for many users. 

WeChat Pay has greatly strengthened the online payment and E-commerce environment, combined with an incredibly diverse Mini Programme platform catering to a wide range of interests and needs. Here are some of the most popular e-commerce apps that have a presence on WeChat:

• Pinduoduo: A social e-commerce platform that offers group buying deals.
• JD.com: Another major e-commerce platform, known for its fast delivery and wide range of products.
• Didi Chuxing: A ride-hailing service similar to Uber.
• Meituan: A platform for food delivery, hotel booking, and other local services.
• Tencent Video: A streaming service for movies, TV shows, and other video content.
• WeChat Work: A professional communication and office collaboration tool.
• Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book): A social media and e-commerce platform focused on lifestyle and fashion.

What is a WeChat Mini Programme and what can it do?

The WeChat mini-programmes are apps within WeChat. They are up to 10MB, with a simplified interface and a limited set of features compared to native apps.  As such, they offer the same services as regular apps (shopping, ordering food, renting transportation, entertainment, and more) but operate only within WeChat. 

WeChat Mini Programmes offer a versatile platform to engage with customers and streamline operations. The majority (95%) of Chinese e-commerce brands use mini-programmes, allowing instant access to a wide range of services without leaving the WeChat app. Here are some key ways businesses can leverage WeChat Mini Programmes:

• E-commerce: Businesses can set up online stores within WeChat, allowing users to browse, purchase, and pay for products seamlessly.
• Customer Service: Mini Programs can be used to provide customer support through chatbots or live agents, improving customer satisfaction and response times.
• Marketing and Promotions: Companies can run targeted marketing campaigns, offer discounts, and distribute coupons directly through Mini Programs.
• Loyalty Programs: Businesses can create loyalty programs to reward repeat customers, track points, and offer exclusive deals.
• Booking and Reservations: Restaurants, hotels, and service providers can use Mini Programs to manage bookings and reservations, making it convenient for customers to schedule appointments.
• Content Delivery: Brands can share multimedia content such as videos, articles, and live streams to engage their audience and promote their products or services.
• Data Collection and Analytics: Mini Programs can gather valuable user data and provide analytics to help businesses understand customer behaviour and preferences.
• Payment Integration: With WeChat Pay integration, businesses can offer a smooth and secure payment experience within the Mini Program.

These capabilities make WeChat Mini Programs a powerful tool for businesses looking to enhance their digital presence and connect with customers in China. Businesses can create their own mini-programmes under their WeChat official account. 

How can foreign businesses use WeChat? 

Opening an account, first of all. WeChat business accounts are called “WeChat official accounts”. There are two types: Service account and Subscription account. The Subscription account enables you to post more frequently (daily), while the Service account only allows you to post four times a month. However, notifications for any updates on Service accounts will appear directly in a user’s conversation log, while the posts from a Subscription account are limited to a subscription folder without any visible notifications on WeChat’s main operation panel. Furthermore, many of WeChat’s unique features, such as CRM and custom menus, are only available to Service accounts. 

In general, if your product offering is content-centred (e.g. media, key opinion leaders (KOLs), newspapers and magazines etc.), you should go for the Subscription account. In other cases, especially when you run an e-commerce business, we would suggest that you go for a Service account. 

If you don’t have a business licence in China, you are advised to open a WeChat overseas official account. Currently, the only type of official WeChat account for a foreign business which does not have a Chinese business licence is the Service Account. Once your WeChat overseas official account has been set up, you can use WeChat’s marketing features to engage with your potential customers/partners in many ways, including:

• Create searchable content for the WeChat ecosystem
• Create mini programs 
• Set up a WeChat store
• Advertise on WeChat (WeChat moments, banner ads etc)
• Display your QR code online & offline

How to conduct WeChat marketing?

Having your WeChat official account set up is the first step in promoting your business to billions of WeChat users. Just as in English social media accounts, your WeChat official account should present your brand value in the same style as your other marketing channels, while adapting to the culture and Chinese audiences’ habits.

WeChat posts are mostly in article format, and design and layout may be quite time-consuming if you don’t have WeChat article templates available for different categories of content.

Some of the following WeChat content calendar services can help you achieve good results:

• Content review: review, analyze and categorize content available in English and social media accounts.
• Content calendar: create a full-year content calendar for your WeChat official account, detailing what, when & how to post articles.

To succeed with WeChat marketing, your communication objectives must be well-defined. Your WeChat account needs to run properly and you must post regularly. Apart from offering creative content of high quality frequently to attract and grow a relevant audience, you also need to manage your followers and analyse campaign results to improve your account performance continuously. Developing a social media content calendar for WeChat marketing serves that purpose well.  

Kick-start your marketing in China?  Let us help you!

Social media is crucial to drive business growth in China, and it is essential to take full advantage of the functions of WeChat, the most popular multi-purpose social media ‘super app’, for marketing in China. 

Not sure how to begin? We can help. Book a free consultation with our team and kick-start your marketing now!  Check out our digital platform to select the services you need. For specific enquiries, you can also contact us.