WeChat, a.k.a. Weixin (微信), is best known as China’s most popular messaging app. But since the Tencent platform has offered developers the possibility of building e-commerce stores in 2014, it is now competing with online shopping platforms such as Tmall.com.
As reported by Frank Tong for Internetretailer.com, international luxury watchmaker IWC (IWC万国表) launched its online retail shop on WeChat this week as its only authorized online channel in China. The ‘Weixin specialty shop’ (微信专卖店) opened on March 30, and can be easily found by WeChat users following the official IWC WeChat account, or by customers who can scan the QR code of the shop on IWC posters.
For now, WeChat shoppers can buy 30 different watch models from IWC.
IWC’s choice is noteworthy, as most international brands choose for platforms like Tmall to sell their products. But according to IWC, selling through WeChat helps to easily communicate with its customers and better serve those who live far from the larger cities in China.
The move of IWC to do its China online sales through WeChat has also attracted the attention of several Chinese media. As Tong writes, IWC is not the first international retailer to choose to sell via WeChat. Online fashion company Yoox Group set up a similar shop on WeChat in 2014.
WeChat is a multifunctional app, and with a staggering amount of users in China (now up to 650 million active users and 93% penetration in China’s major cities), it is an attractive option for retailers. The app allows them to gather followers when they set up an official account, from which they can post their latest news and promotions. By making sure their shop is just one click away, they make it easier for customers to make a purchase – by staying within the app, customers do not need to switch to a different platform or go to another link in order to visit the online shop.
According to Walkthechat, there are more and more official accounts that link through to a WeChat store, with many of them proving successful. In four case studies, they mention children’s toys&books company Kidsbookmama (童书妈妈市集), publishing platform Logical Thinking (逻辑思维), skin care brand WIS (维希) and sock producer Aun Socks (爱优恩) as good examples of WeChat e-commerce successes.
The possibilities of opening online stores within WeChat might drastically change China’s e-commerce market in the future – altering where and how people make their online purchases; bringing social media and e-commerce closer together. As IWC already understands, WeChat’s e-commerce is one to watch.
– By Manya Koetse
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Featured image: People.com
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