Six WeChat Mini-Program Case Studies for Retail & E-Commerce

WeChat Mini-programs have been taking China’s e-commerce industry by storm. Built on top of WeChat’s existing platform and IT infrastructure, WeChat Mini-program is the mini-app that can be developed and accessed within WeChat.

In this piece, we lay out 6 different WeChat commerce case studies for Azoya insights. Top retailers include Farfetch, Lululemon, Nike, and China Duty-free Group, and more.

For an introductory guide to WeChat e-commerce mini-programs, check out this article:

      Why China E-Commerce is Going Crazy for WeChat Mini-Programs

For more practical, basic information, you can download these resources:

      WeChat Mini-Program Playbook For E-Commerce 2021

      WeChat Mini-Program Playbook For E-Commerce (2019) 

Key Opinion Leader (KOL) Partnership 

Net-A-Porter Livestreams with Top KOL Mr. Bags for 520 Valentines Day

Online luxury fashion retail platform Farfetch partnered with Mr.Bags to launch an e-commerce Mini Program on WeChat. Mr Bags’ WeChat Account, which pushes content to followers, link directly to the mini-program. The benefit of a mini-program is that it enables the brand or retailer to create its own personalized customer experience. It has more space to post banners and videos, and create loyalty CRM programs that keep customers coming back for more. 

Valentines Day Campaign

How Brands are Responding to the Coronavirus Crisis this Valentines Day

Valentines Day is typically a crucial holiday for fashion & beauty brands in China. Positioned right after Chinese New Year, it is oftentimes the first major campaign of the year. Despite these challenging times, some brands have stood out for their campaigns to maintain their connection with customers. We take a look at how local brands such as Perfect Diary and Erdos are doing it.

WeChat Ads + Mini-Program + Livestreaming

How Chinese Skincare Brand Chando Uses Private Traffic to Draw and Engage Customers

Chando is a popular skincare brand that has existed in China for about 20 years. It launched an official WeChat mini-program in September of 2019, in order to engage and sell directly to consumers. What Chando did was use ads to direct people to its WeChat account; sometimes it offered discounts or a trial of free samples to get customers excited.

Omnichannel Experience（O2O, or online-to-offline）

How Global Sportswear Brands Are Re-Inventing the Omnichannel Experience in China

China’s large but competitive retail market, the costs of acquiring customers online have risen so high that brands are now focused on retaining what existing customers they have. Providing exclusive, members-only omnichannel experiences is one way to do this, and leading sportswear brands such as Lululemon, Nike, and local player Maia Active have stood out in their efforts to do so.

China Duty-Free x WeChat 

Will Hainan Be the Next Mecca for Duty-Free Shopping in China?

Behind China Duty Free Group’s Shift Towards Cross-Border E-Commerce

As China’s pre-eminent player in duty-free shopping, China Duty-Free Group (CDFG)  presents in most airports in China and works with over 1,000 global suppliers worldwide. Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, CDFG launched a cross-border e-commerce WeChat mini-program store, dubbed “CDF Member Shop”. It shifted the purpose of this mini-program to cross-border e-commerce, selling skincare & makeup items, perfume, menswear, wine, food, watches, etc. 

It is possible that other duty-free groups worldwide could adopt WeChat mini-programs to continue selling to Chinese customers who are restricted by the global Covid-19 pandemic.

FAQ about WeChat Mini-program

Differences between Domestic Entity Mini-program and Overseas Entity

WeChat mini-program is now becoming an essential part of online retail channel strategy for international retailers. WeChat requires all retailers to be certified as an "overseas entity" mini-program to support cross-border payment. But there are many function and scope differences between "domestic entity" and "overseas entity". 

In this article, you will find a detailed comparison between domestic entity and overseas entity WeChat mini-program.