8 ways WeChat can help luxury brands reach Chinese consumers

The popular messaging app has a host of capabilities which enable businesses within and outside China to their reach their potential
There’s no doubt that China is the place to be for luxury brands right now. So how can businesses tap into this huge market? Thankfully, China is one of the most digitally innovative countries in the world, which means companies have a host of opportunities to enter the market.
Here are eight ways WeChat can work magic for a company based outside China.
1. WeChat Pay
Having WeChat Pay is a must for just about any business type. A number of places outside China, such as London’s Camden Market, are seeing increased uptake in the use of WeChat Pay. While Chinese travellers can pay by credit card if they have to, most of them want to be able to pay by WeChat.
Companies such as Britain-based Ksher Wikaas can create such WeChat commerce; there is a mini-programme which essentially serves as your “shop”, and further in-app, web-based or in-store WeChat payment methods.
It’s true that Chinese travellers may be able to pay by credit card, but they want to pay by WeChat
Working with the Scottish Whisky Experience, Ksher Wikaas has installed proprietary EDC (electronic data capture) devices, which provide an easy way for Chinese visitors to pay for their favourite whisky tipple. Meanwhile, the prestigious Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo has installed WeChat Pay options onto its website so that Chinese visitors can purchase tickets online using WeChat Pay.
2. Mini-programmes: your ‘China website’
E-commerce has become We-commerce
E-commerce has become we-commerce. The preference for WeChat Pay merely scratches the surface of the amazing WeChat world. When a customer pays for something with WeChat, they are added to your database. This allows your company to offer them special promotions, loyalty programmes, and functionality such as store-finders. You can easily forward this information to your customers’ contacts or to their “Moments” feed, and they in turn can click through to your online store, and more.
As an example, WeChat KOLs (key opinion leaders) such as Xiaoxiaobao Mama are making over £5 million (US$6.65 million) in monthly sales via their WeChat mini-programme – which is essentially a mini-app within WeChat that is easier and less costly to build than a stand-alone app.
Launched in December, the WeChat Brand Zone was taken up by Longchamp, Tiffany & Co, Cartier, Louis Vuitton, Michael Kors, Swarovski, Montblanc, Gucci, and Lancôme. The Brand Zone keeps a brand’s WeChat account (for content), online store and even CRM (customer relationship management) are held in the same place. The UX (user experience) is seamless, and brands can customise how they use the options available to them – meaning flexibility of presentation. Importantly, having everything held within their own WeChat zone means that the consumer can fully trust the authenticity of the product.