WeChat for
Foreign Brands:
CRM & Private Traffic
The only platform in China where your customer base belongs to you — not to an algorithm. Here's how to build direct relationships that drive repeat revenue.
Users
Users
Program GMV
Usage
More Than a Messaging App. China's Operating System.
WeChat (微信) launched in 2011 as a messaging app. Today it's the infrastructure layer of Chinese daily life — messaging, payments, content, services, commerce, and government services all in one app that 90%+ of China's urban population uses every day.
A customer on Tmall is Tmall's customer. A customer on your WeChat is yours — reachable at near-zero cost, without algorithms or advertising spend standing between you.
WeChat's power comes from its interconnected ecosystem. Each tool serves a specific purpose, and together they create a complete brand infrastructure.
Official Accounts
Brand content channels. Publish articles, updates, and media to subscribers. Your newsletter equivalent.
Mini Programs
Lightweight apps within WeChat. Stores, loyalty programs, services — no download required. 954M users.
Enterprise WeChat
Professional CRM tool. Manage customer contacts at scale with automation and analytics.
WeChat Channels
Short video and livestreaming. Integrated with commerce — 490M+ daily active users.
WeChat Pay
Payment infrastructure. 1.3B daily transactions. Integrated into every WeChat commerce touchpoint.
This is the most important concept in Chinese digital marketing. Understanding it changes how you think about every platform investment.
Rented Access
- Tmall, Douyin, Xiaohongshu — platform-owned audiences
- Pay to reach customers through ads and commissions
- Algorithm controls who sees your content
- Platform owns the customer data
- Cost per re-engagement: high and rising
- Your past customers require new ad spend to reach again
Owned Relationships
- WeChat — brand-controlled direct channels
- Reach customers at near-zero marginal cost
- No algorithm between you and your audience
- You own the customer data and profiles
- Cost per re-engagement: near zero
- Top Chinese brands drive 20–40% of revenue from private traffic
Each tool handles a different layer of the customer relationship. Together, they replace your email marketing, CRM, loyalty platform, and customer service system.
Official Accounts
Brand-operated content channels that subscribers opt into. Publish articles, product education, brand stories, and promotional updates. Service Accounts (up to 4 pushes/month) appear directly in chat lists for higher visibility. Average open rate: 3–8%, top performers reach 10–15%.
Enterprise WeChat
Professional-grade CRM that looks like personal WeChat to customers. Tag and segment contacts, set up automated welcome sequences, birthday messages, and replenishment reminders. Transfer customer contacts when staff changes. Full analytics and team management.
WeChat Groups
Community spaces for up to 500 members each. Two-way conversation between brand and customers — and between customers themselves. Ideal for flash sales, exclusive offers, new product previews, and building brand community. Requires dedicated moderation.
Mini Programs
Full-featured apps within WeChat — e-commerce stores, loyalty programs, membership management, interactive experiences. Integrated WeChat Pay checkout. Collects browsing and purchase data that platforms like Tmall don't share. Over 4.3 million registered Mini Programs.
How a one-time Tmall buyer becomes a loyal repeat customer through your WeChat ecosystem.
Bridge from Platforms
Customer discovers you on Tmall, Douyin, or Xiaohongshu. After purchase, a package insert with QR code invites them to follow your WeChat Official Account and add your Enterprise WeChat contact. Incentivise with a small gift or exclusive content.
Automated Welcome Sequence
Enterprise WeChat triggers a welcome flow: brand introduction, product usage tips, invitation to join a WeChat group relevant to their purchase category. First impression sets the tone for the relationship.
Ongoing Content Value
Official Account delivers weekly articles — product education, brand stories, seasonal content, and exclusive offers. Content provides genuine value, not just promotions. WeChat Channels adds video content to the mix.
Community Engagement
WeChat groups provide community interaction, peer recommendations, and exclusive access to new products or flash sales. Brand representatives actively participate and moderate. The group becomes a retention moat.
Personalised Re-engagement
Enterprise WeChat sends targeted messages based on customer data — replenishment reminders, birthday offers, product recommendations based on purchase history. Feels personal because it is.
Repeat Purchase via Mini Program
Customer reorders through your Mini Program store with WeChat Pay — zero friction, loyalty points earned, exclusive pricing for WeChat members. The entire journey stays inside WeChat.
954 million monthly users. $123B+ in annual transactions. Overseas transactions grew 40% in 2025. Mini Programs are the commerce engine of WeChat.
Full E-Commerce Store
Product listings, shopping cart, WeChat Pay checkout, order tracking. A complete store without leaving WeChat. Cross-border supported.
Loyalty & Membership
Points accumulation, tier management, reward redemption, member-only pricing. Your loyalty program lives where your customers already are.
Customer Data
Browsing behaviour, purchase patterns, content engagement, loyalty activity. Data that Tmall doesn't share — yours to use for personalisation.
No Download Required
Instant access within WeChat. Users spend an average of 68 minutes per day in Mini Programs. Zero app-store friction.
Deep Integration
Links from Official Account articles, Enterprise WeChat chats, group messages, and Moments ads all open directly in your Mini Program.
Cross-Border Commerce
Mini Programs support cross-border transactions in 78 countries and 36 currencies. Global usage exceeded 5 billion sessions in 2025.
A customer acquired through Tmall is Tmall's customer. A customer who follows you on WeChat is yours. This distinction becomes more valuable every single month as your audience grows and your cost of re-engagement approaches zero.— Shanghai Jungle, WeChat Strategy Team
These brands have built WeChat into a genuine retention and revenue channel — not just a dormant Official Account.
Nike
Integrated Mini Program with membership, exclusive drops, and personalised product recommendations. WeChat is the hub of Nike's China loyalty ecosystem.
Starbucks
Pioneered social gifting through WeChat. Mini Program handles mobile ordering, gift cards, loyalty points, and store location — all within WeChat.
Louis Vuitton
Uses Enterprise WeChat for high-touch VIC (Very Important Client) relationships. Personal stylists manage individual client conversations and exclusive event invitations.
Burberry
Created a social retail Mini Program connecting online and in-store experiences. Gamified loyalty with exclusive content unlocks and personalised shopping.
Uniqlo
Mini Program drives significant e-commerce volume with store pickup, membership integration, and weekly promotional pushes via Official Account.
Sephora
Full CRM ecosystem: Official Account content, Enterprise WeChat beauty advisors, Mini Program store with loyalty integration, and community groups by skin type.
We see these patterns repeatedly. Each one prevents WeChat from becoming the retention engine it should be.
1. Setting up an Official Account and doing nothing with it
A dormant Official Account is worse than no account at all. It signals that your brand doesn't take the China market seriously. If you can't commit to weekly content, don't start.
2. Treating WeChat like a sales channel
Pushing promotional content only. WeChat is a relationship channel. Content needs to provide genuine value — education, entertainment, exclusive access — not just product announcements and discount codes.
3. Not bridging from other platforms
Every Tmall order, every Douyin follower, every Xiaohongshu reader is a potential WeChat contact. Without active conversion tactics (QR inserts, follow incentives), you're leaving private traffic on the table.
4. Skipping Enterprise WeChat
Using personal WeChat accounts for customer relationships. When staff leave, the customer contacts leave with them. Enterprise WeChat solves this with transferable contacts and professional management tools.
5. Ignoring Mini Program commerce
Relying entirely on Tmall for transactions. A Mini Program store gives you direct customer data, lower commission costs, and a complete purchase journey within your owned ecosystem.
6. Translating instead of localising
Running Chinese content through Google Translate. WeChat content must be natively written, culturally adapted, and formatted for mobile-first Chinese reading habits. Translation is not localisation.
Shanghai Jungle builds and manages complete WeChat ecosystems for foreign brands — from account setup to content production to CRM management.
Account Setup & Verification
Official Account registration, verification, custom menu configuration, auto-reply setup, and integration with your broader China marketing stack.
Content Production
Native Chinese articles, visual design, content calendars, and publishing management. Content that provides value — not translated corporate copy.
Enterprise WeChat CRM
Contact management, automated workflows, customer segmentation, and personalised outreach. Scalable 1-to-1 relationships with your customer base.
Mini Program Development
E-commerce store, loyalty program, membership management, and cross-border commerce setup. Full store within WeChat's ecosystem.
Community Management
WeChat group creation, moderation, content planning, and engagement strategy. Building active brand communities that drive retention and repeat purchases.
Analytics & Optimisation
Monthly reporting on follower growth, content performance, CRM engagement, Mini Program transactions, and cross-platform private traffic attribution.
We help foreign brands go from zero WeChat presence to a fully integrated CRM, content, and commerce ecosystem — one that you own.
Every brand we work with starts here. A 30-minute conversation where we listen first, then tell you what we think — including whether WeChat makes sense for you right now.
Book a Free Consultation →