Wouldn’t it be great if you could start selling to the China market in one-click?
A complete guide to setting up an owned WeChat commerce mini-program
By now you may have heard of this app called WeChat, and how pervasive it is in the lives of Chinese people the world over. Now with over 1 billion users, WeChat is, well, booming — and becoming an important marketing and commerce tool for brands trying to woo the hearts of the Chinese consumer.
WeChat introduced Mini Programs to the public in January last year. Mini Programs are apps that live within WeChat so they load instantaneously without requiring users to download them. Mini Programs are now the fastest-growing feature within WeChat and user engagement sees no slowing down.
Here are some interesting stats on Mini Programs.
Mini Programs are a lucrative way to bring commerce to the WeChat environment, and there’s a lot of interest for brands to use Mini Programs to sell to the Chinese market. We think this is a huge opportunity and therefore have put together this step-by-step guide to help break down the process of setting up a WeChat commerce Mini Program.
Be warned — this process is complex, but this is one of the biggest challenges we’re hoping to solve with yumi — more on this at the end of the article :)
Whilst we have made considerable effort to explain the steps involved, the entire WeChat backend is in Chinese, so you will either need to be able to navigate the backend yourself or have someone that reads Chinese to help you through it.
SET UP A COMPANY
Firstly, you need to set up a company in China. Whether you opt to set up a WFOE (Wholly Foreign-Owned Enterprise), a joint venture, or a local company (held by Chinese nationals), this is your first step.
Read more about the types of companies in China.
After you get your business license, you need to set up a company bank account.
We strongly recommend you engage an agency to set up your company and bank account for you. The process can be a bit uncertain and muddled so it’s worth the money to go through an agency.
COST: 15,000–30,000 RMB (depending on type of company being set up and the agency you engage)
TIMING: 20–40 working days
WECHAT OFFICIAL ACCOUNT
The next step is to set up your WeChat Official Account. WeChat Official Accounts are most like Facebook Pages, and there are two types of Official Accounts: Subscription and Service. In order to upload a Mini Program, you will need a Service account. Read more on the differences between Subscription and Service accounts.
You can set up basic presence on WeChat through a personal Subscription account (not verified to a business), and are then able to publish articles/posts.
Apply for your Service account here.
Things to note in opening a Service Account:
- Each email address can only be used to register one WeChat Official Account.
- You need to have a local Chinese admin. He/she must hold a valid Chinese ID card and must have a personal WeChat account on their phone, verified by a linked Chinese bank account. He/she will need to be available to scan QR codes throughout the application process.
- Make sure you have all materials ready so as to expedite the process.
Materials you need:
- Business license (full-color scanned copy)
- Company bank account info
- Admin Chinese ID
Once you’ve applied for your Service account, you’ll need to have it verified. This is done within the WeChat Official Account backend. The verification process officially links your account to your Chinese company and opens up a host of additional functionality and services within WeChat.
Materials you need:
- Business license (full-color scanned copy)
- Company bank account info
- Company chop
- Scanned application form (download from application page, fill out, chop and color scan)
- Admin Chinese ID
- Admin Chinese mobile number (verification code will be sent)
- 300 RMB to be paid via WeChat wallet
Things to note:
- Your Chinese admin will need to have a Chinese mobile number, as a verification code will be sent via text message during the application process. WeChat will also call them to verify their identity before your verification is approved.
- Make sure you have thought carefully about the display name of your Service Account. If you wish to change the name, you will need to go through the verification process again.
COST: 300 RMB for one-year verification (to be renewed annually)
TIMING: 5–10 business days
WECHAT PAY
The next step is to apply for a company WeChat Pay account. The application process is similar to that of verifying your Service Account.
Access WeChat Pay through your WeChat Official Account backend by clicking here:
Things to note:
- You need to appoint an admin/main contact for WeChat Pay. This person does not need to be a Chinese national, but needs to have a Chinese mobile number and be accessible during the application process.
- Once your WeChat Pay account is approved, you will receive a Merchant Number via your WeChat Official Account backend. This number is required to log into the WeChat Pay backend. We recommend that you create a document with all your WeChat assets for ease of reference — as well as for when you engage your developer as he/she will need this info — and keep it somewhere safe!
Materials you need:
- Admin/main contact (as above)
- Customer Service phone number (this is the number shown to customers once they complete payment, WeChat will also verify this number during the application process)
- Business license (full-color scanned copy)
- Company legal representative ID
- Company bank account info
Once you receive your WeChat Pay Merchant Number, the admin will need to login to the WeChat Pay backend to set up and from there he/she can set up users (such as the company accountant and developers) to access the WeChat pay backend. Make sure you are logging in using this link.
COST: You may need to transfer a small fee to Tencent as a means of verification.
TIMING: 5–10 business days
WECHAT MINI PROGRAM ACCOUNT
The last thing you need to set up is a company WeChat Mini Program account.
Apply for your Mini Program account here.
(Note that the same URL applies for Official Accounts and Mini Program Accounts, but these two accounts are separate and not interchangeable)
Things to note:
- Each email address can only be used to register one WeChat Mini Program, and must differ from the email you used to register your Official Account.
Once you have your Mini Program account, you need to verify your account in a similar fashion to how you verified your Official Account. You can access this from the homepage of your Mini Program backend or through the left-hand menu under WeChat Pay.
Once the verification is approved, you need to link your WeChat Pay to your Mini Program account in order to activate commerce within your Mini Program. First you need to find the AppID through your Mini Program account. It’s an alpha-numeric code that starts with ‘wx’. Write this AppID down in your WeChat assets document that we talked about above.
While you’re here, let’s also get your AppSecret, which you must write down as it disappears once you view it. So let’s also put this in your WeChat assets document.
Once you’ve obtained your AppID, you must authorize this AppID through your WeChat pay backend.
While you are in the WeChat Pay backend, let’s also set your WeChat Pay Secret Key. You need to first download the security certificate, then create a 32 character Secret Key. We suggest you use a random alphanumeric code for security. Write this down in your WeChat assets document as well.
Then you simply go back to the Mini Program backend and approve the authorization of the AppID.
COST: WeChat requires you to deposit a small fee to Tencent as a means of verifying your WeChat Pay/bank account.
TIMING: 1–5 business days
Now you are ready to develop and upload your Mini Program! Note that the first time you upload your Mini Program, it can take up to 5 business days for WeChat to approve. Subsequent updates are usually approved in less than 24 hours.
There are existing tools and templates you can employ to help build your Mini Program. Some of the most widely used ones include: Youzan, Weimob and Mogujie.
Happy coding!
Whew! So caught your breath yet? We know. It’s a long process we’ve gone through for many clients… Which is why our team is working on building an easier solution called yumi.
yumi is a new way for brands to set up WeChat shopfronts powered by social commerce. Simply sync your existing commerce backend such as Shopify, set up payouts with Stripe Connect, and leave the rest to us.
Hit us up if you’re interested in learning more…
hello@yu-mi.us
yumi
“New ways for the new wave”
