Opening Your Mobile Store in China: What Are the Best Options?
Updated on |By QPSoftware
To open a mobile store in China, choose between three routes: a WeChat Mini Program or WeChat store, your own mobile e-commerce app, or a marketplace such as Tmall, Taobao or Pinduoduo. Whatever the route, build in social sharing and the payment methods Chinese shoppers use, such as WeChat Pay and Alipay.
Key takeaways
- WeChat Mini Programs and WeChat stores sell inside WeChat, with nothing to download.
- Your own e-commerce app gives full control over design and features, at a higher cost in time and money.
- Marketplaces such as Tmall or Pinduoduo bring a large audience quickly, with commissions and little control over your brand.
- Build in social sharing and the payment methods Chinese shoppers trust, such as WeChat Pay and Alipay.
The growth of e-commerce in China is no secret: according to the National Bureau of Statistics of China, online retail sales of physical goods reached 13,092.3 billion yuan in 2025, 26.1% of the country’s total retail sales of consumer goods. When this article was first published in 2020, the statistics already pointed to mobile stores as the key source of online revenue. If you already sell online, our e-commerce developers in Shanghai can advise you on whether to extend your existing store to mobile or build a new one.
Why Does Your E-Store Need to Be Mobile in China?
Mobile usage in China is extremely widespread. Smartphones are the preferred device to access the internet and manage daily tasks, so much so that using apps like WeChat has become a way of life. Paying bills, booking doctors’ appointments, buying movie tickets, ordering a taxi and many other activities all take place on smartphones.
In 2020, when this article was written, around 56% of online sales happened through a mobile device, and the share reached 90% during the previous 11.11 Global Shopping Festival, also known as Singles’ Day.
One reason for these results is the well-established mobile payment methods in China, combined with popular social media platforms such as WeChat.
At the time, WeChat counted over 1 billion daily users and Alipay almost 800 million. Brands selling in China need to understand these two platforms and how they fit into the country’s e-commerce and mobile commerce ecosystem.
What Are the Best Options for Building Your Mobile Store?
Before building your mobile store, it is crucial to understand each available solution and its pros and cons. There are three main options to build a mobile store in China.
A. WeChat Integrated Solutions
Launched in 2011 as a messaging app, WeChat counted over 1.17 billion users in 2020 and has become an integral part of Chinese users’ lives. Besides messaging, Chinese users rely on WeChat to transfer money, pay bills, buy tickets, order services and, of course, shop online.
Since their launch in January 2017, WeChat Mini Programs have been well received by the public. A Mini Program is a small application that runs within WeChat. Thanks to the many APIs available to developers, Mini Programs look very similar to native apps. A key factor in their success is that users can open them without downloading anything to their devices. Mini Programs have proved highly successful as marketing tools and for closing sales directly inside WeChat. They also exist beyond WeChat, on Alipay, Douyin and Baidu: see our guide to mini program platforms in China.
Opening a WeChat Store is another option. It is an e-commerce platform that exists within the WeChat ecosystem. WeChat stores are basically mobile websites, often used to extend an existing e-commerce website, that let users shop directly from their mobile devices. Although Mini Programs have reduced the popularity of WeChat stores, a WeChat store is still a useful mobile store because it integrates easily with mobile payments.
B. Mobile E-Commerce App
Another option to launch a mobile store is to develop your own e-commerce app. This is a viable solution if you want full control over your app. Since you do not depend on any third party, you can design it exactly how you want, without having to follow any platform guidelines.
It allows full integration with an existing e-commerce website. You can make the design of your app entirely consistent with your online store, so that switching from one to the other is a seamless experience for the user. You are free to display and feature the products exactly how you want, and to add as many features as you like. On the other hand, developing your own e-commerce app may bring compatibility challenges across operating systems and other technical issues that require a higher investment in time and money.
C. Third-Party Platforms
A third option worth mentioning is joining an existing e-commerce platform. Popular marketplaces like Tmall, Taobao, Pinduoduo, Xiaohongshu, Douyin and Kuaishou rely on a vast user base. This may be a fast and profitable solution for foreign companies that want to enter a new market.
Before committing, consider some important downsides. The first one concerns your brand recognition: on these platforms, you have no control over design options, as you must follow what the platform has decided. Becoming a partner of one of these marketplaces also requires an investment, usually a considerable one, and each sale carries commissions that erode your margin even more.
Not to be overlooked is the fact that you lose control over your business. Since you have no say on the fees and conditions applied, the profitability of your mobile store depends on somebody else’s decisions. For these reasons, we suggest keeping this option as a last resort.
Must-Have Features for Your Mobile Store in China
Once you have decided how to operate your mobile store in China, it is time to think about some essential features.
Social E-Commerce
Social e-commerce lets users buy products directly on the social media platform they are using. Users can also easily share shopping links with their contacts on the same platform, which brings clear marketing benefits. The success of live events hosted on social media to promote products shows the power of social commerce.
Your mobile store therefore needs to be smoothly integrated with social media. When this article was written in 2020, social e-commerce was expected to reach 30% of online retail transactions that year, up from 14% in 2018.
Voice Assistants
In 2020, voice-controlled smart home devices were spreading, and many Chinese users had started to buy online through smart speakers.
Integrating your mobile store with a voice assistant lets your audience shop at your store hassle-free. They just mention the product they want to purchase, and the voice assistant recommends a list of available items. They then confirm the purchase, shipping address and payment method by voice to close the order.
During the 11.11 Global Shopping Festival that preceded this article, more than 1 million consumers used the Tmall Genie voice assistant to place and pay for orders. If your audience shops by voice, make sure your mobile store supports it.
Chinese Payment Gateways
How you collect money for your orders is a critical aspect of any e-commerce business, and of your mobile store. Your goal is to offer a payment gateway that your customers know, that makes them feel comfortable, is easy to use and puts them in the right frame of mind to complete their order.
Unlike in Western markets, credit and debit cards are not very popular in China. People tend to be suspicious when cards are the only available payment methods.
Our comparison of China payment gateways for foreign merchants lists the most popular options. You do not need to integrate all of them: find out which ones your specific audience trusts most, and use those in your mobile store.
What Should You Do Next?
China is one of the markets that offer the best opportunities for online retail businesses. To stay ahead of the competition, integrate mobile commerce from the start and adapt your business model quickly.
Start by choosing your route: a WeChat Mini Program or WeChat store to sell where your customers already spend their time, your own app if you need full control, or a marketplace as a last resort. Then list the features your buyers expect, from social sharing to WeChat Pay and Alipay.
Local knowledge gives you a definite advantage in this highly competitive market. QPSoftware has been developing web solutions for the Chinese market since 2009, from e-commerce website development in China to WeChat stores and Mini Programs. If you’d like us to help you build your mobile store in China, contact us today.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best way to open a mobile store in China?
It depends on how much control you need and on your budget. A WeChat Mini Program or WeChat store sells inside WeChat, with WeChat Pay and social sharing at hand and nothing to download. Your own app gives full control over design and features, at a higher cost. Marketplaces such as Tmall or Pinduoduo bring a large audience quickly, with commissions and little control over your brand.
Do you need an app to sell on mobile in China?
No. WeChat Mini Programs run inside WeChat without any download, and WeChat stores are mobile websites that work within the WeChat ecosystem. Marketplaces let you sell through their own apps. Developing your own e-commerce app makes sense when you want complete control over design and features, and can invest the time and money that development across operating systems requires.
How do Chinese customers pay in a mobile store?
Chinese shoppers mostly pay with mobile payment methods such as WeChat Pay and Alipay. Credit and debit cards are less popular than in Western markets, and customers tend to be suspicious when cards are the only option. Integrate the payment gateways your audience trusts most, so that customers can finalize their order quickly and comfortably.
