Apple launches online store on China’s WeChat to sell its products

Tech giant Apple has launched an online store on China’s popular social media platform WeChat, where users will be able to purchase its products such as iPhones, iPads, Macs, and Apple Watches.

As reported by TechCrunch, the integration was accomplished through the Tencent-owned platform’s mini-programs, which enable e-commerce, financial service and transportation offerings within the app. 

Reuters notes that this isn’t the first time the iPhone-maker is launching a store on a Chinese platform. The company already has a similar store on Tmall, a popular ecommerce platform owned by Alibaba. In addition, it also attempted to sell its products through live commerce in the country in May 2022.

The launch of the store comes at a time when more and more Chinese customers are turning to platforms like Tencent’s WeChat and ByteDance’s Douyin (the Chinese version of TikTok) to purchase products online.

In addition to being the world’s second largest economy, China is also one of Apple’s key markets outside the United States. 

According to global technology market research firm Counterpoint, although smartphone sales in China decreased by 5% YoY in Q1 2023, Apple’s sales grew by 6% YoY in the quarter, when its market share also reached 19.9%, making it the highest Q1 share since 2014.

Apple’s new store on WeChat could help the company further increase its sales in China, and boost its visibility on one of the most popular social media apps in the country.