It’s been almost a year since we launched our official ‘Pacific Trade Online’ (PTO) WeChat Mini Program as a bridge for Pacific businesses and Chinese consumers to connect through this digital solution on WeChat. It’s an innovative digital gateway to the Chinese market that showcases the products and services of Pacific brands, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, at no cost to the exporter.
Since the launch of our PTO Mini Program, three Pacific countries and over 100 businesses have received training webinars on how to use the program. The training includes back-end registration processes and uploading of brand content and images. We now have almost 30 Pacific businesses that have qualified for registration on the PTO Mini Program platform, to promote and introduce their product to the Chinese market. To date, we have almost 6,000 WeChat users listed in the PTO Mini Program, so far generating 16 leads. It is currently the only official WeChat promotional platform for Pacific Island products. The PTO Mini Program is promoted at all our trade and investment exhibitions and on our official public WeChat account, to increase publicity of trade and investment opportunities in the Pacific Islands.
We have always been clear that for any Pacific business looking to market its brand in China, it is crucial to have a marketing strategy tailored to the preferences and behaviours of Chinese consumers. Most Chinese brands do not conduct business activity through traditional platforms such as email. Chinese consumers have their own preferred social media platform with a unique range of features, distinct culture and language, and we must adapt to their way of doing business and platform preferences. By understanding the opportunities and challenges associated with marketing in China and harnessing the power of WeChat Mini Programs, our Pacific businesses can gain a stronger presence in this lucrative market.
Feedback from users and consumers who have attended our exhibitions say the PTO Mini Program helps them to quickly understand and become aware of the resource products of Pacific countries and is also a good platform and tool for import and export enterprises on both sides. It also makes it easier for companies in the Pacific countries to use modern means to link with importers in a faster and more efficient way.
My opinion piece today is a reminder to our Pacific businesses that they have a platform to promote and showcase their product or brand in China if this market is part of their strategy.
A 2022 report from the National Bureau of Statistics of China confirmed daily active users on WeChat Mini Programs reached 450 million users, growing to over 700 million daily active users today. These remarkable statistics highlight the effectiveness of WeChat Mini Programs as a powerful marketing tool for companies looking to expand their reach in China.
Use of the Mini Program
To enable Pacific brands to manage their own profiles and use the Mini Program in the absence of the WeChat app, a mobile version H5 site has been designed that seamlessly integrates with the WeChat Mini Program. On the H5 interface, Pacific companies can manage their brand exhibition page, upload company information, and respond to and track business enquiries. Both the H5 and PTO QR codes are provided at the end of this article. We encourage Pacific businesses to browse through the mini program and, if you have a marketing strategy for China, please contact our office. Both PTI China and its marketing partner United Media Solutions (UMS) will be running further webinars in future, to help our exporters understand the power of WeChat Mini Programs and how it can benefit your business.
More Information on Mini Programs
The Mini Program is essentially a micro-site or mini-app hosted in the WeChat comprehensive ecosystem. The platform is frequently used by Chinese businesses to connect with other companies and carry out business activity. On the platform, companies can set up brand exhibition pages, and display products like a virtual showroom. Chinese enterprises can search and browse for products and make business enquiries directly through the platform, thereby enabling Pacific brands to expand their reach and attract more business connections.
The Pacific Trade Online (PTO) Mini Program is a collaboration between PTI China and United Media Solutions (UMS), to develop a one-stop digital platform to bring Pacific business opportunities and information together, which is easily accessible by Chinese consumers. UMS’s track record in creating digital solutions for other trade enterprises means it intimately understands the needs of businesses on both sides, enabling it to create a solution that provides the best experience for all users. We are very pleased with UMS and its technical expertise to be able to bring our Pacific brands to the one platform to meet consumer demands.
To view the online WeChat Mini Program, please scan the QR code at the top of this article or contact our Head of Exports, Yolanda Jiang, on yolanda.jiang@pacifictradeinvest.org.cn
