The following article is originally published by TMO group. Source: https://www.tmogroup.com.cn/insights/private-domain-mini-program-case/
As the competition in China’s e-commerce market intensifies, and social e-commerce platforms such as Weidian, Douyin, and Xiaohongshu emerge, traffic has become more fragmented, and the cost of customer acquisition has risen sharply. Against this backdrop, cultivating brand loyalty through China’s private domain traffic is a cost-effective method chosen by many well-known overseas brands.
WeChat, as China’s most popular social platform with over 1.3 billion users, its mini programs are easily accessible without the need for download and have become an important tool for brands to manage their private domain traffic. According to Quest Mobile data, as of 2023, WeChat mini program users had reached 900 million. Brand-specific mini programs help establish their own private traffic pool on this vast social platform, offering a direct interaction and operation platform with users without paying for traffic, reducing acquisition costs. This article explores several successful cases of brands that used their private domain mini programs to tap into the WeChat e-commerce ecosystem, leveraging public accounts and corporate WeChat to drive traffic, providing inspiration for overseas brands looking to enter the Chinese market.
*Private domain traffic refers to user traffic accumulated by the brand itself, including official websites, mini programs, apps, and social media accounts, which the brand can freely use.
Case Study 1: Swisse
Swisse, established in 1969 as a famous Australian health care brand, has successfully built its own private domain traffic pool in the Chinese market through WeChat mini programs, achieving significant marketing effects. In the private domain, Swisse uses WeChat public account to guide users to become members and add nutrition consultants with a welcome message. Using the path “automatic welcome language – become a SI family member – nutrition consultant – scan code to add welfare officer,” users become part of Swisse’s private domain e-commerce.
Additionally, the public account’s welcome message promotes its mini program “Swisse Luxury Collection,” which contains rich interactive sections:
In the personal health assessment section, users get a personal assessment report by answering questions, encouraging them to review nutrition plans for personalized Swisse product recommendations. Users are led to add enterprise WeChat by interacting with “add a nutritionist, 1v1 interpretation report,” with the account positioned as a registered dietitian to increase trust.
The membership center section clearly shows the user’s current level, the various levels of the membership plan, corresponding privileges, and point redemption benefits, motivating users to upgrade. The Swisse mini program also has interactive sections like “Reminder to Take,” allowing users to set reminders based on the products they take, increasing interaction with the brand.
Sales conversion also exists within many touchpoints of the Swisse mini program, encouraging users to share product information with their social circle by inviting friends to get coupons, and join the “Swisse Health Recommender Plan,” through which users can receive commissions, rewards upon reaching sales targets, and high-value returns such as advanced nutrition courses. By empowering users to become agents or distributors, this save-on-buy, earn-on-share mechanism turns users’ social networks into channels for promoting products, getting social traffic, and acquiring customers at a low cost.
If you are interested in developing a WeChat private domain mini program or social e-commerce strategy, please contact us. Let us help you manage private domain traffic effectively to boost e-commerce monetization and start a new chapter for brand growth.
Case Study 2: MISTINE
MISTINE, a well-known beauty brand from Thailand, has performed impressively in the Chinese market in recent years. In the first half of 2024, it maintained its leading position in the sunscreen category on the Taobao platform, surpassing longtime leader ANESSA and became the dark horse brand in sales numbers! Generation Z is MISTINE’s core audience, and besides leveraging spokespeople to break out of their circles and promote products through various video channels, MISTINE has also successfully used private domain mini programs to boost private domain traffic and sales. MISTINE uses WeChat personal accounts, WeChat groups, and the storefront mini program as platforms for private domain traffic reception and conversion, creating an effective communication channel with fan groups, and promoting conversions across different products.
MISTINE guides users in the public account to add brand assistants and join the community, entering its private domain. After completing this, users can unlock community-exclusive activities, 1V1 exclusive services, and other privileges. By scanning the code to add the brand assistant’s enterprise WeChat, users establish a personalized connection with the brand from the beginning.
The brand assistant’s enterprise WeChat personal account leads users to the “MISTINE Member Mall” mini program through activities such as receiving limited gifts, making it an important platform for private domain traffic. The mini program is not only a channel for purchasing products but also a significant tool for brand-consumer interaction.
The homepage of the private domain mini program attracts users to join as members and conducts fine-layered operations. The membership center highlights attractive benefits like gift-with-purchase incentives, guiding users to place orders and receive newcomer gifts with the product. MISTINE conducts detailed persona insights for its entire member population, analyzing group characteristics and interests, customizing communication content and single products for different segmented groups, ultimately achieving dual growth in member activity and repeat purchases.
The mini program provides a points rewards system, encouraging users to continue participating and consuming. Users collect “honey points” by participating in various interactive activities within the mini program, like collecting, signing in, and shopping on Member Days, promoting user and mall interaction.
The MISTINE mall mini program also connects to video channels, where users can enter the “MISTINE Official Flagship Store” video channel through mall mini program pop-up windows to watch promotional livestreams, boosting conversions.
Case Study 3: Lululemon
lululemon, a Canadian yoga sports brand, has built an exclusive online community mini program “lululemon Hot Sweat Life.” This mini program is a digital platform launched by lululemon to enhance community connections and user experience. It combines community activities, content sharing, and shopping functions, providing consumers with convenient services and a rich sports life experience.
Community activity participation: Users can sign up for various community events organized by lululemon, like the “Summer Fun Challenge,” through the mini program. These events often cover multiple cities nationwide and include different stages such as store events, city competitions, regional competitions, and national finals, with the registration process completed on the mini program.
Content sharing: There is also content shared by brand ambassadors and community members about sports and healthy living on the mini program, which can provide users with exercise inspiration and healthy living guidance. Individual users or KOLs recommend products to their social circles, leveraging their social network influence to drive sales, enriching the convenient and natural sharing and recommendation experience to greatly push new customer acquisition.
Shopping function: The integrated store in the mini program allows users to directly purchase lululemon’s various sports equipment and products, enjoying the convenience of online shopping. Features include managing Heat Enjoy Cards (prepaid cards) and more.
Finding stores: The mini program also provides the functionality to find nearby stores, promoting online to offline traffic.
Community marketing: lululemon establishes a community to publish product seeding content, new product releases, and KOC styling shares, focusing on product promotion and guiding consumer spending. Community operations are usually managed by store staff, with users guided to join via corporate WeChat, offering community-exclusive benefits and providing information such as store locations.
Lululemon Summer Fun Challenge Shenzhen Station (Image Source: Style Magazine)
If you are interested in WeChat private domain mini program development or social e-commerce strategy, please contact us. Let us assist you in managing private domain traffic to boost e-commerce monetization and open a new chapter in brand growth.
Case Study 4: Starbucks
Starbucks has launched a series of digital marketing strategies and membership plans through its WeChat mini program to strengthen connections with Chinese consumers. In 2022, Starbucks introduced the “Star Enjoy Club” on its WeChat mini program, where users can earn member points and redeem coupons. In recent years, Starbucks has continued to innovate and optimize its private domain e-commerce operations.
Through the mini program, users can easily register as members of the “Star Enjoy Club,” joining the digital membership program and enjoying points benefits. Starbucks has provided a detailed membership tier system through its mini program and App, including Silver Star, Jade Star, Gold Star, and Diamond Star levels, with corresponding benefits for different tiers.
The affiliated mini program “Say it with Stars” uses appealing cartoon images to encourage users to send coffee/card vouchers to friends, activating social circle traffic. Users can choose to gift individually or send group gifts and customize blessing messages, stimulating purchasing behavior, especially on holidays or special anniversaries, likely to create consumption peaks. It also attracts more new users to enter the private domain traffic pool, benefiting subsequent marketing activities and activating the potential of social e-commerce.
Based on user consumption behavior, Starbucks conducts customized marketing within its private domain mini program, pushing personalized promotional information and event notifications to increase user stickiness. By analyzing users’ historical purchase SKU data, Starbucks has deduced users’ taste preferences and launched the “My Daily Standard” feature on the mini program’s special product section. In 2024, Starbucks introduced the “Star Student Card,” offering exclusive discounts for the student population. Members can activate and enjoy related benefits through the WeChat or Alipay mini programs.
Additionally, Starbucks has also developed “Third Place” community operations, utilizing corporate WeChat groups set up by each store, through which baristas can invite customers to participate in offline coffee tastings, fostering connections between customers and between customers and baristas. Leveraging brand IPs such as “Bear Store Manager,” Starbucks interacts with users within the community, distributing fan benefits during peak coffee consumption times each day to increase per-customer sales and boost consumption. This IP has also launched humidifiers, figurines, and other related merchandise, using a friendly image to close the distance with customers.
