Youzan is one of the most used 3rd party WeChat eCommerce platforms, and one of its biggest selling point is: free for merchants to use. But, starting July 8th, 2016, Youzan’s free lunch is over.

More specifically, merchant on Youzan need to pay RMB 4,800 yearly service fee. This new rule will only be enforced on new merchant users, at least for now. It is forecasted that Youzan’s yearly fee will imply to current merchant users as well.

Youzan is one of the most recognized SaaS WeChat eCommerce model. Since WeChat eCommerce is booming now, there has been a lot of changes in the WeChat eCommerce platforms. Without further ado, here are the latest details of three of the most popular 3rd party WeChat eCommerce platforms: Youzan, Weidian and Mengdian.

How do they look like in WeChat:

Youzan

Weidian

Mengdian

3rd Party WeChat eCommerce Platform Comparison (click to enlarge)

Model:

Both Youzan and Weidian have B2C/C2C models, enabling individual and business to set up their WeChat eCommerce platform;

Mengdian is different on the other hand. It works as a supplier mode, meaning certain business must be screened by Mengdian beforehand.

Fee:

Weidian is the only free platform now…sort of. It does not charge any service fee. In terms of deposits, it’s up to you to pay it or not. Those who pay the RMB 1,000 deposit will have unique logo on their WeChat shop.

As mentioned, Youzan starts to charge RMB 4,800 yearly fee. Other than that, RMB 1,000 is mandatory.

Mengdian is the platform you need to pay the most. The services fee is RMB 500 per month, and the deposit will be either 10,000 or 20,000, depends on what kind of products you’re selling. Moreover, there is a 1.5% to 4% commission rate, also depends on your sales items.

Payment Option:

All of the 3 platforms support debit/credit card payments and major online payments in China. Weidian also supports “pay upon arrival”.

Cross border eCommerce:

If you are a foreign business that has never acquired a Chinese business license yet, Mengdian is your only choice here. Mengdian has a specific page about cross border eCommerce for foreign business (mengdian.hk), where lists all the paperwork and document you need to apply.

Youzan and Weidian do not has this service yet, but that does not means that foreign business is not allowed here. You can still sell your products on Youzan and Weidian after you got your Chinese business license.

Requirements:

If you are on behalf of your business, you may need a little bit more documents than individual merchants. See details in the graph.

No. of Merchants:

Weidian has the most, but keep in mind that the total merchant numbers does not equal to the active merchant numbers. Another thing is: a lot of merchants on Youzan and Weidian are individual merchants, running their stores in C2C model.

Do these 3rd party WeChat eCommerce platforms fit for my business?

Depends on what you expect. Known as SaaS (Software as a service) model, these 3rd party WeChat eCommerce platforms can be seen as your “quick and dirty” options. Despite easy launch and cheaper fee, the flaws are also obvious. Lack of customizability, similarity, security concerns, just to name a few.

[Related: How Realistic is My eCommerce Finishing Developing in Two Months?]

If you really have high hope for your WeChat eCommerce, take a look at TMO Group’s WeChat eCommerce solution. We will design a omni-channel solution for you with rich, Consistent user experiences. We hope to offer your customers more friendly and convenient shopping experiences.

Please read more about our WeChat store solution here and here,

And feel free to contact us with any questions regarding WeChat eCommerce solutions that you may have!