WeChat is a Chinese social media platform highly utilized and trusted by many businesses for its personalized marketing functions. With over 1.34 billion users in the country, it’s the perfect online channel to connect with potential and existing customers in China.
Using WeChat’s basic features for promotions is just the tip of the iceberg. To truly stay ahead of evolving consumer behavior, businesses can integrate the app with a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system.
In this post, we’ll explain how WeChat CRM integration works and why you should use it to manage personalized promotions in the Chinese market.
What is WeChat CRM Integration?
A WeChat CRM integration is a process that happens between a WeChat Official Account API and a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system.
With these third-party tools, marketers can customize the app’s basic functions by developing a unique user experience and simplified purchasing journey.
From customer data consolidation and customizing targeted ads to creating personalized messages, WeChat CRMs are designed specifically to help businesses experience higher conversion rates and enhance brand visibility in China’s digital ecosystem.
These WeChat CRM solutions focus on amplifying the platform’s existing features according to your brand’s specific needs. They’re typically incorporated within the app’s ecosystem, whether it’s through mini apps, virtual stores, e-wallet functions, or other features.
Native WeChat CRM Integration
Native solutions are directly integrated into your WeChat account, allowing seamless synchronization with the app’s functionalities, such as official account profiles, Mini Programs, and customer messages.
They are designed to work smoothly within the WeChat ecosystem, ensuring an uninterrupted user experience without the need for additional APIs or external software.
The data collected from the WeChat platform (e.g., user interaction, customer behavior, and transaction) is directly fed into the CRM system, facilitating real-time updates and insights. These integrations are also generally more cost-effective as they are already included within WeChat’s offerings.
While it provides the same social CRM functionalities, native integrations might lack the depth and customization capabilities offered by specialized platforms. They may not support advanced analytics, detailed customer journey mapping, or specific automation requirements.
3 Types of Third-Party WeChat Integrations
● WeChat CRM Integration for Marketing
Social CRMs are commonly used by foreign businesses operating in China for developing and launching digital marketing projects.
Through social listening tools provided by CRMs, marketers can determine the most relevant entry points in the app, the weight of different marketing activities, the impact of KOL campaigns, and socio-demographic data.
Brands can also directly manage and analyze WeChat marketing campaigns within the CRM, starting from content creation to tracking engagements and conversions.
You can easily observe customer buying behaviors, pinpoint the exact location of relevant conversations, and distribute special deals to nearby consumers. In a country where friction-free shopping is a standard, taking advantage of these types of marketing strategies will keep you ahead of the competition.
The data gathered from CRMs can also be utilized effectively when you launch WeChat ads. These tools can identify which consumer groups will most likely engage with your content, allowing you to create more effective personalized campaigns in the long run.
This type of WeChat integration helps brands set up automated marketing campaigns, which trigger customer messages based on user engagement. These messages can include promotions, updates, or personalized chats.
● WeChat CRM Integration for Sales
Most CRM solutions you can integrate with WeChat offer customer management options. These systems allow brands to organize big data from different social media channels to help them analyze and predict the preferences of their target audience.
Typically, a WeChat CRM can facilitate the creation and designing of your brand’s official Mini-Program or virtual storefront. Through these channels, marketers can sell products to Chinese consumers without leading them to a third-party platform.
Premade templates make creating a WeChat Store much easier for foreign marketers. You don’t have to outsource developers or have technical web development knowledge to work on it yourself.
Example of a WeChat Mini-Program (Starbucks China)
Beyond that, marketers can capture leads directly from user engagement, such as from a Mini Program, official account, or a WeChat group, and feed them into the CRM for further analysis and strategy development.
Like social CRM options, this WeChat integration includes solutions for creating personalized responses. You can customize and automate different sales tasks, such as sending follow-ups and reminders based on customer data and engagement history on WeChat.
It helps sales teams pursue relevant leads promptly and provides a clear picture of how customer engagement on WeChat connects to the sales activities recorded within the CRM system.
● WeChat CRM Integration for Customer Support
Customer service is vital for maintaining customer satisfaction and loyalty. With the Chinese consumer market rapidly maturing, savvy online shoppers on WeChat expect fast responses to their queries and concerns.
A business can create a ticketing system through specialized WeChat CRM software where support teams can manage and track customer inquiries and issues until they’re resolved.
They can also set up automated messages to answer customers’ commonly asked questions. This will reduce response time and free up resources for more complex issues.
With all consumer queries organized within a CRM system, your company’s customer service team can access the history of all customer interactions and provide more timely and effective support.
Top WeChat CRM Third-Party Integration Platforms
● Weimob CRM (微盟)
Most businesses use WeChat to create a personalized e-commerce platform and make their offerings more accessible to China’s growing online population. It’s one of the tasks that Weimob CRM can resolve through its customizable tools.
Through Weimob CRM, marketers can design and optimize WeChat stores and mini-programs with a pre-made template. It also allows users to manage the customer journey and purchasing experiences of VIP members, especially those categorized under the UHNWI consumer group.
When using this management system for your sales and marketing strategies, it’s worth noting that its offerings are highly industry-specific. It’s a solution that is more suitable for brands developing consumer-centered processes within WeChat or those looking for more affordable alternatives.
● Salesforce Customer 360
Salesforce Customer 360 is recognized globally as one of the most comprehensive CRM systems. It holds a significant presence in China, surpassing local competitors with a 9% domestic market share in 2023.
One of Salesforce Customer 360’s key strengths is its ability to integrate effectively with critical systems such as Order Management Systems (OMS) and Product Information Management (PIM) systems.
Additionally, it accommodates local payment methods, including WeChat Pay, proving its value to foreign businesses operating in the Chinese market.
Salesforce integration with WeChat Pay and Alipay (Source: Salesforce)
● Youzan CRM (有赞)
This domestic CRM offers a polished selection of e-commerce templates for online stores. It features an advanced analytics dashboard, providing insights into key metrics such as sales figures, customer demographics, and behavioral data.
Youzan’s solutions are created specifically for WeChat integration. In fact, its services include nearly 100 marketing tools, mainly amplifying the platform’s unique features like mini-games and digital coupons to engage users more effectively.
● Tencent Qidian
Qidian integrates with WeChat Official Accounts and Mini Programs to centralize in-app consumer communications. This process allows businesses to manage all customer engagement within one platform, making sure that no customer queries are missed.
Detailed customer profiles can also be built and managed within Tencent Qidian, capturing important data such as purchase history, interaction logs, and personal preferences from WeChat’s ecosystem.
Tencent Qidian’s Backend for Client Management
This CRM system can monitor and analyze every stage of the customer journey, from initial contact to final sale. Sales teams can use this data to prioritize leads and tailor follow-ups accordingly.
● Parllay CRM
Parllay is an officially recognized WeChat development tool that collects and organizes data from the platform to identify consumer patterns and trends.
One of its main features is the multiple API enterprises that connect and integrate its features to other management systems a business may be using.
Beyond the typical CRM functions, many businesses place a high value on Parllay because of its WeChat QR code tracking and user tag automation.
● Zoho CRM
Zoho CRM can streamline communication between brands and Chinese customers within WeChat. It enables direct chat interactions, serving potential leads directly through the CRM’s interface.
This feature lets you initiate conversations and send messages to targeted WeChat accounts. Any incoming messages from leads are conveniently routed to Zoho’s Cliq channel. Thanks to this feature, the system can store all chat histories for future reference and follow-up.
Source: Zoho China Homepage
● Drip (水滴) CRM
This integration enables non-Chinese businesses to utilize Drip for straightforward tasks like creating webpages and navigating backend operations seamlessly within WeChat. It simplifies customer information management and content publication, such as posting articles and launching ads.
The platform is designed to be accessible even to those without programming skills. Users can easily set up mobile-friendly landing pages complete with forms. It’s an attractive option for businesses looking to enhance their digital presence on WeChat without requiring technical expertise.
Why should brands use CRM Integrations on WeChat?
● For Better Audience Segmentation
There are over a billion WeChat users in China’s super app, so garnering potential leads can be more challenging than you think.
Your target audiences will search for your brand and products for different reasons, and a CRM’s purpose is to analyze their behavior and support you in developing the right services for the right demographics.
Many brands are unaware that CRM segmentation breakdowns are extremely detailed. They can segment followers by gender, age, location, and interactions.
You can even get creative with contests and campaigns to better understand how readers react to your content. This strategy allows you to play around with the data and determine how to set goals, build on existing strategies, and repeat once you have proven steps that work.
● For Lead Generation Campaigns
WeChat’s ecosystem supports the collection of rich user data, including demographics, behavior, and preferences. By integrating CRM systems, brands can leverage this data to tailor their marketing campaigns more precisely.
From the moment users interact with an ad or a WeChat Mini Program, their information can be captured and managed through the CRM system.
This smooth transition facilitates a higher conversion rate as potential customers are less likely to encounter friction moving between different engagement touchpoints.
● Automation and Efficiency
CRM integrations automate various marketing and sales tasks, from sending personalized messages to scheduling follow-ups. These tools are highly effective for brands that intend to manage large volumes of leads generated from WeChat campaigns.
Your Trusted WeChat Marketing Partner in the Chinese Market
WeChat is the biggest among China’s social media channels, so CRM integrations are excellent tools for better data management and strategy development. These tools help brands to gain a comprehensive view of their audience, deliver highly targeted content, and offer the best customer support.
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At Sekkei Digital Group, we can help you stay on top of consumer behavior by picking the suitable WeChat CRM integration for your business. Through our extensive industry experience, our team can help you stand out in China’s dynamic business scene.
Contact us today, and let’s discuss how your business can connect with Chinese consumers better with the help of WeChat CRM strategies.
References:
Integrating your CRM with WeChat in China
WeChat CRM: Integrating WeChat with a CRM
The Ultimate Salesforce WeChat Integration