Apple Sets Up Online Store on China’s Social Media Platform WeChat

The move by Apple comes as Chinese consumers increasingly turn to social media platforms such as WeChat and ByteDance's Douyin, to shop.

By Reuters | Updated: 11 July 2023 16:32 IST

Apple Sets Up Online Store on China’s Social Media Platform WeChat

Photo Credit: Apple

Apple already operates a shop on Alibaba Group's Tmall online marketplace

Highlights

China's smartphone sales in the first quarter fell 5 percent YoY
Chinese consumers are increasingly turn to WeChat, ByteDance's Douyin
Apple also tried marketing its products on a livestream in China

Tencent's WeChat said on Tuesday that iPhone maker Apple had opened a store on its social media platform, marking an expansion of the U.S. firm's retail channels in the world's second-largest economy.

The announcement by WeChat, China's dominant messaging app which also provides e-commerce, livestreaming and payment services, said users would be able to buy Apple products including iPhones, iPads and Macs from the store.

Apple and Tencent did not immediately respond to requests for further comment.

Apple MacBook With a Foldable Display May Debut by 2026: Report

The move by Apple comes as Chinese consumers increasingly turn to social media platforms such as WeChat and ByteDance's Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, to shop.

Besides its own stores and website, Apple already operates a shop on Alibaba Group's Tmall online marketplace. Apple also tried marketing its products on a live stream in China for the first time in May with an hour-long show.

China's smartphone sales in the first quarter fell 5 percent year on year, marking the lowest first-quarter sales figure for the country since 2014, according to data from Counterpoint Research.

iPhone 14 to Get a Discount During Amazon Prime Day Sale: See Offer Price

However, during the quarter Apple recorded a 19.9 percent share of the Chinese smartphone market - its biggest since 2014 - as it increased sales by 6 percent year-on-year in a declining market, the research firm said.

© Thomson Reuters 2023

Foxconn to Apply for Chipmaking Incentives After Withdrawing From Vedanta JV

OnePlus Nord 3 brings some serious upgrades over its predecessor, including some flagship-grade specifications. We discuss this and more on the latest episode of Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Affiliate links may be automatically generated - see our ethics statement for details.

Comments

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.