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Introduction
Direct selling, long associated with person-to-person marketing, is undergoing a digital transformation in China. For overseas brands aiming to establish a foothold without relying on major platforms, direct selling offers greater control, stronger customer relationships, and faster iteration. Here’s how to develop a modern, scalable direct selling strategy tailored to China’s e-commerce environment.
1. Activate Sales Through Private Traffic Channels
WeCom Integration:
Brands can turn WeCom into a direct sales powerhouse by integrating client managers, CRM tools, and content pushes. Staff members become both brand reps and customer service agents.
Mini-Program Sales:
Using mini-programs within WeChat enables brands to run private stores, push notifications, and manage loyalty programs—all while avoiding commission-heavy marketplaces.
2. Build Sales Relationships with Personalized Engagement
1-on-1 Customer Interaction:
Use direct chat features on WeCom or private livestreams to guide high-value customers through product education, offer bundles, and handle objections.
Customer Retargeting Loops:
Once a customer buys, automate retargeting based on SKU history. This encourages repeat purchases via personalized messages, birthday promotions, and VIP perks.
3. Train Micro-Sellers and Brand Ambassadors
Decentralized Sales Networks:
Empower loyal customers or nano-influencers to sell through referral links or customized storefronts. This builds a distributed salesforce that mimics traditional MLM but within modern digital guardrails.
Incentive Design:
Provide tiered commissions, performance dashboards, and exclusive previews to keep brand reps engaged and motivated.
4. Track and Optimize via CRM and AI Tools
Sales Data Dashboards:
Implement CRM systems tailored for China that track lead conversion, chat response time, and product-level sales performance.
AI Recommendation Engines:
Integrate AI that suggests upsells or follow-up SKUs based on buyer behavior. Over time, this enhances AOV and CLV with minimal manual effort.
5. Case Study: A Canadian Wellness Supplement Brand Drives Growth via Direct Selling
Unable to compete in paid ad budgets with larger competitors, a Canadian supplement brand launched a direct selling channel through WeCom. They trained yoga instructors and fitness KOLs as micro-distributors, each equipped with personalized storefronts. Through mini-program QR codes, one-on-one chats, and referral rewards, the brand achieved a 7x ROI compared to traditional e-commerce spend within six months.
PLTFRM is an international brand consulting agency that works with companies such as Red, TikTok, Tmall, Baidu, and other well-known Chinese internet e-commerce platforms. We have been working with Chile Cherries for many years, reaching Chinese consumers in depth through different platforms and realizing that Chile Cherries’ exports in China account for 97% of the total exports in Asia. Contact us, and we will help you find the best China e-commerce platform for you. Search PLTFRM for a free consultation!
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