Community Group Buying: China’s New Group Shopping Model Leveraging WeChat Mini Programs

Executive Summary

Community group buying refers to an e-commerce model of group purchases by residents within the same neighborhood. Companies launched this service on WeChat mini program to tap into the potential for larger, group purchases from people living in close proximity. There were around 100 community group buying platforms as of December 2018, according to consulting firm iResearch.

• The community group buying model provides services for residents who live in the same community compound via WeChat, including WeChat group and WeChat mini programs.
• The community group platform normally offers consumables that have constant demand, such as groceries or daily necessities.
• Community group buying can offer last-mile delivery, leveraging WeChat to bridge between vendors and customers.