Alibaba’s launch of bargain marketplace Taobao Deals on Tencent’s super app WeChat hits a snag, source says
- Alibaba’s plan to launch Taobao Deals mini-program on WeChat makes little progress weeks after application
- The e-commerce collaboration would have enabled Taobao Deals to accept transactions that use online payment service WeChat Pay
Tencent, which runs the world’s largest video games business by revenue and China’s biggest social network, has suspended testing Taobao Deals on WeChat, as there is little substantial progress at the current stage, according to an Alibaba executive who declined to be named. Alibaba, which owns the South China Morning Post, had confirmed four weeks ago that it filed an application to Tencent to open a mini-program on WeChat.
Four weeks later, however, there is no sign or timetable from either side that the Taobao Deals mini-program will be available on WeChat.
Taobao Deals had created a mini-program, called Jianzhile, and introduced it on WeChat in early February. The service, however, was quickly removed for “mismatch of claimed category and content”.
Tencent and Alibaba did not reply to requests for comment.