Nowadays smartphones are incredibly handy. In China, phone users use their devices for various daily things. The Chinese love to shop online, so the number of successful online shopping apps is increasing. One of China’s most well-known apps is Pinduoduo, which incorporates shopping and social media. How to buy from Pinduoduo?
Pinduoduo in China
What is Pinduoduo?
Pinduoduo (拼多多) is an e-commerce platform created in September 2015 by Colin Huang. The company developed at a breakneck pace. In less than four years, the owner became one of the richest people in China.
The Pinduoduo platform as an application allows users to quickly make purchases directly from the manufacturer (over 5 m merchants). In this aspect, it is similar to other online shopping platforms like Taobao. What made Pinduoduo popular was its “team purchase” model.
Pinduoduo and WeChat
By connecting Pinduoduo with the popular WeChat application, users can make purchases and share information in “Moments.” By sharing information and promotional links, the user has a chance to get up to 90% discount from the supplier. What’s more, group purchases are also possible and are very popular.
If you connect your WeChat and Pinduoduo accounts, you can make automatic WeChat payments when ordering on Pinduoduo. The “one-click payment” is very convenient. You can also pay using Alipay.
Quality on Pinduoduo
Pinduoduo mainly offers products of lower quality at very low prices. The e-commerce application is popular among people living in smaller cities with lower incomes. The site offers additional coupons, lottery vouchers, and even free products to sell more.
On Pinduoduo, customers buy directly from the suppliers, eliminating trade agents and their fees, so the purchase is more beneficial for them. In addition, the company fights against counterfeit sales and products of unknown origin. This is an additional advantage – shopping is safe and secure.
How to buy from Pinduoduo
Buy on Pinduoduo – step by step
1. Download the Pinduoduo App
Is there an English version of the Pinduoduo App? The Pinduoduo App is only available in Chinese.
2. Create a Pinduoduo account
- by clicking “log in with a WeChat account” or
- by clicking “use other methods” (such as “register with a phone number” or “log in with your QQ account”)
3. Fill in your data
If you choose to register using a phone number, choose a country, fill in your phone number, and wait for a verification code via SMS
4. Browse vendors’ offers
Make sure to verify the vendor before placing an order.
5. Place an order on Pinduoduo
Contact the supplier via Pinduoduo or directly to place an order.
6. Enter your details
If you choose to buy on Pinduoduo, enter your shipping address, select a payment method, and process the payment
Bear in mind that Pinduoduo operates on a C2B (consumer-to-business) model, so it is highly unlikely that you can place wholesale orders.
What can you buy from Pinduoduo?
At the beginning, you could only buy food products on Pinduoduo. It was an enormous success, and soon, Pinduoduo started selling various products, from napkins to apartments and plane tickets.
On Pinduoduo, you can browse by category:
- Recommended 推荐
- Foods 食品
- Electrical Appliances 电器
- General Merchandise 百货
- Shoes & Bags 鞋包
- Sports 运动
- Cosmetics 美妆
- Car Accessories 车品
- Home Decoration 家装
- Phone 手机
- Women’s Apparel 女装
- Men’s Apparel 男装
- Underwear 内衣
- Mother & Baby 母婴
- Medicine 医药
- Accessories 饰品
- Computer 电脑
- Overseas products 海淘
- Home textiles 家纺
- Furniture 家具
- Fruits 水果
- Entertainment 玩乐
The app also provides a personalized feed of products based on the algorithm.
How to get a discount on Pinduoduo?
To get a large discount, you have to participate in a “team purchase.” The higher the purchase volumes, the lower the prices.
You can also try your luck and play the lottery or use coupons to get the products for cheaper.
Shipping on Pinduoduo
Shipping from Pinduoduo can be a dealbreaker for some buyers, especially from overseas. Pinduoduo does not offer shipping outside China. If you are interested in buying from outside China, you need to use a third-party service or a shipping forwarder.
Is it worth buying on Pinduoduo?
Pinduoduo is a large Chinese marketplace offering products at rock-bottom prices. It is a great place to buy goods, due to its great variety, with the caveat that the site does not offer shipping overseas, so keep in mind that using a third-party provider will be necessary for international shipments.
Photo credit: facebook.com/PinduoduoInc