Build direct-to-consumer ecommerce solutions with expert developers
Digital Creative is a team of ecommerce developers in Shanghai, China. We build direct-to-consumer experiences that create loyal customers.
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We’re an expert ecommerce agency in Shanghai building direct-to-consumer solutions that win
WeChat ecommerce
Build your ecommerce store on WeChat by implementing WeChat mini programs or H5 pages inside your WeChat Official Account that utilizes WeChat Pay, Login, and Open Platform APIs that allow WeChat users to effortlessly access and buy from your ecommerce store.
Ecommerce mini programs
From WeChat, to Alipay, Tmall, Baidu, and Douyin, China's key digital ecosystems and social channels have mini programs that create new e-commerce experiences to promote products and campaigns, collect customer data, provide personalized customer service, and facilitate sales and transactions.
Ecommerce apps
Develop iOS and Android mobile apps for your e-commerce store or marketplace, allowing for more powerful features and multiple payment gateways, including Alipay and WeChat Pay. Take advantage of Push Notifications and other device-specific functionality that boost speed and performance.
Ecommerce websites
Reach a wider and global audience with e-commerce websites. Ecommerce websites have flexibility and responsiveness to adapt to the device they are being viewed on, from mobile to desktop. A major benefit of the web is the ability to use SEO to help market and promote your ecommerce store.
sCRM/CRM integrations
Integrate sCRM and CRM solutions into your custom ecommerce development to provide more personalized customer service experiences, deeper levels of customer understanding, and rich data to create tailored marketing campaigns for segmented groups of customers.
Front-end tech
React + Next
Vue + Nuxt
Tailwind CSS
WeChat development
Mini programs
Flutter
Back-end tech
Laravel
Rust
Node.js
API development
DevOps
Team add-ons
UX Designer
UI Designer
Project Manager
Tech Director
Selected clients
Ecommerce case studies
See how we've helped best-in-class brands build better ecommerce
How does custom development help you win at direct-to-consumer (DTC) ecommerce?
Access to customer data
When you build a custom ecommerce solution, you will have direct access to your customer's data and analytics. Not only their behavior on-store but also richer acquisition data on what led them to your store. Richer customer data allows you to segment and target marketing campaigns and personalize the customer experience. An experienced e-commerce agency in China can help you track and analyze your customer data.
Own your customer data
Take complete ownership and control over your customer's data. With custom ecommerce development, you decide how and what of your customers' data is captured and how it's used. You won’t have to rely on the limited data a 3rd-party platform or solution provides. As an expert e-commerce agency in Shanghai, we can help you navigate the Personal Information Protection Law (PIPL) in China to build compliant digital products.
Greater flexibility
Build your ecommerce store with all the features you need and nothing you don’t. With a custom ecommerce development built and structured the right way, you can be flexible to add new features as you need them without the restraints of out-of-the-box ecommerce solutions predesigned for generic, general, and multipurpose use.
Scale confidently
When your business grows, you will need your ecommerce store to scale with it. Out-of-the-box solutions can quickly run into problems dealing with large amounts of data, integrating well with other platforms, and handling complex business logic. Our expert team of ecommerce developers in Shanghai builds your product with growth in mind.
Custom design
Custom ecommerce development tailored with a UX and UI design to suit your brand and aesthetic allows you to build a unique and seamless online presence. Your customers will feel more engaged, and your brand can be differentiated and stand out from its competitors. As a leading e-commerce agency in Shanghai, our team covers everything from UX to UI to development, launch, and maintenance.
Inventory management
Create unique product types, sets, or groups of products, their variables, and pricing based on different scenarios and logic. Using a custom ecommerce development approach, you can design and build your inventory management in how it suits your business logic. Working with an expert team of e-commerce developers in China will allow you to build your product to suit your needs.
- Fully managed & dedicated development teams
- Scale up or down each month with more or less developers
- Month-to-month terms so you’re not locked in
From our blog
Our team unveils insights on the craft of DTC ecommerce
Why Go DTC? Unlocking the Advantages of WeChat Ecommerce for Luxury Brands In China
Discover the benefits of DTC WeChat ecommerce for boosting sales in the Chinese luxury goods market.
September 7th, 2023 · Written by Samuel Jesse
A Complete Guide To E-Commerce App Development In China: Steps, Features, Trends
Unlock the potential of ecommerce app development in China with our comprehensive guide. Learn the essential steps and features to establish a successful presence in this dynamic marketplace and meet the evolving expectations of Chinese consumers.
September 7th, 2023 · Written by Samuel Jesse
How is ecommerce different in China?
China is now the focal point of e-commerce worldwide, with many brands relying on China's e-commerce consumption for growth or looking to enter for its enormous potential. The ecommerce market in China is the largest in the world, and in recent years, technological developments, consumer habits, and Covid-19 have seen even more rapid growth. This has put enormous pressure on businesses like yours to stay competitive in a fast-evolving ecosystem with digitally mature consumers. Online shopping and mobile payments have become second nature to Chinese consumers, and a highly connected supply chain with fast deliveries has made everything available at their fingertips. Social media consumption has also had a great impact on what and how consumers shop, with platforms such as WeChat, Douyin, and Little Red Book fueling social commerce, often driven by KOLs (Key Opinion Leaders) or Influencers as called in the west.
In the initial boom of the Chinese internet, Chinese online consumers' first choice was always large ecommerce platforms such as Taobao, Tmall, and JD. There was convenience, trust, and reliability in a new and tumultuous online ecosystem. Due to this, many brands have taken the initial strategy of selling on Tmall for their ecommerce strategy. To set up a store where the crowds already were, accepted the terms and conditions, and a templated approach to selling. And this has worked and does work for many.
But as Chinese consumers have become more mature and the brand's needs, capabilities, and requirements have grown, the Tmall ecommerce marketplaces are no longer the go-to strategy but a piece of the bigger picture. Brands are now becoming aware that a direct-to-consumer approach, achieved through developing a brand-owned custom ecommerce mini program, app, or website, has countless upsides that include better customer data collection, owning your customers' data, the ability to personalize your customer's experience, and countless opportunities for optimized clienteling and marketing.
What is custom ecommerce development?
Custom ecommerce development is the process of building a bespoken online commerce solution designed, developed, and deployed according to your unique business logic and requirements, built from the ground up. The result is a fully flexible and adaptable user experience, with core functions such as payment and checkout tailored to your specific business needs. In China, custom ecommerce development is often in the form of WeChat mini programs, allowing brands to sell direct-to-consumer (DTC) while also being socially driven and taking advantage of the widely adopted WeChat ecosystem, user base, and APIs.
How does a custom ecommerce development differ from out-of-the-box solutions?
There are many popular off-the-shelf and open-source ecommerce solutions available in the market, such as WooCommerce (WordPress) or Magento, that are easy to use and quick to set up. But these solutions come with numerous shortcomings, running into issues when there are new adaptations to functionalities, feature customizations and scaling is required. Off-the-shelf ecommerce solutions are designed for general use, for generic industries, using a series of cookie-cut templates for a one-size-fits-all approach. This can work fine for small businesses with basic requirements.
A custom e-commerce development solution will allow for full flexibility, agility, and adaptability in terms of design, technology, and data. It’s a bespoke solution that is build specifically for your business logic and is the right choice when your business wants to be best-in-class and edge out your competition in the market. If you plan to succeed at direct-to-consumer ecommerce in China, have control over and optimize your UX, and/or your funtional needs are complex, it is likely you need to partner with an ecommerce development company in Shanghai, China.
How much does it cost to build custom ecommerce mini program or app with your agency in China?
At our ecommerce agency in Shanghai, many factors influence the cost of custom ecommerce development solutions. Some of them include the size of the scope of work, the scale of your business and operations, and stage of the project, required features, technology and talent, final deliverables, timelines, and so on. Each development is unique, and so is the cost of our custom ecommerce services. Contact us today to organize a proposal for your ecommerce project.
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