Integrate Sina Weibo with Easyship

Sina Weibo, a microblogging service in China, and Easyship, an international shipping and logistics platform based in the United States, have entered into a strategic partnership to integrate Sina’s Weibo API to allow Chinese online shoppers to purchase goods from overseas. This integration aims to help Chinese online shoppers overcome the language barrier and simplify the purchasing process.

Currently, about 4% of all purchases made through retail e-commerce comes from China (E-Commerce By The Numbers. However, there are still many barriers preventing Chinese online shoppers from buying products from overseas. Some of these barriers include:

Language Barriers:

Many overseas stores don’t accept payment from Chinese bank networks (such as Alipay and UnionPay), and vice versa.

Many overseas brands make use of product descriptions and instructions only in English.

Customs regulations in China are different from the customs regulations in the U.S., for example, when it comes to product descriptions and product sizes.

Integration of Sina Weibo and Easyship

In order to address these problems, both Sina Weibo and Easyship have joined forces to integrate their platforms so that Chinese online shoppers can easily buy products from overseas stores. The integration is going to be completed by April 30, 2015. The details of the integration are as fplows:

• Sina Weibo API Integration with Easyship

It allows Chinese online shoppers to purchase products directly from overseas websites using their Sina Weibo accounts without having to log into other websites separately. In this way, it will be easier for Chinese online shoppers to access foreign sites. It will also provide a convenient method for customers to pay for their purchases using their Sina Weibo account information. As a result, customers will no longer need to input their credit card numbers or bank IDs when making purchases from foreign sites. Using Sina Weibo API Integration with Easyship, customers can also send a message to a chatbot named “Easy” if they encounter any problem during the purchasing process. They can even ask questions about the product quality or shipping details after placing an order. Here is an example on how this new feature works:

As shown above, I searched for a product at Walmart on Easyship’s website, clicked on “Find out more on Sina Weibo” link, I was redirected to Sina Weibo where I saw that the product was available for purchase at Walmart with free shipping. Once I finished reading the description of the product on the page, I clicked on the “Buy” button to complete my order. When I checked my order status later, I saw that my order was completed successfully with free shipping. I also received an email confirmation from Easyship including my receipt (scanned copy. and tracking information (scanned copy. for my order. This feature has been rpled out since March 31, 2015.

• Integration of “Weibo Payment” with Easyship

This feature allows Chinese online shoppers to pay for their orders of goods that are shipped internationally (from outside of China. with Alipay or UnionPay through Weibo Payment function of Sina Weibo. Alipay is the most popular third-party payment platform in China while UnionPay is one of the largest credit card companies in China. This feature will be available starting May 25, 2015. Here is an example of how this feature works:

As shown above, when I placed my order on Walmart’s site, I chose to pay with Alipay or UnionPay through Sina Weibo Payment function under the “Payment Method” option. Once I selected my payment method, I was redirected to my Sina Weibo account where I could see my order status in real-time. The process was very similar to that of ordering goods with Weibo API Integration with Easyship except that in the latter case, you have to select your payment method on the Easyship website instead of on Sina Weibo website itself. The integration between Weibo Payment function and Easyship will help Chinese online shoppers to make easier transactions with their mobile phones, which are very popular among Chinese consumers today.

Benefits of Integration of Sina Weibo and Easyship

Some potential benefits of integrating Sina Weibo API with Easyship include:

It provides a convenient way for Chinese online shoppers to access foreign sites and purchase goods without having to pay extra costs for currency conversion or international shipping fees. As a result, it will encourage more Chinese online buyers to buy goods from overseas merchants; it will help Chinese online shoppers overcome language barriers; and lastly, it should help reduce delivery time and cost for importation of goods into China once the goods arrive at the destination port due to less paperwork and fewer steps invpved in the purchasing process (compared to traditional methods.

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