Online store on WeChat looks to fill niche for souvenirs

Beijing-based e-commerce firm ToGo teamed up with local travel agencies on Wednesday to launch a new online store within the WeChat platform for customers to purchase souvenirs online.

Souvenirs available include a range of traditional cultural gifts, from typical Chinese food to dolls portraying characters from Peking Opera.

A string of time-honored brands, including Quanjude Roast Duck, Daoxiangcun pastries, Yueshengzhai, a brand selling pickled beef and mutton for more than 230 years, are among those that are available on the platform.

"We have developed gifts that are a combination of both traditional culture and modern elements," said Zhang Yihu, founder and CEO of Times Tech, ToGo's parent company, whose business covers technology, e-commerce, media and entertainment.

The platform is also cooperating with Dream Castle Culture, an intellectual property company that owns the image rights for Ali, a popular online animation character depicting a fox, to jointly develop interesting and creative souvenirs.

Zhang said that though the online e-commerce market is dominated by Alibaba's Taobao and JD, there are still huge opportunities for players like ToGo.

"The tourism market in the country has been growing steadily with a steady influx of domestic tourists. This is an uncharted territory where we hope we can tap into the full potential," he added.

Wen Wei, vice-general secretary of the Beijing Tourism Industry Association who oversees travel agencies, said: "By integrating high-quality resources into the internet, this newly-established e-commerce platform has overturned the traditional way of shopping while traveling."

He said that more and more travelers are increasingly seeking unique local souvenirs.

"But an increasing number of imitations and duplicates are posing problems for tourists and imposing a reputation pressure on the tourism authorities."

According to Zhang, ToGo will help supplement the parent company's online business and cash in on the emerging opportunities from the country's e-commerce boom.

The firm aims to integrate at least 10,000 local tourist guides and 200 travel agencies in Beijing to further expand its business.

"ToGo aims to generate a revenue of 300 million yuan ($43.2 million) to 400 million yuan from Beijing and a total revenue of 2 billion yuan in the next three years," he said.