Taobao's Weitao Begins Public Account Verification
Sina Tech, 1/23/14
Weitao, the merchant public accounts platform on C2C e-commerce site Taobao's mobile client, recently launched an account verification system, awarding users who complete the verification process with "Verified" status, a common practice in China's online space to demonstrate that accounts are not fraudulent. Weitao does not collect a fee the first year a public account is awarded verified status on the platform, unlike the public accounts platform on Tencent's (0700.HK) WeChat (Weixin) mobile messaging application, which charges an annual fee of RMB 300.
Weitao representative Shang Wen has revealed that verified Weitao public accounts will be given either a "Blue V" or "Red V" verified insignia. The Blue V is given to the verified accounts of Alibaba's official sites and subsidiaries, while Red Vs are given to non-affiliates, such as independent brands and merchants.
Weitao has also opened a verification channel for "Big V" verified accounts on Chinese internet company Sina's (Nasdaq: SINA) Weibo microblogging platform. If a Weitao account operator's linked Sina Weibo account has already been verified by Sina, then the operator can apply for verification on Weitao's back-end system using their Weibo account information. Once approved, the operator's Sina Weibo verified information is then transferred to Weitao.
Weitao is currently accepting applications by invitation only. At present, 16,000 accounts have been verified by Weitao.
Editor's Note: For more background on this topic, please see "Taobao Opens More Weitao APIs to Public Accounts" MD 1/17/14 issue.
Keywords: m-commerce e-commerce Taobao wireless C2C Weitao Shang Wen Alibaba Group verification
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