Amazon eagerly eyeing social commerce sector

US tech company Amazon is doubling down on the fast-growing social commerce sector by beefing up its presence in WeChat mini program, as China's Generation Z consumers－those born between the mid-1990s and the early 2010s－evince rising demand for personalized and niche overseas products via social media channels.

Social commerce, which refers to a person's entire shopping experience－from product discovery to checkout process－takes place on a social media platform and is gaining traction among Chinese consumers, industry experts said.

The company has launched a group-buying function within its WeChat mini program and strengthened cooperation with key opinion leaders as part of a broader push to expand its footprint in the social commerce segment, according to Amazon Global Store, which includes top destinations for Chinese customers' cross-border shopping, such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan and Germany.