Wish

What is Wish

Wish is an American e-commerce platform that facilitates transactions between sellers and buyers. It was founded in 2010 by Piotr Szulczewski and Danny Zhang, with headquarters in San Francisco, California. The core purpose of Wish is to offer a mobile-first shopping experience where users can browse and buy a massive variety of unbranded goods at very low prices. The platform connects consumers directly with merchants, a majority of whom are based in China, which allows for significantly lower prices by cutting out distributors. Its main functionality revolves around a personalized, visual-heavy product discovery feed that learns user preferences over time to show relevant items.

Wish Features

• Personalized Product Feed: The main interface is an infinite-scroll feed of products that is tailored to your browsing and purchase history. This makes discovering new items simple and engaging.
• Extremely Low Prices: The primary attraction of Wish is the ability to buy products for a fraction of the cost you would find in traditional retail stores.
• Wide Product Variety: Users can find almost anything on Wish, from clothing and accessories to home goods, electronics, and gadgets.
• Blitz Buy: A gamified feature that offers extra discounts on a selection of popular items for a limited time, encouraging quick purchases.
• Money-Back Guarantee: Wish provides a refund policy for items that do not arrive or are not as described, offering some security for buyers.
• User Reviews and Photos: Most products feature reviews and photos from previous buyers, which helps in assessing the quality and appearance of an item before purchasing.
• Wish Local: A program that partners with small, local brick-and-mortar stores, allowing users to ship their orders to a nearby store for pickup.

Wish Pricing Plans

For buyers, Wish is a free platform. There are no subscription fees or membership costs to browse and purchase products. Users only pay for the items they buy and the associated shipping fees. The business model is based on taking a commission from the sales made by merchants on the platform. Therefore, shoppers can use the full functionality of the app and website without any payment plan.

Wish Free Plan

Wish is completely free to use for all shoppers. There is no concept of a 'free plan' or a 'paid plan' for consumers. You can download the app, create an account, browse products, add items to your cart, and make purchases without any subscription. All features are available to all users.

How to use Wish

1. Create an Account: First, download the Wish app from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store, or visit the Wish.com website. You will need to sign up using your email, Facebook, or Google account.
2. Browse and Search: Start browsing the personalized feed that appears. You can also use the search bar to look for specific items or browse through different categories like 'Fashion', 'Gadgets', or 'Home Decor'.
3. Check Product Details: When you find an item you like, click on it to see more details. Pay close attention to the product description, shipping costs, estimated delivery time, and especially the customer reviews and photos.
4. Add to Cart: Select the correct size, color, or variation, and then click 'Add to Cart'.
5. Checkout: Once you have added all your items, go to your cart to review your order. Enter your shipping address and payment information to complete the purchase.
6. Track Your Order: After purchasing, you can track the status of your shipment within the 'Order History' section of the app or website.

Pros and Cons of Wish

Pros:

• Very Low Prices: The most significant advantage is the extremely affordable cost of most items.
• Huge Selection: The platform offers a massive and diverse range of products.
• Engaging User Interface: The visual, feed-based browsing is addictive and makes product discovery easy.
• Direct Access to Manufacturers: It cuts out the middleman, which is why prices are so low.

Cons:

• Long Shipping Times: Since most items ship from China, delivery can take several weeks or even months.
• Inconsistent Product Quality: The quality of products can vary greatly, and items may not always match their pictures or descriptions.
• Customer Service Issues: Resolving problems with sellers or getting support can sometimes be a slow process.
• Shipping Costs: Sometimes the shipping cost for an item can be more than the item's price itself.

Wish integrations

Wish is a self-contained e-commerce platform for consumers and does not offer integrations with third-party productivity software like Slack, Salesforce, or Trello. Its integrations are primarily on the backend for payment processing (like PayPal, Klarna) and with logistics and shipping carriers to facilitate order fulfillment.

Wish Alternatives

• AliExpress: A very similar platform owned by Alibaba. It also connects buyers directly with Chinese manufacturers and offers a vast range of products at low prices. It is one of Wish's most direct competitors.
• Temu: A newer competitor that has grown rapidly. Temu offers a similar shopping experience with extremely low prices, a wide product selection, and an aggressive marketing strategy.
• SHEIN: While primarily focused on fast fashion, SHEIN operates on a similar low-cost, direct-from-manufacturer model. It has expanded its product categories to include home goods and accessories.
• Amazon: A global e-commerce giant that offers a much wider range of products, including well-known brands. Amazon is known for its fast shipping (especially with Prime) and reliable customer service, but prices are generally higher than on Wish.

Wish API

Yes, Wish provides a robust API for merchants and developers. The Wish Merchant API allows sellers to programmatically manage their product listings, orders, inventory, and shipping information. This is essential for sellers who want to integrate their own e-commerce systems with the Wish platform.

To get access, you must register as a merchant on the Wish Merchant platform. Once your account is approved, you can create an application in your developer settings dashboard to obtain API keys (Client ID and Client Secret). The API uses OAuth 2.0 for authentication.

Here is a conceptual example of how a developer might fetch a list of orders using a Python script:

import requests

access_token = 'YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN' # Obtained via OAuth 2.0 flow

url = 'https://merchant.wish.com/api/v3/orders'

headers = {
    'Authorization': f'Bearer {access_token}',
    'Content-Type': 'application/json'
}

response = requests.get(url, headers=headers)

if response.status_code == 200:
    orders = response.json()
    print(orders)
else:
    print(f'Error: {response.status_code}')

Wish Affiliate program

Wish has an affiliate program that allows individuals and businesses to earn commissions by promoting Wish products. Affiliates are given unique tracking links, and when a user clicks on that link and makes a purchase, the affiliate earns a percentage of the sale.

The program is typically managed through major affiliate networks like CJ Affiliate (Commission Junction) or Awin. Commission rates can vary depending on the product category and the affiliate network's terms, but they are generally a percentage of the total sale amount.

To join, you would need to:

1. Sign up for an account on the affiliate network that manages the Wish program.
2. Search for the 'Wish' advertiser program and apply to join it.
3. Once approved, you will get access to promotional materials and your unique affiliate links.
4. Payments are handled by the affiliate network on a regular schedule, typically monthly, once you reach a minimum payout threshold.