Tencent Takes on Alibaba by Adding Shops to WeChat App

Tencent Holdings Ltd. allowed users of its WeChat instant-messaging app to sell goods online, bringing Asia’s largest Internet company into closer competition with China’s e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.

Tencent introduced an in-app function for holders of public accounts of Weixin, as WeChat is known in Chinese, to upload photos of merchandise, manage orders and communicate with customers, according to a posting on the Shenzhen, China-based company’s website. Shoppers at the so-called little WeChat stores can make purchases with Weixin Payment, Tencent’s third-party payment system.