5 Reasons Why E-commerce Businesses in Taiwan Should Build a LINE Mini App

Taiwan’s e-commerce is still expanding on solid digital fundamentals. In early 2024, internet penetration reached 90.7% (21.71M users), giving brands broad online reach; analysts size Taiwan’s e-commerce market at roughly US$49.9B in 2025 with steady growth ahead. Mobile continues to power transactions, with mobile online retail hitting ~US$15.1B in 2024 and outpacing desktop growth.

Just as important as “how many people are online” is where they spend their time. LINE remains the default daily app: ~22M monthly active users in 2024–2025—about 93–94% of Taiwan’s population—making it an unrivaled channel to reach, engage, and serve customers. For publishers and brands operating inside the LINE ecosystem (e.g., LINE TODAY), audience scale is similarly massive, with 18M users and 28M+ registered friends across associated Official Accounts.

This attention reality matters for performance: traditional email in Taiwan averages ~26% open rates, while LINE’s ubiquitous reach and in-app surfaces enable far more immediate, interactive touchpoints—especially when delivered as lightweight LINE Mini Apps that run with no install and minimal friction inside the chat environment. That combination—huge reach, habitual usage, and zero-install experiences—sets the stage for higher engagement and conversion than legacy channels.

1. Zero Installation, Zero Friction

One of the biggest barriers in e-commerce is the friction caused by asking users to download yet another app. Each required install adds steps: find the app in the store, wait for download and install, possibly give permissions, open and sign in, etc. These steps often cause drop-offs before a user even sees your product catalog.

LINE MINI App solves this by being fully web-based within LINE. According to the official documentation, “LINE MINI App enables users to enjoy services without installing a separate native app.” Because it operates inside LINE itself, customers can access your service in one tap. No app store, no waiting.

• App abandonment / churn is high. One benchmark study shows that the global app abandonment rate (users who try the app once and never use it again) was about 25% in 2019. For shopping apps in particular, the 30-day retention rate averages just 5.6%.

• Install-to-purchase conversion is low. For e-commerce (retail) apps, after users go through install + onboarding, only 1-2% typically convert to a purchase.

Because every extra step reduces conversion dramatically, removing the need for installation or extra login/permissions can preserve a lot of potential customers who would otherwise drop off.

LINE MINI App features that reduce friction

• Users can access the MINI App directly from LINE, via links in chats, messages, or through a LINE Official Account.

• For approved verified MINI Apps, features like search within LINE, rich-menus, and sharing among friends integrate organically with user behavior, so users are more likely to find and use the service.

• Since LINE handles much of the platform and environment (browser, session, auth flows), businesses can focus more on streamlined UX rather than worrying about app store compliance or cross-platform native development.

Implications for E-commerce businesses in Taiwan

• Reduce acquisition cost: fewer lost users before first interaction → more efficient marketing spend.

• Better conversion rates: more users reach the “browse / product view” stage instead of dropping off at “install” or “sign in” steps.

• Faster time to activate & purchase: immediate access means impulse purchases are more likely (important in mobile / on-the-go behavior).

2. Higher Engagement Than Email or SMS

Traditional marketing channels like email and SMS still have value—but in Taiwan, the evidence points to significantly higher engagement when using messaging platforms like LINE, especially when combined with mini-app-style interactions.

Why Email and SMS Often Underperform

• Low open & click rates: For emails in Taiwan & globally, average open rates tend to hover around 20-30% depending on industry, with click-through rates often much lower.

• SMS limitations: While SMS has high open rates, it’s more limited in how rich of an experience or content it can deliver. Messaging is short, often one-way, and not well suited to interactive experiences (product browsing, menus, etc.).

How LINE Outpaces Those Channels in Taiwan

• LINE has ~22 million monthly active users in Taiwan, out of a population of about 23.4 million; that’s a penetration rate of 93%. Users aren’t just registered—they use it daily.

• Users in Taiwan spend on average about one hour a day using LINE, generating 100 million voice/video calls and 1 billion messages per day. That volume indicates high habitual use.

• Because LINE is deeply integrated into social and daily life, messages via LINE (Official Accounts, Mini Apps) tend to be seen more quickly and more reliably than promotional email or SMS, which can be ignored, filtered, or delayed.

Implications for E-Commerce Businesses in Taiwan

• Higher conversion through engagement: More users are likely to click, explore, and buy when you’re engaging them inside a platform they already use often and trust.

• Lower friction in follow-ups and retention: Instead of sending emails that might go unread or get lost, LINE messages can prompt more immediate responses, whether via chat, mini-app use, or clicking through to buy.

• Better ROI per message: Because engagement is stronger, each message tends to yield more value (sales, loyalty, feedback) than a comparable email or SMS.

3. Seamless With Your LINE Official Account (OA)

If your brand already talks to customers on a LINE Official Account, a Mini App is the missing “do-button.” Instead of blasting messages and hoping for clicks out to a website, you keep people inside LINE and let them complete real tasks—join membership, take an onboarding quiz, book a slot, check order status—without ever switching apps or logging in again. That shift—from broadcast to in-LINE action—is where engagement (and conversions) climb.

Here’s why it lands in Taiwan:

• You’re meeting a massive, daily audience. LINE reaches ~22M people in Taiwan (≈93–94% penetration). It’s where customers already spend time, so adding actions to your OA feels natural, not “yet another app.”

• OA → Mini App is a one-tap handoff. Official docs show Mini Apps can be launched straight from OA rich messages and rich menus—no store visit, no install, just tap and you’re in. It’s a seamless bridge from a push message or menu tile to an interactive flow.

• It’s an official, supported integration. LINE provides a built-in link between an OA and a Mini App channel (configured in the Developers Console). This keeps identity and session flows tidy and lets you design friction-light journeys end-to-end in LINE.

• Designed for repeated use. Mini Apps are built to open quickly from OA, the Home tab, permanent links, or QR codes—ideal for habitual tasks like membership, coupons, and booking.

What this unlocks (real examples)

• Onboarding quiz → first-party data: Trigger from your OA welcome or campaign message; store preferences the moment someone follows you.

• Membership & coupons in one tap: Put “Membership” on the rich menu; customers see barcode, points, and offers in the Mini App—right inside LINE.

• Booking that actually gets finished: Launch a Mini App flow from a reminder message; send a confirmation as a service message (free category) so customers don’t miss it.

4. Cost-Effective Notifications & Retention

Retention is usually expensive. Most brands rely on paid ads, sponsored posts, or email campaigns that get lost in inboxes. LINE Mini App changes that with service-type messages: free, contextual notifications delivered right inside LINE. Think booking reminders, order confirmations, or e-receipts—updates your customers expect and actually want.

Here’s why it matters for Taiwan e-commerce:

• You’re showing up where customers are. LINE is used by ~22 million people in Taiwan (≈93% of the population). It’s the first app many people check in the morning and the last at night. A reminder here doesn’t just get sent—it gets seen.

• The messages don’t feel like ads. Service-type messages are categorized differently from promotional blasts. Customers recognize them as useful updates, which means higher trust and less opt-out.

• They’re free to send. No extra CPM or per-send charges. Every confirmation, reminder, or update is delivered without eating into your budget. That’s a rare retention channel that scales with your business.

What this unlocks (practical examples)

• Booking reminders: Reduce no-shows by nudging customers before their appointment.

• Order updates: Let buyers know their package shipped, arrived, or is ready for pickup.

• Membership nudges: Send e-receipts that update loyalty points instantly, reinforcing brand value.

5. One Platform for an Omni-Channel Experience

Taiwanese shoppers don’t stick to one channel. They’ll see a product on Instagram, buy it on Shopee, pick it up in-store, and later ask a question on LINE. For brands, that’s a headache—different systems, disconnected data, and customers who expect you to “just know” who they are wherever they show up.

A LINE Mini App helps close that gap. Because it sits right inside LINE—the app used daily by ~22M people in Taiwan—it becomes the place where all those fragmented journeys come together.

• One familiar entry point. Instead of juggling links and logins, customers open your Mini App from your LINE Official Account and instantly access membership, coupons, booking, or order status.

• Customer identity stitched. Each Mini App session connects back to a LINE user ID, so whether they bought online, on a marketplace, or offline, you can recognize them as the same customer.

• OMO made easy. Taiwan’s retail is all about blending online and offline. A Mini App makes that natural—loyalty points update in real time, returns can be initiated from anywhere, and reminders arrive in the channel customers trust most.

Turning Engagement Into Action

If you’re selling in Taiwan, your customers are already on LINE—daily. A LINE Mini App turns that attention into action: no installs, higher engagement than email/SMS, a seamless bridge from your Official Account, cost-effective (often free) service notifications, and an omni-channel surface that finally ties web, marketplaces, and stores together.

How Ezily helps: we bring templates for membership, onboarding quizzes, booking, returns, and order tracking; wire up your data sources; and layer AI automation so every touchpoint can personalize itself. You get a fast launch, measurable lift, and fewer fragmented experiences.