The mooncake business is hot on WeChat because the Mid-Autumn Festival, a traditional Chinese festival centered on family reunion, is fast approaching, China News Service reported on Sept. 27.

Many private mooncake makers have crowded into the market this year to compete with domestic cake bands Holiland and Daoxiang Village through WeChat, a very popular social network in China.

These handmade mooncakes, which are low in sugar and have fewer calories and no additives and preservatives, are now popular in WeChat shops.

Li Man (not her real name), a private mooncake maker in Beijing, is selling home-made mooncakes on WeChat for 10 to 15 yuan each (about $1.5 to $2). Her mooncakes usually sell out in half a day and weekly sales total more than 300.

The mooncakes found on WeChat shops are priced from 3 to 30 yuan (about $0.5 to $4.5), depending on the type of handicraft and labor involved, said Li.

Private sellers like to post the ingredients and making process to WeChat to prove that all the mooncakes are handmade with high-quality ingredients, yet the quality and safety are not inspected by food bureaus and there is a lack of transparency in pricing.

An insider has revealed that the business is quite profitable, with around 30 to 50 percent in profits. Mooncake sales this year are estimated to reach 15 trillion yuan (over $2 trillion), according to recent data.

The new mooncakes are well-liked by younger generations, leading the mooncake business from taste to design. Good taste and good design will clearly play an important role in the mooncake market.