From Gen X to Gen Z, each generation connects, shops, and interacts online in completely different ways. For international brands, understanding these differences is key to building trust, engagement, and sales in China’s fast-moving digital world.

At Gentlemen Marketing Agency, we’ve spent over a decade helping global brands succeed on platforms like WeChat, Weibo, Douyin, and Xiaohongshu. Our on-the-ground experience gives us deep insight into how Chinese users across generations behave, share, and buy online.

In this article, we’ll break down how Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z use social media in China, and show you how to adapt your strategy to reach each group effectively.

Chinese Social Media Landscape

As of 2023, there are more than 1 billion Internet users in China and a majority of them use Chinese social media apps on a daily basis. The biggest one, WeChat, registered a monthly active users’ base of 1.26 billion people, which is unseen anywhere else in the world.

Social media in China is not just a digital evolution; it’s a cultural phenomenon that has reshaped the way people live, work, and communicate. The growing importance of social media in the country can be attributed to rapid technological advancements, increasing smartphone penetration, and government initiatives to foster digital infrastructure.

Due to the ‘Great Firewall’ of the Chinese Internet, there are no social media from the Western world available, therefore, Chinese users spend their time on social media apps like WeChat, Weibo, Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book), Douyin (Chinese TikTok), Kuaishou, Bilibili and more. Those platforms will be analyzed today, so if you’d like to learn more about their functions and purpose, check out our social media article.

A short introduction to the most popular platforms

To put it simply, let’s check what the main Chinese social media platforms have to offer:

• WeChat functions as an all-in-one super app, integrating everything from messaging to banking
• Weibo serves as a public forum for news and opinions
• Xiaohongshu focuses on lifestyle and shopping
• Douyin and Kuaishou are renowned for short-form videos, targeting different Internet users bases
• Bilibili attracts a younger audience with its anime and gaming content

Chinese Social Media Users

As you can see in the graph above, 99% of Chinese users send instant messages, which is the core function of all social media in the world. But what’s interesting is that a striking number of 94% of active users watch videos and 62% watch live-streaming. These numbers are a clear indicator of the popularity of short video and video streaming platforms in the Chinese market.

Now that you got insights into the Chinese social media landscape and Chinese internet users’ statistics, let’s dive into the generations’ insights.

How Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z Use Social Media in China?

Understanding how Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z engage with social media channels such as WeChat, Weibo, Xiaohongshu, Douyin, Kuaishou, and Bilibili provides crucial insights into the multifaceted digital landscape of China, revealing a rich tapestry of intergenerational behaviors and preferences.

Gen X – 65-80′ Generation

Chinese Gen X, typically those born between the mid-1960s to early 1980s, has witnessed the rise of digital communication and social media platforms in China, and their usage reflects a blend of traditional and modern values.

WeChat

For WeChat, this generation often uses the platform as a primary means of communication with family and friends, valuing its ability to connect them across distances. They may also engage in financial transactions through WeChat Pay, which is often seen as a convenient and trusted method.

Weibo

When it comes to Weibo, Gen X tends to consume content rather than create it, keeping up with news and current events, but generally refraining from active engagement in political or controversial discussions.

Other Chinese social media platforms

On platforms like Xiaohongshu, Douyin, Kuaishou, and Bilibili, their engagement is usually more passive. They may browse these platforms for entertainment or to follow specific interests, but they’re less likely to actively participate in trends or create content. The preferences of Gen X on these platforms often lean towards traditional content, nostalgia, and themes that resonate with their life experiences.

But, you might be surprised to see some older Chinese creating content on Douyin and RED, working as ‘influencers’ for older Internet users.

Furthermore, Gen X’s approach to privacy and data security often leads them to be more cautious and thoughtful about what they share online. They’re more likely to prioritize face-to-face communication and value the quality of connections over the quantity.

Chinese Millennials – 85-95′ Generation

Chinese Millennials have grown up alongside the digital revolution, leading to a more multifaceted and engaged approach to social media.

They are the biggest spenders in luxury, which results in the majority of foreign brands targeting this generation. Today, this group is also starting to become parents, investing a lot of money in the best quality of products and services for their children, becoming the most lucrative group for the baby products market in China.

WeChat

With WeChat, they use it not just for communication but also for a wide array of daily tasks including shopping, payments, and entertainment. For many, it’s an essential part of their daily life, a hub that integrates numerous aspects of their digital existence.

Weibo

When it comes to Weibo, Millennials tend to be more vocal, utilizing it as a platform to voice opinions, follow celebrities, engage with social issues, and keep tabs on the latest trends. They’re not merely consumers but active participants, sharing and creating content.

They check Weibo for beauty tips and lifestyle or tech content, often looking for tutorials and educational posts.

Xiaohongshu

Xiaohongshu is particularly attractive for this generation due to its focus on lifestyle, fashion, and shopping. Many Millennials use this platform to discover new products, share personal experiences, and connect with others over shared interests.

Little Red Book also became the most favored platform for Millennial moms, that interact on baby topics, follow parent influencers and look for product recommendations or other women who can share their parenting experiences.

Short-video platforms

The rise of short-video platforms like Douyin and Kuaishou aligns perfectly with Millennials’ preference for fast-paced, interactive content. They engage with these platforms not just as viewers but often as creators, sharing snippets of their lives, participating in viral challenges, and expressing themselves creatively.

They are mostly interested in cooking content, or restaurant recommendations, as well as humor and everyday life content.

Bilibili

Bilibili has found a unique place among Millennials as well, especially those interested in subcultures such as anime and gaming. It’s not just a platform for consumption but a community where they can find like-minded individuals, collaborate, and even contribute to subtitling and other creative endeavors. They also check the platform for movie reviews and information.

Chinese Millennials’ interaction with social media platforms is dynamic and multifaceted, reflecting their wide-ranging interests and comfort with technology. They are not merely passive consumers but active participants and creators, using social media to express themselves, connect with others, stay informed, and even shape the digital culture.

Chinese Gen Z – Post 95′ Generation

Chinese Gen Z is a truly digital-first generation, with the internet having been a constant presence throughout their lives. Their social media usage is thus highly sophisticated, varied, and constantly evolving.

WeChat

WeChat, while used by Gen Z for messaging and social connections, often takes a backseat to newer and more interactive platforms. However, its integrated services like WeChat Pay still play an essential role in their daily lives.

Weibo

Weibo is used by some Gen Z users, but its popularity is waning among this demographic. They may follow celebrities or specific interests but tend to perceive it as a platform more suited to older generations.

Xiaohongshu

The attraction towards Xiaohongshu Chinese social media platform for Gen Z lies in its lifestyle orientation. They use it to explore fashion trends, beauty products, and travel experiences, often influenced by KOLs (Key Opinion Leaders) and influencers.

Short-video platforms

Chinese Gen Z’s interaction with Douyin (TikTok in China) and Kuaishou extends beyond entertainment; these platforms serve as hubs for creativity, connection, and commerce. They are spaces where Gen Z can express their individuality through dance challenges, lip-syncing, and sharing personal stories.

E-commerce features are seamlessly integrated, allowing users to shop directly from videos, influenced by influencers and Key Opinion Leaders.

Live-streaming on these platforms has become popular, offering real-time interaction with hosts, exclusive shopping discounts, and a sense of community engagement.

Education and localized content further enrich Gen Z’s experience, making Douyin and Kuaishou multifaceted tools that cater to their diverse interests and needs, blending entertainment, shopping, and social connections in a way that resonates strongly with this digital-native generation.

Video streaming platforms

Bilibili holds a unique appeal for Gen Z, especially those engaged with anime, comics, gaming, and other subcultures. The platform’s community-driven content, including bullet comments and user-generated subtitles, fosters a strong sense of belonging and engagement.

Live-streaming platforms, often linked to shopping experiences like Taobao Live, have found particular resonance with Gen Z. They engage with live streams for entertainment, social connections, and increasingly, shopping influenced by real-time interactions with hosts and other viewers.

Environmental and social awareness also plays a part in how Gen Z engages with social media. They often support and engage with brands and content that align with their values regarding sustainability, social justice, and ethical practices.

Lastly, Gen Z’s comfort with digital technology leads them to explore new and emerging platforms and trends continually. Their tastes can be highly fluid, moving quickly from one trend to the next, reflecting a broader cultural desire for novelty and innovation. You also need to remember that this generation are mostly mobile users and they check Chinese social media apps merely on their phones.

Let’s compare!

The distinct generations in China exhibit unique behaviors and preferences across social media platforms. Gen X, primarily focused on information and connectivity, leans towards traditional platforms like WeChat and Weibo. Millennials are engaged across a broader range of platforms, embracing e-commerce, short videos, and niche interests. Gen Z, the digital-native generation, gravitates towards interactive and multifaceted platforms like Douyin and Kuaishou.

By tailoring strategies to these distinct generational profiles, foreign brands can create more targeted and effective campaigns.

• Gen X, valuing stability and tradition, gravitates towards platforms that offer news and connections with family and friends. Brands targeting this generation must emphasize trust, quality, and values that resonate with their lifestyle.
• Millennials are tech-savvy and socially influenced, engaging in content creation and e-commerce across various platforms. For foreign brands, leveraging influencers, offering loyalty programs, and creating engaging multimedia content can be key strategies to capture this audience.
• Gen Z, the digital natives, interact with platforms that offer creativity, live-streaming, and personalized experiences. Foreign brands seeking to engage Gen Z must be innovative, aligned with their values, and adaptable to the latest trends and technologies.

Whether it’s building trust with Gen X, engaging Millennials through influencer partnerships, or connecting with Gen Z’s creativity and values, recognizing the nuanced preferences of each generation is pivotal in crafting successful marketing and brand positioning within China’s multifaceted digital landscape.

We Can Help You Target Chinese Consumers on Social Media Platforms

Are you a foreign brand aiming to tap into China’s vast and diverse consumer landscape? Understanding the distinct preferences and behaviors across generations can be a complex task, but Gentlemen Marketing Agency is here to simplify it for you.

With our expertise in digital marketing strategies tailored specifically for the Chinese market, we leverage deep insights into Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z to create campaigns that resonate.

Whether it’s through WeChat, Weibo, Xiaohongshu, Douyin, Kuaishou, or Bilibili, our team crafts innovative solutions to connect you with the right audience. From traditional content that builds trust with Gen X, to influencer partnerships that engage Millennials, to creative multimedia experiences that capture Gen Z, we ensure your brand’s unique voice reaches its intended market.

Contact Gentlemen Marketing Agency today, and let us guide your brand to success in the world’s largest consumer market.

While platforms like WeChat and Weibo dominate the headlines around Chinese social media, Douban has become a powerful space for word-of-mouth influence among China’s educated and trend-conscious consumers. For brands aiming to build genuine trust, this community is where opinions are shaped and reputations are made.

At our agency, we’ve helped global brands discover the hidden potential of platforms like Douban. With years of experience in China’s digital ecosystem, we know how to connect with audiences who value authenticity, creativity, and cultural depth.

In this article, we’ll explain what Douban is, who uses it, and how your brand can leverage it as part of a successful China marketing strategy. We’ll share practical insights to help you engage with the right audience—and make your brand part of China’s vibrant cultural conversation.

Douban: A Powerful Social Networking Platform in China

What is Douban?

Launched on March 26th, 2005, Douban (豆瓣) is a Chinese social networking service website and app. Being more than just a social media like Facebook or Twitter, Douban is indeed a vast ecosystem of services. Over the years, Douban has been able to attract Chinese netizens and has grown to a whopping 300 million monthly active users that span all ages and backgrounds.

So what’s so special about it? We can pretty much say that Douban is like a combination of IMDb, Goodreads, Facebook, Blogger, Spotify, and Ello. People can post reviews on movies; create lists of movies they want to watch; share their favorite books with friends, etc., you will find forums dealing with a variety of topics depending on your tastes: TV shows are ranked by popularity, while music lovers can create playlists that they can share on the platform.

As we can see according to this statistic, Tencent’s WeChat still remains the most popular mobile app with 73% of respondents saying they used it frequently in a survey conducted this past October 2019. It was then followed by QQ, Weibo, Momo (an Instant messenger), Zhihu (a Q&A website), Tantan (a dating app) along with other smaller networks like Lianke or Douban, that are having significant success among Chinese netizens.

Read more about Chinese Social Media Guide

Who are Douban users

With over 300 million monthly active users on Douban, it is estimated that Douban has 180 million registered users and that 100 million are using the app without registering. Being extremely popular in 1st and second-tier cities, Douban is mainly used by degree-holders living in major cities, and having a middle-class lifestyle.

The majority of them were born between 1985 to 1995, and are using it as a forum-like platform sharing their opinion and reviews on a diversity of topics. In terms of ratio, there are 52.3 female and 47.7 male users. Thus, unlike Weibo for example, Douban appeals to white-collars, literate and sophisticated people.

“Most of the users live in major big cities of China. They are office workers, artists, freelancers and students who share common interests in arts, culture and lifestyle.”

Yang Bo, Douban’s founder

Why does Douban matter for businesses?

Unlike other popular social media platforms, Douban is more like a niche-focused platform based on the principle of a community, as its organic content is generated by users according to the number of reviews, the ratings, etc.

Moreover, Douban is accessible to everyone, not only in Mainland China, but everywhere in the world, and without having to register on the app! Unlike almost all the platforms (Western platforms included), people can have access to its services without logging in or creating an account, which is extremely useful for people that are just using it casually.

Why is Douban a great marketing tool?

Douban is a wonderful tool for marketing as it focuses on expressing oneself and one’s lifestyle. Users often post content to talk about movies, books, music, or even events. The landscape of the app constantly shifts with trends emerging and dying off relatively quickly in comparison to other similar platforms such as Reddit, where information can overwhelm someone’s feed, allowing him to explore some topics more deeply.

Overall, Douban allows users to download e-books, books, tickets for movies and concerts, listen to their favorite radio station, create forums, etc. Douban is a friendly app that allows users to keep up with what their friends are doing and share their passion.

In terms of users, it is clear that Douban is less popular than WeChat and Weibo (for which users need to register to have access to it) attracting non-registered users. Even though it might seem redundant to you, if you’re looking for an app to promote your artsy goods, Douban may be the perfect platform. It’s easy and convenient enough so that anyone can use it, unlike other platforms

Why should you use Douban as part of your marketing strategies?

It’s important to take into account that Douban is not targetting all the Chinese population. As mentioned earlier, the demographic of users on this platform are mostly citizens from Tier 1 and 2 cities, which leaves out the rural areas in China. This means there are fewer potential customers who can access your products or services if you focus solely on marketing here.

On top of that, Douban is not considered as a purely marketing app, as it only has banner ads. However, it is an interesting alternative to other social media platforms, offering a low CPM of 15-20 RMB for advertisements, and allowing brands to have their own page called a “brand station”, on which they can post content about their story (useful for story-telling), logo, history, CEO, etc.

On the other hand, as you might probably think of it when reading the presentation paragraph, Douban’s success secret for marketers is the power of its word-of-mouth.

As depicted by this survey from Hootsuite, word-of-mouth is the main source of new brand discovery for Chinese consumers. In fact, Chinese consumers are extremely cautious when buying new products, which explains why they heavily rely on their relatives and friends’ opinions. The rising use of social media has contributed to this phenomenon, with a much larger base and much more opinions than before.

As this type of public platform relies heavily on reviews, ratings, and discussions for its success, brands can take advantage of it to change or improve opinions about their products with great effectiveness, as well as engage with their community, replying to questions, and even creating events reuniting people sharing the common interests in order to get their feedback.

What are Douban Features?

Douban’s Music “音乐”

Douban’s Music section is probably its most popular feature, allowing the new artists to present and promote their songs to the audience and get their reviews. We can compare this functionality to MySpace. It is a good opportunity for users to discover new artists and support them.

Douban’s groups “小组”

Another core features of Douban are its group communities called “小组” on which people can share their experiences and join groups to talk about specific subjects with people sharing the same interests.

Douban’s Movie Reviews “电影”

Douban’s movies section is similar to IMDB.com (which is blocked in China) allowing users to rate movies and give reviews. It is also extremely useful as people can directly book tickets on the app, find out movies that are at the theater, select the genre of movies they want to watch, etc.

On a movie page, people have access to the trailer (to see if it’s worth it), ratings from other users who’ve seen them first-hand as well as their comments.

Douban’s Serie Reviews “电视”

This section is pretty similar to the movie section, allowing users to rate and review the series. There is a large variety of series, from classical Chinese series to the latest American series. There are also top rankings that allow users to click on it and have direct access to the top-rated series.

Douban’s Book Reviews “读书”

Douban’s books section is a place where people can review and discuss books, buy them directly from Chinese websites such as the e-commerce platform JD.com for example. This makes up one of its revenue sources, which is considerable and has become part of its core strategy. People can find old foreign books like “1984” or the “Little Prince”, but also some contemporary Chinese novels, fanfictions, etc.

Douban City “同城”

Douban’s “City” section features an array of events, such as festivals and exhibitions, with a section for people who are interested in group activities as well. Thus, it allows users “living in the same city” to not only discuss online but also meet in real life.

Douban FM

Douban.FM is a music streaming service that allows you to listen to tracks based on your taste and preferences, much like Spotify or Youtube Music, but with more customization ability in terms of skipping or liking tracks, etc.

Douban’s goods “豆瓣豆品”

In order to attract and retain users, Douban created its section “Douban’s Goods”, offering the opportunity for users to purchase goods with the logo of Douban on it for example. Moreover, Douban recently launched its “new stuff” section (quite similar to Taobao), allowing brands to display their products, and allowing users to directly purchase on the app. Even though this feature is not as popular as e-commerce platforms, it is slowly taking part in Douban’s growing success.

How to use Douban for your marketing effort in China?

Douban is a Chinese social media site that is going to bridge the gap between e-commerce and marketing. They are one of few companies in China that have embraced the rise of online shopping with open arms, as their new Stuff sections reflect this change. This move also opened up possibilities for more sophisticated promotion campaigns targeted toward upscale urban consumers through communities and groups on Douban’s platform and for brands that are looking to promote their products through different channels.

For example, Lancôme took advantage of Douban to attract a wider audience and diversify its marketing channels. As seen in this picture, brands can advertise through banner ads, and open screen ads.

Case Study: One Plus Mobile Phone

One plus took advantage of Douban’s word of mouth to rely on the platform several posts about a music festival. It was part of their online strategy. On the other hand, they also took advantage of Douban’s “groups” and Douban’s “City” to organize an event, encouraging people to participate, which was part of their offline strategy.

One plus was able to generate online traffic with thousands of reactions following their posts on Douban, as well as to organize an event in real life and retain users. Thus, when used with both online and offline strategies, Douban can be an extremely useful tool for marketers.

Contact us to get started on Douban

Our agency is born out of our passion for the web, digital marketing, and business in China. Located in Shanghai, Gentlemen Marketing Agency is positioned and focused on the Chinese market and on social media.

With our experience in many different industries, we understand the issues and opportunities foreign brands have to face when entering the Chinese market. We can help you achieve your goal and get started on several platforms that will help you increase your Return on Investments. Using Douban can be an excellent way to help you promote your brand in China, and raise your brand awareness as well. Our experts can help you understand the right techniques on Douban, and help your register as well your official account. Do not hesitate to contact us if you need more information or if you have inquiries, and we will reply within 24-hours.

For international brands, these groups are a real opportunity: they’re communities where real conversations, trust, and sales happen. Understanding how to use them effectively can open powerful new doors in China’s digital ecosystem.

At our agency, we’ve helped global brands with their WeChat Marketing to connect with Chinese consumers for over a decade. From building brand communities to managing social engagement campaigns, we’ve seen firsthand how WeChat Groups can turn casual chats into loyal customer relationships.

In this article, we’ll show you how to use WeChat Groups to grow your brand, engage your audience, and drive measurable results in China.

How are WeChat groups significant for your business?

WeChat is integral for businesses attempting to reach consumers in China as well as increase brand awareness and sales. A key advantage of using WeChat is the high engagement from members; meaning that more people will see your messages.

To begin with, it might be time-consuming to find and join the groups that are related or relevant to your brand’s business in China but it is worth the effort. There are a numberless amount of groups out there that will serve as a great marketing space for you.

Best ways to use WeChat groups for promoting your business

Create your own group

You can set up your own WeChat groups once you’re familiar with how they work. You are the leader, it’s your responsibility to keep the conversations going by posting relevant messages regularly. If you’re not available all the time, you can use schedule options to post messages ahead of time.

Also, start discussions about topics related to your products or industry to get people talking. And finally, don’t forget that you can remove anyone from the group who isn’t using it appropriately or whose presence could damage the brand in some way.

Create exclusive sales for the group

WeChat groups are magic when it comes to connecting with customers. Brands can alert their customers about exclusive discounts, promotions, special deals, or quick sales. Sales associates of the brand send messages to the group. Group member receives this message like receiving a message from a friend. It is indeed more effective than receiving messages from a brand name.

Add influencers to your group

Adding a group member who would influence the other members is a very effective way to increase your brand’s awareness. These influencers will be highly active in the group, promoting the brand by joining discussions and adding new members or simply answering back text messages. These influencers are engaged customers of your brand and are the backbone of any profitable business. You can show your appreciation for their efforts in recruiting new members by sending them a small gift.

Automate your frequently asked questions

Your customers will surely ask you some questions. How about creating an informative introduction for your group members about the things they would like to know? Automating your frequently asked questions will not only save you plenty of time and resources in the long run but also make your brand look more professional.

How do WeChat groups work?

Sending Invitations

To join a WeChat group, you have to be invited by another member of the group. You can’t discover groups independently. One of your contacts or your friends who are already in the group has to add you. For groups with less than 100 people in, you can be invited with a QR code. Or else you have to be invited directly through the app.

The best way to learn about which groups exist is probably just to ask your network of friends and contacts in China, particularly those who live in the same city as you.

Setting the Admins

The person who creates the group automatically becomes its leader. The leader is akin to an administrator, with the power to add and remove members from the chat as they see fit. You can identify who the current group leader is by clicking on group information on the right top of your screen.

Managing the size of the groups

A WeChat group is limited to 500 members. Up to 100 members can be added without restriction, but after that, an invitation must be accepted before the person joins the group. If a group reaches its 100-person limit, then anyone wishing to join must link their bank account to their WeChat if they want to access it. This promotes people using the WeChat wallet for payments and enables businesses bigger opportunities to direct customers to other WeChat shopping channels such as WeChat mini-programs.

Setting sticky on top feature

Using the Sticky on the top option, you can keep the specific group on top of your WeChat app. This is handy to access the group quickly if you are active in it.

Muting Notifications

Setting the mute notifications on, this setting is useful when you end up in a group that is very noisy and sends irrelevant text messages all the time. It can be annoying and distractive. With this setting, you can mute the group without leaving it together.

Saving WeChat group to your contacts list

This setting allows you to add the WeChat group to your contacts list. This can be beneficial for businesses that need to quickly send messages to multiple groups since they’ll be compiled in an easily accessible list.

Using QR codes

You can join groups by scanning their QR code with your phone. This is a quick and easy way to find new groups or promote your own group by sharing and promoting your unique QR code on your space.

Advertise on WeChat with our help

WeChat is a powerful marketing tool for businesses. It allows you to reach out to potential customers who are already using the platform and engage with them in a variety of ways. WeChat advertising can help you promote your brand, products, or services to a wider audience, and it can also be used to drive traffic to your website or online store.

GMA can help you get started with WeChat advertising easily. We have a team of experienced professionals who can assist you with creating and managing your WeChat account, as well as developing and executing your advertising campaign.

Discover how to use WeChat groups for marketing purposes! Contact us today and grow your business in China.

With platforms like Douyin dominating the market, Alibaba launched Luke Taobao live shopping to capture this fast-growing trend. For international brands, understanding how these platforms compete is key to winning Chinese consumers.

At Gentlemen Marketing Agency, we’ve helped global companies succeed in China’s competitive e-commerce market. We even run our own TaoBao store where we test out strategies.

Our team combines on-the-ground expertise with proven strategies tailored to foreign brands.

In this article, you’ll discover how Luke Taobao live shopping compares to Douyin, why it matters, and what steps your brand can take to thrive in China’s booming e-commerce scene.

In short:

• Douyin/TikTok has experienced significant growth in the e-commerce sector, combining content creation and live-streaming capabilities to drive sales.
• Lu Ke is a new app developed by TaoBao as their answer to Douyin/TikTok for e-commerce, offering features such as seamless integration with online retailers and influencer marketing.
• Livestreaming is a growing trend in e-commerce, revolutionizing how brands connect with consumers and driving significant sales. Platforms like Douyin/TikTok and Lu Ke are capitalizing on this trend.

The Rise of Douyin in the Chinese E-commerce Market

Douyin, also known as TikTok in China, has experienced a remarkable rise in the e-commerce space due to its emphasis on integrating shopping features into its content platform and leveraging live-streaming capabilities.

Douyin has recognized the opportunity of merging e-commerce with its highly popular platform. In 2020, they strategically shifted toward this direction by seamlessly integrating their content platform with e-commerce.

This move, akin to unlocking a new level in marketing, resulted in the overnight success of Douyin Box, their e-commerce product, particularly among China’s young audience, with a focus on fashion products.

Douyin Live-streaming

Douyin has successfully combined content creation and e-commerce. The platform features a wide range of content creators who cleverly incorporate product promotions into their short videos.

Livestreaming is a key component of this business model, setting trends of its own. In addition to the engaging videos, there are various shopping portals tailored to different consumer preferences, enhancing the digital customer experience for everyone.

Influencer marketing is taken to a new level here, allowing fans to directly purchase products endorsed by their favorite personalities while watching the live streams. Interactivity is not only encouraged but also rewarded with discounts and exclusive offers for participating in live streams.

Douyin’s Growth in China

Douyin has seen remarkable growth in the Chinese e-commerce sector. It grew from 720 million monthly active users in 2022 to more than 880 million, increasing by 22% in just one year.

Additionally, Douyin’s gross merchandise volume (GMV) for online sales has doubled, solidifying its position as a strong player in the Chinese market.

This rise has sparked intense competition in the e-commerce industry, with Douyin now being seen as a potential rival for major players like Alibaba and Meituan. The booming short-video app has over 700 million daily active users, and it is aggressively expanding into the e-commerce market, showcasing its potential in this field.

Douyin is becoming a popular platform for emerging brands to grow their businesses. Its success hints at a new playground for brands, leveraging the trend of live-streaming for e-commerce. Douyin’s growth reflects the changing dynamics of the Chinese e-commerce industry.

Lu Ke: The New App from TaoBao

Lu Ke is a new app created by TaoBao as a competitor to Douyin/TikTok. It is available for download on Android and iOS devices, allowing a large number of users to access it. The name “Lu Ke” is derived from the word “look” and reflects the app’s purpose.

Lu Ke offers unique features and functionalities to provide users with a smooth experience in discovering products and making purchases.

It’s important to keep up with emerging trends in the e-commerce market, as Lu Ke has already made waves in China’s social commerce scene.

Features of Lu Ke

Lu Ke is packed with features that make it a formidable competitor to Douyin/TikTok in the e-commerce space. Here are some of the key features that set Lu Ke apart:

• Seamless Integration: Lu Ke seamlessly integrates with TaoBao’s extensive network of online retailers, allowing users to shop directly from within the app. This makes the buying process quick and convenient, eliminating the need for users to switch between multiple platforms.

• Live-streaming Capabilities: Just like Douyin, Lu Ke offers live-streaming capabilities that allow brands and influencers to connect with their audience in real-time. This feature has proved immensely successful in driving sales and engaging consumers, making it a crucial aspect of Lu Ke’s strategy.

• Influencer Marketing: Lu Ke leverages the power of influencer marketing by partnering with popular content creators who have a significant following on social media. These influencers can showcase products, provide recommendations, and generate buzz around brands, ultimately driving more traffic and sales.

• Interactive Features: Lu Ke incorporates interactive features like live chats and Q&A sessions during live streams, enhancing user engagement and facilitating direct communication between sellers and buyers. This personal touch helps build trust and encourages consumers to make confident purchasing decisions.

• Shoppable Content: With Lu Ke, users can easily purchase products featured in videos without leaving the app. This shoppable content feature capitalizes on impulse buying behavior by enabling seamless transactions within a few taps.

• Algorithmic Discoverability: Similar to Douyin’s personalized recommendation algorithm, Lu Ke utilizes advanced algorithms to present users with tailored content based on their preferences and purchasing history. This ensures that users are exposed to relevant products and increases their chances of discovering new items they may be interested in.

• User-Generated Content (UGC): UGC plays a significant role in driving engagement on Lu Ke as well. Users can create and share their own videos showcasing products they love, providing genuine reviews and recommendations that resonate with other users and encourage them to make purchases.

How Lu Ke aims to compete with Douyin

Lu Ke is planning to compete with Douyin in the e-commerce market. The platform aims to use the popularity of short videos and social media to drive sales. One of the ways Lu Ke plans to compete is through its algorithmic matching feature, similar to Douyin. This feature matches products with potential customers based on their interests and preferences, increasing the likelihood of a purchase.

Additionally, Lu Ke seamlessly integrates with Taobao’s online shopping platform, allowing users to access product information and make purchases directly within the app, making the buying process more convenient.

This convenience factor sets Lu Ke apart from other short video apps and enhances user engagement.

The Role of Livestreaming in E-commerce

Live-streaming is a growing trend in e-commerce, revolutionizing the way brands connect with consumers and driving significant sales. Discover how live-streaming campaigns have become game-changers for businesses and why it’s crucial to leverage this powerful tool for success in the competitive world of online shopping.

Live-streaming as a growing trend

Livestreaming has quickly emerged as a dominant trend in the e-commerce industry, particularly in China. Platforms like Douyin have capitalized on this growing trend, offering users a unique and interactive way to shop online.

With the live-streaming e-commerce market projected to reach $76.42 billion US by 2025, it’s clear that this is not just a passing fad. Chinese consumers are increasingly drawn to the convenience and excitement of shopping through live video streams, with platforms like Taobao’s Lu Ke aiming to compete with Douyin for a share of this rapidly expanding market.

The Impact of live-streaming on sales

Live-streaming has revolutionized the way businesses connect with customers and sell products. It allows brands to engage with their audience in real-time, establishing trust and driving sales. Research shows that live-streaming e-commerce not only enhances brand marketing efforts but also significantly influences purchase intentions.

Customers are more likely to make a purchase after watching a live stream because they can see the product in action and hear reviews from influencers or celebrities. Livestreaming also creates an immersive and interactive shopping experience, increasing customer engagement on social media platforms.

With platforms like Douyin/TikTok and Lu Ke making strides in the live e-commerce market, it’s evident that live-streaming is a powerful tool for driving sales growth.

Examples of successful live-streaming campaigns

Live-streaming has become a dominant method in the industry, and platforms like Douyin and TikTok have excelled in this space. Here are some examples of successful live-streaming campaigns that have made a significant impact:

1. Perfect Diary’s “Four Seasons” Livestream: Perfect Diary, a Chinese cosmetics company, hosted a four-day-long livestream called “Four Seasons.” They partnered with popular beauty influencers who showcased their products and provided makeup tutorials. The campaign resulted in over 200 million views and $120 million in sales.
2. Li Jiaqi’s Lipstick Livestream: Li Jiaqi, also known as the “Lipstick King,” is one of China’s top beauty influencers. In one of his livestreams, he sold 15,000 lipsticks within five minutes. His charismatic personality and product recommendations have made him extremely influential in the livestream shopping space.
3. Taobao’s Double Eleven Livestream Gala: Taobao, an online marketplace owned by Alibaba Group, hosts an annual livestream gala on November 11th (Double Eleven), known as the world’s largest shopping festival. The event features celebrity performances, exclusive discounts, and interactive games to engage viewers and drive sales.
4. ByteDance’s Tech Gadgets Livestream: ByteDance, the parent company of Douyin/TikTok, leverages its immense user base to promote tech gadgets through live streams. Influencers showcase the latest smartphones, smartwatches, and other gadgets while providing detailed reviews and answering viewer questions.
5. Maybelline New York’s Virtual Try-on Livestream: To tackle the challenge of buying cosmetics online without trying them physically, Maybelline New York introduced virtual try-on technology during their live streams. Viewers could use their smartphones to virtually test different shades of lipstick, eyeshadow, and foundation, boosting confidence in the purchasing decision.

We are your local partner in China! Contact us!

Lu Ke is a platform that aims to become TaoBao’s equivalent of Douyin/TikTok for e-commerce. It focuses on live-streaming and aims to compete with Douyin in the social commerce space.

Livestreaming has proven to be effective in driving sales and revenue, and it will be fascinating to observe how these platforms evolve and influence the future of social media marketing in China’s thriving online shopping industry.

Keep an eye out for Lu Ke as it makes waves in the e-commerce market!

We are a China-based marketing agency offering cost-effective solutions to foreign brands interested in tapping into the Chinese eCommerce market. Our team of Chinese and foreign experts has the experience and know-how needed to succeed in this lucrative, yet complicated market.

Gentlemen Marketing Agency offers many digital marketing and e-commerce solutions, such as web design, e-commerce and social media marketing strategies, localization, market research, KOL marketing, and more.

Don’t hesitate to leave us a comment or contact us, so that we can schedule a free consultation with one of our experts, that will learn about your brand and present you the best solutions for your China market strategy.

China Social Media Marketing 2025: Top Platforms and Winning Strategies

Foreign brands always ask me:” “Philip, which Chinese social media platform should I be on?”

My answer: “All of them… if you have Alibaba’s budget. But if not, choose wisely, or you’ll burn cash faster than you burn dumplings.”

China’s social media is not like the West. Here, apps are super-apps. We don’t just scroll. We shop, we pay rent, we book a massage, and yes… we might even break up with someone on WeChat. That’s the ecosystem you’re entering.

Let’s break it down.

The Top 5 Platforms in 2025

1. WeChat (微信)

Still the king. With 1.3 billion users, it’s like oxygen. You don’t choose WeChat. You have to use WeChat.

• Mini-Programs = Your mobile site + e-commerce + loyalty card, all in one.
• Official Accounts = Your brand blog + CRM.
• WeChat Pay = Everyone’s wallet.

Tip for foreign brands: Don’t just post pretty content. Use Mini-Programs for sales funnels. Example: Nike runs exclusive sneaker drops inside WeChat, bypassing Tmall and JD.

2. Douyin (抖音)

746 million users, endless scrolling. It’s short video + livestream = shopping machine.

• Algorithm stronger than your ex’s stalking skills.
• Livestream = conversions that make your CFO cry with joy.

Example: Cleer Headphones did a livestream push on Douyin and sales jumped 1.5× overnight. That’s the power of TikTok’s big brother.

3. Xiaohongshu (小红书 / RED)

The fashion, beauty, and lifestyle temple. 300 million users, mostly Gen Z and millennial women.

• UGC “notes” feel like diaries, not ads.
• People search here before buying anything: “Best anti-aging serum 2025” → boom, your product must appear.

If you’re a luxury or fashion brand: this is your credibility stage. Dior, Chanel, and local indie brands all play the same game:authentic seeding (种草).

4. Weibo (微博)

Still relevant. Think of it as Twitter + TMZ + Crisis Hotline.

• Want to go viral? Do it on Weibo.
• Want to manage a scandal? Also on Weibo.

Example: When Kris Wu had his scandal, every brand rushed to Weibo to distance themselves. Lesson: keep a Weibo account even if it feels “old school.”

5. Kuaishou (快手)

The “real people” platform. 380M DAUs, deep in Tier 2–4 cities.

• More grassroots, less polished than Douyin.
• If you sell affordable fashion, household goods, or snacks → this is your battlefield.

Example: Local down jacket brands kill it on Kuaishou with “farmer-to-fashion” livestreams. Authenticity converts better than glossy ads here.

10 Winning Strategies for 2025

1. AI Is Your Intern (That Never Sleeps)
   Baidu’s AI , DeepSeek, Douyin’s algorithm… these tools target better than any human. Use them to test content, adjust bids, and personalize at scale.
2. Livestream = Sales Engine
   $200B in sales already. On Douyin or Taobao Live, a good host can move more inventory in 2 hours than your Paris boutique in 2 months.
3. Partner with KOCs, Not Just KOLs
   Key Opinion Consumers (micro-influencers) = higher trust, lower cost. JD Sports boosted sales this way. Why? Because real people sell better than celebrities who can’t pronounce your brand name.
4. Grass-Planting (种草)
   Think content marketing + SEO + Instagram aesthetics. RED users literally type “Best handbags under 5000 RMB.” If you’re not there, you don’t exist.
5. WeChat Mini-Programs
   Your shop-in-shop inside WeChat. Nike, Sephora, Starbucks use them for loyalty, flash sales, and exclusives.
6. UGC Everywhere
   Foreign brands often fear user-generated content. In China, it’s gold. Ubras (underwear brand) reposts customer selfie : authenticity sells.
7. Cross-Platform Strategy
   Douyin for awareness, WeChat for conversion, RED for trust. Stop treating platforms separately. Chinese consumers hop across them like it’s a fashion show.
8. Go Lower-Tier
   Growth isn’t just in Shanghai. Kuaishou + Pinduoduo dominate smaller cities, where consumers have cash and less brand loyalty.
9. Real-Time Trend Riding
   Weibo hot topics + Douyin memes = brand exposure. Example: vivo and BYD surfed trending hashtags for free PR. Timing matters.
10. Social Commerce Integration
    Remove friction. In China, “I saw it, I liked it, I bought it” happens in 3 clicks. If your funnel is longer than that, you’re done.

The Future of Social Media Marketing in China

• AI as Co-Creator: Virtual influencers, auto-generated scripts, predictive targeting.
• Global Expansion: Douyin, RED, and even WeChat pushing outside China : foreign brands can use this to test markets.
• Hyper-Niche: From “frog lovers” to “玄学 youth,” China’s subcultures are goldmines if you respect them.

COME TO CHINA OR STAY HOME?

For foreign brands:

• Stop thinking in “campaigns.” Think in ecosystems.
• Forget control, embrace UGC chaos.
• Don’t just show products. Tell stories that feel real.

And most importantly: localize with humor, honesty, and speed. In China, if you’re slow, you’re dead. If you’re fake, you’re roasted.

This shift is transforming how consumers discover, trust, and buy products online. For global brands, it’s not just a trend: it’s one of the fastest-growing entry points into the Chinese market E-Commerce.

At GMA, we’ve helped international companies tap into platforms like WeChat, Douyin, and Xiaohongshu, seeing some of the highest ROI in our campaigns.

In this guide, you’ll learn why social commerce is booming in China, which platforms matter most, and how your brand can use proven strategies to succeed.

Key Takeaways

• Social commerce is rapidly growing in China, accounting for 16.3% of online retail e-commerce sales in 2023.
• In social commerce, people use apps like WeChat and Xiaohongshu to shop and interact with other buyers, sellers, and influencers before making a purchase.
• The shift from traditional e-commerce to social commerce has led to changes in marketing strategies, focusing on platforms that integrate social interactions and shopping experiences.
• China’s successful social commerce model is being replicated globally, offering new opportunities for businesses worldwide to increase brand visibility and engage customers effectively.

What is Social Commerce in China?

Social commerce is when social interactions and online shopping come together, creating a smooth and enjoyable shopping experience. It’s about combining the convenience of e-commerce with the fun and connection of social media.

With social commerce, people can buy products directly within their favorite platforms like WeChat and Xiaohongshu, without having to leave the app. It’s all about making it easier for customers to shop while also allowing them to interact with others and share their experiences.

So, instead of just browsing through products on a website, social commerce lets you explore items in a more interactive way, discover recommendations from friends or influencers, and make purchases with just a few clicks.

How did it all start and why China is a definite pioneer in social commerce?

Back when I first started observing China’s digital landscape, things were just taking off. Everywhere I looked, people were glued to their smartphones, browsing, chatting, and, of course, shopping. What fascinated me was how naturally social interactions blended with commerce.

At the heart of this was the trust Chinese people placed in recommendations from friends, family, and even popular figures online. I remember seeing a makeup tutorial on Douyin and being amazed when the influencer directly linked to the lipstick she used. It was genius – shopping made as easy as a single click.

With time, new platforms were sprouting up, each adding its twist to the social shopping experience. And the giants – Alibaba, Tencent, JD.com – they weren’t just watching. They were at the forefront, pushing boundaries and integrating more engaging, social features.

But it wasn’t just about the tech. It was the people. Young Chinese shoppers were adventurous. They didn’t just want products; they craved experiences, stories, and connections. As platforms catered to this desire, social commerce naturally took the lead, and China emerged as its global champion. What began as a curiosity turned into a revolution, and I was right there, watching China reshape the future of shopping.

What’s the current size of China’s social commerce?

Thanks to the fact that China has the largest social media population worldwide (only WeChat gathers 1.26 billion monthly active users), it’s no wonder that it is the country pioneering in social commerce.

On average, Chinese Internet users spend more than two hours a day browsing different social media platforms. In 2022, around 84% of Chinese consumers bought at least one product on Chinese social media platforms, in comparison to only 36% in the US.

As of 2023, social commerce sales account for 16.3% of total e-commerce retail sales value in China and they will record a steady growth in the future. In comparison, the US stands at around 5%.

It is predicted that next year (2024), social commerce sales will reach $507.94 billion, with an annual growth of more than 10%.

ResearchAndMarkets.com forecasts that China’s social commerce industry could hit $2 trillion by 2028 from its 2022 value of $363 billion. The market research firm said the sector’s value would grow at a compound annual growth rate of 33.7% between 2022 and 2028.

Changes in marketing strategies due to digital content growth

The rapid growth of social commerce in China has led to significant changes in marketing strategies, particularly due to the increase in digital content. Companies are now shifting their focus from traditional e-commerce channels to platforms that integrate social interactions and shopping experiences.

This shift requires brands to adapt their marketing tactics by incorporating elements such as interactivity and informativeness on social media platforms. In the US, companies are looking towards China’s social commerce market for inspiration and insights into consumer shopping trends.

Benefits of social commerce

Social commerce offers several benefits that can help companies increase their brand visibility, enhance customer engagement, and streamline the customer journey.

• Increased brand visibility: Social commerce allows businesses to reach a wider audience and gain more exposure for their brand. By leveraging social media platforms, companies can showcase their products and services to a large number of potential customers.

• Enhanced customer engagement: Social commerce provides a more interactive shopping experience on social media platforms. Customers can engage with brands through comments, likes, and shares, fostering a sense of community and connection. This engagement helps build trust and loyalty among customers.

• Streamlined customer journey: With social commerce, customers can discover products, read reviews, and make purchases without leaving the social media platform. This seamless integration makes the shopping process convenient and efficient for customers.

Key Players and Platforms in China’s Social Commerce Market

China’s social commerce market is dominated by key players and platforms such as Xiaohongshu, Pinduoduo, WeChat, and Douyin. These platforms offer personalized customer experiences and shoppable content that are driving the growth of social commerce in China.

Discover more about these influential players and the emerging trends in this dynamic market by reading on.

WeChat

WeChat is a super popular social media platform in China, developed by Tencent. It has over one billion users! In 2021 alone, WeChat made $17.4 billion from social network revenue.

In fact, WeChat is where everything started. With the introduction of WeChat mini-programs, an e-commerce solution within the platform, Chinese Internet users started enjoying online shopping within their favorite social media platform. Mini-programs allowed them to share their favorite products and brands with their friends and more.

Thanks to an extensive user base and an integration of many commerce-friendly features, like in-app shops, e-brochures, and the WeChat Pay payment method, WeChat became a leader of social commerce in China.

Check our guide to WeChat eCommerce to learn more!

Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book)

If you’re looking to tap into China’s social commerce market, you can’t ignore Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book). As China’s most trusted social shopping platform, it has gained popularity among young female shoppers in top-tier cities.

With 200 million monthly active users, it is a popular platform, especially for Chinese women who are interested in beauty products. So, if your target audience includes these demographics and you want to reach them with your brand or product, XiaoHongShu could be the perfect platform for you.

Xiaohongshu has its own integrated marketplace, where you can sell your products directly to the users of the app. It’s especially profitable for fashion and beauty brands, that can promote their products, collaborate with Key Opinion Leaders and Key Opinion Consumers, and organize live-streaming sessions, during which they will present products and sell them directly.

It’s a very convenient platform for shopping, and it’s the most trusted one, in terms of product reviews and recommendations.

Here is our Little Red Book eCommerce Guide!

Pinduoduo

Pinduoduo is the one of biggest social commerce platforms in China, and it’s making a big impact in the digital marketplace. It has quickly become the third-largest e-commerce player in China, just behind Alibaba and JD.com, the most popular traditional e-commerce platforms in the country.

In fact, Pinduoduo didn’t start from social media, but from e-commerce. It gained popularity thanks to its unique business model, where people can engage in group buying, inviting friends to purchase products in bulk, to get a better price. This model turned out to be a big hit, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, when people were teaming up inside their buildings, to buy the necessities without leaving the house.

Here is how it works:

One of the reasons for its success is that it has gained popularity among consumers in lower-tier cities and rural areas. In fact, Pinduoduo achieved a market capitalization of USD 100 billion in less than five years! This shows how significant social commerce is becoming in China’s digital market, especially when it comes to reaching Chinese consumers who are shopping online.

Here is our more detailed step-by-step guide

Douyin and its integration of shoppable content

Douyin, a prominent player in China’s social commerce market, has successfully integrated shoppable content into its platform. This means that users can seamlessly purchase products directly from video creators within this social commerce platform.

Douyin Stores, introduced in May 2018, is a native e-commerce system that allows for this convenient shopping experience. This integration reflects the growing trend in China of blending entertainment and e-commerce together.

With its explosive growth in e-commerce sales, Douyin has become a key platform for brands looking to target Chinese consumers.

Here you can check our guide to Douyin Flagship Stores

Taobao

Alibaba’s online behemoths, Taobao and TMall, have seamlessly woven social commerce into their fabric via the pioneering GuangGuang platform. Bolstered by the star power of live-streaming mavens like Li Jiaqi, the “lipstick king,” and an assortment of vibrant sales events beyond just the famed 11.11 festival, GuangGuang has set new standards for the e-commerce realm.

At its core, the massive reach of Taobao and TMall ensures that a vast audience is constantly engaged in the social shopping arena. Moreover, the platform’s retail-centric approach ensures that users are primed for purchasing, making every interaction count. The regular splash of unique sales events further spices up the shopping journey, offering irresistible deals and memorable moments to shoppers.

Emerging Trends in Social Commerce

Shoppable Content, Livestream Shopping, Shoppable Chat, Merging Marketing and Transactions, and Personalization through First-Party Data – are just a few of the emerging trends in China’s social commerce market.

Shoppable Content

When it comes to social commerce in China, shoppable content is a big trend that brands should pay attention to. Platforms like Douyin have become popular for their ability to integrate entertainment and shopping seamlessly.

With short videos and live streaming, these platforms create engaging experiences for consumers while giving them the opportunity to make purchases directly. In fact, brands like Taobao have achieved great success by leveraging shoppable content on platforms like Douyin.

This emerging trend is gaining traction in China’s social commerce landscape and provides an exciting opportunity for brands to connect with their target audience in new and innovative ways.

Livestream Shopping

Livestream shopping has experienced remarkable growth in China, becoming a booming market worth $720 billion. It has revolutionized how brands engage with and sell to their customers.

In fact, live-streaming has become an integral part of e-commerce in China. The numbers speak for themselves – live-streaming commerce sold over $720 billion in 2023 and continues to grow at a rate of 53%.

This trend has had a tremendous impact on boosting brand recognition and driving sales performance in the Chinese market. With such impressive results, it’s clear that livestream shopping is here to stay as an effective way for businesses to connect with consumers and generate revenue.

Shoppable Chats

WeChat and Douyin are essential platforms when it comes to social commerce in China. They have become vibrant shopping hubs, offering high-value content that is highly social and relatable.

Shoppable chat, which allows users to seamlessly shop within the chat interface, is becoming increasingly important in social commerce. With WeChat being one of the most powerful e-commerce platforms in China, and Douyin’s integration of shoppable content, these platforms are leading the way in shaping the future of online shopping in China.

Merging Marketing and Transactions

In China, platforms like WeChat, Weibo, and Douyin have undergone a transformation by merging marketing and transactions. These platforms offer messaging and blogging features combined with e-commerce and online payment options.

By integrating these functionalities, they create a comprehensive ecosystem for social commerce. This trend reflects the growing popularity of social commerce in China, where brands can learn from the merging of marketing and transactions to leverage this trend for their success.

It presents an opportunity for marketers to engage with customers through multiple channels while facilitating seamless transactions within the same platform. Such integration allows businesses to reach their target audience more effectively and provide a convenient shopping experience all in one place.

Personalization through First-Party Data

First-party data is the information businesses collect directly from their customers, such as purchase history, browsing behavior, and preferences. By leveraging this data, marketers can create more personalized and targeted marketing strategies.

Personalization allows businesses to understand their customers on a deeper level and tailor their messaging accordingly. It helps to deliver relevant content and offers that resonate with individual customer preferences, increasing engagement and driving conversions.

Moreover, personalized marketing has become a growing trend as customers expect brands to understand their needs and provide a tailored experience.

Through first-party data, businesses can segment their customer base into specific groups based on behavioral patterns or demographic information. This segmentation enables targeted advertising campaigns that are more likely to reach the right audience at the right time with the right message.

Shopping in the Metaverse: Introduce the concept of “Metaverse Shopping”.

Have you heard of “Metaverse Shopping“? It’s an exciting new trend in social commerce. Basically, it means shopping in a virtual reality world. Instead of going to a physical store or shopping online, customers can step into a virtual environment and browse and buy products using their avatars.

It offers a more immersive and engaging experience for shoppers. And guess what? Gen Z, who grew up with 3D experiences, is expected to be the first to embrace this kind of shopping.

So, get ready for the future of retail in the metaverse!

Virtual Influencers as Brand Ambassadors

Let me tell you about the rise of virtual influencers as brand ambassadors in China. Virtual influencers are digitally created personalities who are gaining popularity among China’s young consumer base.

These virtual influencers serve as online ambassadors for brands, leveraging their strong presence on social media platforms to engage with their Gen Z audience. The emergence of virtual influencers is closely tied to the growing influence of social media and the power it holds in shaping consumer behavior.

Chinese tech giants like Tencent and Alibaba are leading the way in developing this market by creating their own virtual human characters. This trend is not limited to China alone, as virtual influencers have also gained traction in other Asian markets such as Japan and South Korea.

Success Factors of Social Commerce in China

Social commerce in China offers numerous benefits, including integrated social media, e-commerce, and content creation, enhanced user engagement through influencer marketing, and the rise of community group buying.

Integration of social media, e-commerce, and content creation

In China, the integration of social media, e-commerce, and content creation is a game-changer for businesses. It allows them to reach customers directly through platforms like WeChat and Douyin and sell their products seamlessly.

By combining engaging content with shopping features, brands can attract and retain customers more effectively. This integration not only enhances brand visibility but also provides a personalized customer experience.

So, when it comes to social commerce in China, integrating social media, e-commerce, and content creation is key to success in social commerce growth.

User engagement and influencer marketing

Influencers play a significant role in driving consumer engagement and online retail sales on social network platforms. In fact, it is predicted that 60.9% of Chinese social commerce sales in 2023 will come from influencer marketing.

The influence of social media influencers helps to build trust, increase brand visibility, and enhance customer engagement. By leveraging influencers’ reach and credibility with their followers, brands can effectively promote their products or services to a highly engaged audience on various social media channels.

This type of marketing strategy has become essential for brands looking to tap into the growing social commerce market in China.

The rise of community group buying and live streaming commerce

In China’s e-commerce market, two trends have gained significant traction: community group buying and live-streaming commerce. Community group buying allows consumers to pool their resources together for discounted bulk purchases, while live-streaming commerce enables brands and influencers to showcase products through interactive live streams, allowing viewers to make purchases in real-time.

These emerging trends have rapidly grown in popularity due to their ability to create a sense of community engagement and offer unique shopping experiences. With China’s advanced influencer economy and high e-commerce penetration rate, the rise of these trends further strengthens the social commerce industry in China.

Conclusion

In conclusion, understanding and leveraging social commerce is crucial for brands looking to succeed in the Chinese market. With its rapid growth and impact on consumer behavior, embracing new ways of shopping on social media platforms is essential for staying ahead in China’s digital economy.

By integrating social interactions, e-commerce, and content creation, brands can enhance customer engagement and capitalize on the opportunities presented by social commerce trends such as livestream shopping and personalized experiences.

To thrive in this evolving landscape, proactive adaptation is key. In this rapidly evolving landscape of Chinese social commerce, brands need a guide, a partner, and a strategist – that’s where Gentlemen Marketing Agency steps in.

With our unparalleled insights into the Chinese market and a deep understanding of social platforms like WeChat, Xiaohongshu, Douyin (we are a certified Douyin Partner!), or Taobao, we are primed to help your brand make its mark.

Whether it’s collaborating with top-tier KOLs or creating standout campaigns for special sales events, our expertise ensures that your brand not only enters the Chinese social commerce space but thrives in it.

Join us and be part of China’s next big social commerce success story. Social commerce adoption is your key to success in today’s China!

Contact us to schedule a free consultation

• Little Red Book has grown to over 200 million active users, making it one of the most powerful channels to influence China’s Gen Z shoppers.
• It is China’s most trusted social commerce platform for lifestyle and beauty.

This fast-growing platform has become China’s second most influential social media, especially for Gen Z and millennial consumers.

At GMA (Gentlemen Marketing Agency), we’ve helped global companies succeed in China for more than a decade. Our team has seen first-hand how the right approach with XiaoHongShu Marketing can transform brand awareness and drive measurable growth.

In this article, we’ll walk you through proven Little Red Book marketing strategies, from authentic content to influencer partnerships, so you can confidently build your brand in China.

This article will introduce how Little Red book is effective for businesses in China (or to target Chinese consumers).

The success story of Xiaohongshu (or little red book)

This Chinese start-up was created in 2013 by Charwlin MAO and it has been in a fast pace of development. The brand was established only 4 years and its valuation exceeds 1 billion today. The little red book became a veritable “unicorn company”.

What is this APP?

Xiaohongshu is an online community, also a cross-border e-commerce platform. It is mainly known to be a place for sharing where users can publish but also get useful tips.

We can find on Little red book different categories: fashion, food, wedding stuff, pet, and travel. The content is also diversified with product feedback, shopping tips, new trends, and promotional offers. Anyway, it is a place where Chinese consumers are spending a lot of time.

Over 70 million users after 3 years of operations

100,000 new content is added every day, with a total of 780 million product content on its platform. Even though it is also a cross-border e-commerce platform, it often lets people think of it mostly as a sharing platform.

The main users are women, consumers, with an average age of 18 to 35, with over 70% of post-90 users. Users are also bloggers.  They have their own profile page, can create posts, and be followed by other users. This creates a community of trust sharing the same ideas, opinions, bargains, and recommendations.

The app aims to foster this group cohesion by reinforcing this feeling of belonging to a community once registered on the app. To achieve that, Xiaohongshu uses the power of its database to generate customized content for users, according to their tastes and expectations.

A platform to send useful information

As the founder of Xiaohongshu, Miranda Qu (Qu Fang) said: “Little red book is an entrance for a new way of life” and thinks that doing only cross-border e-commerce or vertical e-business is riskier. She also noticed the huge consumers’ need for shopping information. That is why she is working to guarantee the frame of Xiaohongshu, which consist to be useful.

Chinese people are very connected to them. They have no problem sharing content on their social network even more if it is fun or if they think this information could be a benefit to someone else. A lot of companies promote their brand online and interact with their target consumers in that way, by providing content that could attract consumers’ interest.

What’s the strategy of Xiaohongshu?

In the beginning, the content of the Little red book was mainly related to outbound travel. The first post about United States tourism was written by Qu Fang herself. For a long time, the start-up had only one content writer, and no celebrities or influencers.

Advertising and e-commerce are the most common ways to gain traffic. However only e-commerce can improve a give a real user experience. According to the little red book’s founder, the division of labor is that “the E-commerce part is responsible for making money, while the content section is responsible for being lovely”.

Promotion via celebrities

Xiaohongshu collaborated with a very hot Chinese variety show “Idol producer” to promote its brand. This attracted time lot of discussions boosted its visibility and generated new users on its platform.

Xiaohongshu also searches to let celebrities use its platform as its collaboration with the famous Chinese actress Fan Bingbing was a real success. She has important fame in China and even over the world and has been called a global fashion icon due to her frequent appearances on the red carpet, at movie premieres, and at fashion shows. Almost all her sharings on Xiaohongshu made a buzz. We can find on Chinese e-commerce platforms products description like “Bingbing tongkuan” which means “the same product as Bingbing has used” and an explosion in those products’ demand, often sold out.

Kol and celebrities are playing an important role in marketing to China.

A focus on cosmetics and beauty products

We can find a lot of content on Xiaohongshu about make-up tips and cosmetics sharing. It has taken an important part of the start-up’s concern. The reason why beauty was used as an entry point, Yu-Fang thinks is a question of time. “Like Jingdong started from 3c, and then opened its platform for all the categories of product , Xiaohongshu was facing the rising trend of a skincare product.”

The app already formed partnerships with several foreign brands originating in the US, Japan, and Korea to market them on Chinese territory. For more information about e-commerce in China, click here.

Little Red Book UGC & testimonials

User-generated content (UGC) on Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book) plays a crucial role in the platform’s ecosystem, fostering authenticity and community engagement. You can pay KOC in China to work on your UGC on Red:

1. Authenticity and Trust: Xiaohongshu’s UGC model enhances the platform’s trustworthiness, as users rely heavily on peer reviews and personal experiences to make informed purchasing decisions. example
2. Community Engagement: The APP thrives on high levels of user interaction, with users sharing content, commenting on posts, and participating in discussions, all of which contribute to a vibrant community.
3. Influence on Purchase Decisions: UGC on Red significantly influences consumer behavior, with many users making purchase decisions based on recommendations and reviews shared by others on the platform.
4. Content Diversity: The UGC on Xiaohongshu spans a wide range of topics including fashion, beauty, travel, and lifestyle, reflecting the diverse interests of its user base.
5. Strategic Use for Marketing: Brands successfully leverage UGC for marketing by encouraging users to post honest reviews and share personal stories that highlight product uses and benefits, thereby boosting visibility and credibility , according to Marcus Zhan, Little Red book is the best App for Lifestyle of Brands in China

LIttle Red Book ads , best way for promotion in 2024

To effectively utilize native ads on Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book), here are three important considerations:

1. Activate a Professional Account: Before you can start using native ads, you must set up a professional account on Xiaohongshu. This is essential for gaining access to the platform’s advertising tools and analytics, which are crucial for crafting targeted and effective ad campaigns.
2. Seamless Integration within the Feed : Native ads on Xiaohongshu should blend seamlessly with organic content. This means creating ads that match the look, feel, and tone of regular user posts, making them less intrusive and more likely to engage the platform’s audience.
3. Relevance: Ensure that the ads are highly relevant to the interests of your target audience. Xiaohongshu’s user base is particularly keen on fashion, beauty, and lifestyle products. Tailoring your ads to these interests can significantly increase engagement and effectiveness.

Need help with Little Red Book Marketing in China?

GMA is an agency that specialized in digital marketing in China. Our team offers a complete range of services for e-commerce entrepreneurs from consulting to operations.

Little Red Book Case studies

We have developed several successful e-commerce projects because we know how to effectively promote your e-commerce business in China by using the latest digital tools, including Little red book.

Success in the nowadays Chinese market is linked to your visibility and reputation online.

To develop in China, you also have to follow trends and have a good knowledge of Chinese consumers’ habits. Want to get into the huge Chinese market?

Feel free to contact us for more information.

Read also :

• Little Red Book officially launches the RED brand partner platform
• How to Get Started on the Chinese App Little Red Book aka RED as a Business?
• Introduction to Douyin Marketing – Marketing China

• These terms often originate from online platforms like Douyin (TikTok) or gaming communities and spread rapidly through social media  .
• They reflect youth culture, addressing themes like social competition (内卷), emotional expression (破防了), and lifestyle choices (躺平)  .
• Abbreviations and puns are common, driven by input methods (e.g., pinyin shortcuts) and a desire for concise communication

We are a Digital Agency in China, since 2012.

These words can be used in your Marketing Campaign.

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1. yyds (永远的神)

• Meaning: Abbreviation for “yǒngyuǎn de shén” (eternal god), used to describe someone or something exceptionally outstanding, similar to “GOAT” (Greatest of All Time) in English  .
• Example: “桂林米粉就是yyds！” (Guilin rice noodles are the greatest!)  .

2. nsdd (你说得对)

• Meaning: Short for “nǐ shuō dé duì” (you are right). It expresses agreement but can also be used sarcastically to end a discussion abruptly  .
• Example: “Nsdd, 我都听你的。” (You’re right, I’ll follow your advice.) 

3. xswl (笑死我了)

• Meaning: Abbreviation for “xiào sǐ wǒ le” (laughing to death), equivalent to “LOL” in English. It signifies something is hilarious 2.
• Example: “这个视频太搞笑了，xswl！” (This video is so funny, LOL!) 

4. u1s1 (有一说一)

• Meaning: Short for “yǒu yī shuō yī” (say one thing if there’s one). It emphasizes honesty and straightforwardness, similar to “honestly” or “let’s be real” .
• Example: “U1s1, 这杯果汁真好喝。” (Honestly, this juice is delicious.)  .

5. bdjw (不懂就问)

• Meaning: Abbreviation for “bù dǒng jiù wèn” (if you don’t understand, just ask). It introduces a question politely, akin to “just wondering” in English 
• Example: “Bdjw, 什么是阿基米德定律?” (Just wondering, what is Archimedes’ principle?)  .

6. 内卷 (nèijuǎn)

• Meaning: Literally “involution,” it describes intense, often pointless competition in areas like education or work, leading to diminishing returns for everyone involved  .
• Example: “职场内卷太严重了。” (The workplace involution is too severe.)  .

7. 躺平 (tǎng píng)

• Meaning: “Lying flat,” a lifestyle trend rejecting societal pressures to overwork and pursue material success. It advocates for minimal effort and contentment with simplicity  .
• Example: “我不想加班了，干脆躺平吧。” (I don’t want to work overtime anymore; I’ll just lie flat.) 

8. 破防了 (pò fáng le)

• Meaning: Originally from gaming, it means “breaking defenses,” now used to describe being emotionally overwhelmed, whether by sadness, inspiration, or heartwarming moments  .
• Example: “看到那个故事，我直接破防了。” (Reading that story, I was emotionally shattered.)  .

9. 显眼包 (xiǎnyǎn bāo)

• Meaning: “Attention seeker,” but often used affectionately to describe someone or something conspicuously bold or charmingly quirky 
• Example: “他真是个显眼包，每次聚会都逗笑大家。” (He’s such an attention seeker, always making everyone laugh at parties.)

10. 特种兵旅游 (tèzhǒngbīng lǚyóu)

• Meaning: “Special forces-style tourism,” referring to hyper-efficient, budget travel where participants visit multiple attractions in a very short time, popular among students  .
• Example: “周末我们尝试了特种兵旅游，一天逛了五个景点。” (We tried special forces-style tourism over the weekend, visiting five spots in one day.)  .

Previous words

2. 元芳你怎么看 Yuan Fang, what do you think

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Yuan Fang, what do you think

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“Yuan Fang, what do you think” is a sentence from a popular TV soap “the amazing detective Di Renjie” where the leading role, detective Di, always asks his assistant “Yuan Fang”, “What do you think?”. It makes the leading role look like a naive officer, totally depending on his subordinates’ advice.

Now it’s used everywhere on the internet. When you see somebody post his opinion online, you will probably see somebody reply with “元芳你怎么看?”

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3. 杜甫很忙 Du Fu Hen Mang

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Du Fu Hen Mang

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” Du Fu Hen Mang ” means Du Fu is busy. Du Fu was a prominent Chinese poet of the Tang Dynasty. He is such a great poet that his poems appear almost every year in the textbook of Chinese students. Some students like those poems while most people don’t like them because they have to recite those poems one after another. So many of them doodle on his image in their textbooks to release their dissatisfaction and talent. Then people discover he is “busy” with many things such as basketball, cycling, and so on.

Then starting with Du Fu, other celebrities from a textbook or even web celebrities become “busy”, too.

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4. 高富帅,白富美 Gao Fu Shuai, Bai Fu Mei

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Gao Fu Shuai

The literal meaning of “高富帅, 白富美” is “tall rich handsome, white rich pretty”. “Gao Fu Shuai” is used for a man and “Bai Fu Mei” is used to describe a female. According to Chinese people’s taste, height, wealth and a handsome face is the symbol of nobility for men and a white face, wealth and beauty is the character of a high-class woman.

But Chinese netizens would like to use these terms to describe “Fuerdai” (the rich second generation) who get a lot of money from their parents. Netizens use those terms to keep themselves away from those rich high-class people or their extravagant life and to show their satisfaction with what they are now.

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5. 矮矬穷 Ai Cuo Qiong

Ai Cuo Qiong

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Contrary to “Gao Fu Shuai” or “Bai Fu Mei”, “Ai Cuo Qiong” refers to people who are “short, ugly and poor”. It was used by a big percentage of netizens who have not so much interest to become “Gao Fu Shuai” and claim themselves as “Ai Cuo Qiong” to show that “Ai Cuo Qiong” have also their own lives.

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6. 你幸福吗 Ni Xing Fu Ma

— Ni Xing Fu Ma?
— My surname is Zeng.[/caption]

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“Ni Xing Fu Ma”, which means “are you happy?” is from a CCTV street interview. The journalists just go on the street and ask random people this “stupid question” as many netizens say. It’s just another meaningless program from CCTV on the way to be forgotten until one construction worker answered “My surname is not Fu, but Zeng” with a serious face. (Ni Xing Fu Ma can also mean is your surname “Fu”)

Then people began to use this question massively with a sense of humor and their scorn against the boring program from CCTV.

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7. 躺着也中枪 Tang Zhe Ye Zhong Qiang

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The meaning of “Tang Zhe Ye Zhong Qiang” is “lying on the ground and get shot”, a famous line from a comedy movie, it refers to people who have extremely bad luck to get shot, evening doing nothing but lying on the ground as a dead body.

When people say that, they probably want to say, “I got fucked even doing nothing!” For example, when Qihoo is in a fight with Baidu, Baidu users discover that they cannot open their Baidu accounts as easily as before, they can say “Tang Zhe Ye Zhong Qiang”.

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8. 给跪了 Gei Guil Le

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“Gei Guil Le”, Kneel down for (you, it…) is another popular online catchword in 2012. In ancient times, the Chinese only knelt down for God or people who conquer or overwhelm them, but now they are willing to kneel down for more people online for stupidity or crazy fantastic things.

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9. 碉堡了 Diao Bao Le

Jay Chow

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What Chinese netizens will use when they want to say ”super-crazy!”? They will say “屌爆了” which means “penis-exploding awesome”. However, “penis” is so harmonious according to most website administrators, so they employ a new homonym “碉堡了” which means “Bunker”.

It becomes famous as a tag of Jay Chow, a famous pop singer from Taiwan. But like most unharmonious words said by celebrities, “碉堡了” goes popular.

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10. 查水表 Cha Shui Biao

Cha Shui Biao

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“Cha Shui Biao”, literally “Check water-meter!” is a new way of saying that this content is against censorship and the poster can be taken away by the policeman.

At the beginning of this year, some people were taken away by police because of posting censorship content online. So many netizens became over-worried and always reminded others of being careful with the censorship, or they will get punished. And from a TV comedy, policemen try to enter a suspected guy’s home smoothly by pretending to be people who check the water meter. Then it becomes kind of kind way to remind others of being careful with censorship.

Here are the top 10 cyber words spotted on Chinese social media: 屌丝 Diaosi, 元芳你怎么看 Yuan Fang, what do you think, 杜甫很忙 Du Fu Hen Mang, 高富帅,白富美 Gao Fu Shuai, Bai Fu Mei, 矮矬穷 Ai Cuo Qiong, 你幸福吗 Ni Xing Fu Ma, 躺着也中枪 Tang Zhe Ye Zhong Qiang, 给跪了 Gei Guil Le, 碉堡了 Diao Bao Le, 查水表 Cha Shui Biao.

For international marketers, this distinction matters. TikTok dominates global attention, while Douyin rules the Chinese market with unique features, users, and e-commerce opportunities.

With over a decade of experience helping foreign brands succeed in China, I’ve seen firsthand how understanding Douyin can make or break a market entry strategy.

In this article, you’ll learn the key differences between TikTok and Douyin, why they matter for your brand, and how to adapt your strategy for success in both worlds.

Quick Summary

• Separate Entities: Douyin and TikTok, while originating from the same company, ByteDance, are two distinct apps tailored for different markets. Douyin is available exclusively in China, while TikTok serves the international audience.
• Content and Interface: Although their interfaces appear similar, the content significantly differs. Douyin’s content is tailored for the Chinese audience, excluding international content, whereas TikTok does not include China-based content.
• User Demographics: Douyin’s user base initially comprised mostly Gen Z users from China’s developed cities. It has since diversified, with a significant portion of users being Gen Z and Millennials. TikTok, starting with a focus on dance challenges for Gen Z, now appeals to a broader range of ages and interests.
• E-Commerce and Live Streaming: Douyin integrates e-commerce more deeply, allowing users to make purchases within the app. Its live streaming feature is also more prominently used for product promotion. TikTok’s live streaming exists but is less focused on direct sales.
• Content Preferences: Douyin favors educational and skill-improvement content, whereas TikTok leans more towards artistic and entertainment content, including music and dance.
• Marketing Strategies: Brands targeting Douyin users must tailor their content to fit the Chinese market’s unique preferences, utilizing features like custom stickers, hashtag challenges, and KOL (Key Opinion Leader) advertising. For TikTok, engaging and entertaining content is key to attracting an international audience.

Douyin: Chinese version of Tiktok?

Douyin and TikTok are two apps that enable the audience to develop & share content. Douyin and TikTok users share videos as well as live streams adding entertaining special effects, audio, and music to their content. While Douyin and TikTok are both video-sharing platforms, they differ when it comes to functions, offerings, and global positioning. Most of the differences, yet, are somewhat market-driven.

It’s important to understand that the Chinese and international version of the app are two completely separate entities. Although Douyin is the mother app, they now are two separate apps and are not linked together. Douyin can be downloaded only in Chinese app stores, while Tik Tok is accessible worldwide.

From a social media marketing viewpoint, the main ways that Douyin and TikTok differ are due to the preferences of users in each market. User content, in-app functions, and brand marketing techniques are influenced by what people want to see on each platform.

Douyin vs Tiktok: Key differences

Accessibility

The Douyin app is only accessible and downloadable by those located in Mainland China via the China App Store. Chinese Tiktok is the default app for Chinese consumers, while in the West it’s impossible to download the original version of the app. TikTok is accessible and downloadable for overseas Google Play Store or Apple Store users. Both apps also have very different registration processes.

Creating two independent versions of the same app was a pretty wise move by Bytedance -the creators and developers of TikTok/Douyin.

Bytedance separated Douyin from the rest of the world for a reason. The Chinese government content regulation would not have permitted it to expand beyond its borders. If Douyin allowed video content from out of China, around the globe, then they would get blocked in China in an instant.

Content

While Douyin and TikTok interfaces look quite similar, the actual contents aren’t similar at all. Even when searching for the same search words, different results will show up in terms of the creative content as well as profiles. What can be viewed on Douyin excludes all international content. In other words, any content coming out of China is excluded. The same happens for TikTok. No China-based content is allowed or included. 

When it comes to the homepage, the Chinese version of Tik Tok is more advanced, as apart from trending hashtags, banner ads and links to funny videos available on both versions of the app, Douyin also features rankings of top accounts by categories, including celebrities, foreign and Chinese companies and so on, which is a big help for brands.

Douyin vs TikTok also differs in terms of popular content. The most popular on Douyin is definitely educational content, with videos helping to improve skills and grow personally, while on Tik Tok the most popular is narrating videos, which is a great opportunity for artists, singers, and music producers. Therefore, global TikTok is more art-based, with musicians, dancers, and so on, while Douyin is skills and lifestyle-tips-based, with automatic voiceovers with no personal touch.

User Demographics

Douyin boasts a user demographic that is unrivaled by many other different platforms based in China. In its early development phase, the platform was dominated by female Gen Z users. The Zhuoyue crowd, or ‘early adoption’ group as we call them in English, primarily hailed from the most developed cities in China.

However, since then the platform has seen explosive growth. And subsequent drastic changes to its demographics. Now Douyin videos are watched by different age groups, but the majority are Gen Z and Millennials.

Similarly, TikTok started as a social media platform containing dance challenges that attracted Gen Z. However, it has since expanded to cover all different types of content and communities.

Around 80% of Douyin users are young adults between the ages of 18 and 45, with 40% living in China’s more affluent cities such as Shanghai and Beijing. While first-tier cities are interested in finance and economy, lower-tier cities prefer content regarding education, arts, or entertainment. It’s important to note that the biggest competitor of Douyin, Kuaishou, offering similar content, is addressed to lower-tier cities and rural areas.

On the other hand, it should come as no surprise that TikTok is becoming popular among people of all ages. This is one of the differences between TikTok and Douyin. Most Tiktok users in the US are female and fall into the 35-55 age bracket. And when it comes to content preference on TikTok, entertaining content is king.

E-Commerce Functions and Features

Live Streaming Function

Another important difference between Tiktok and Douyin is the live streaming feature. This particular live-streaming feature is a great aid for any company that has products or services to sell in China. Users make their payments right in the Douyin store with their Douyin account – they aren’t redirected to another site. With this, short videos, live streaming, Key opinion leader marketing, and in-app purchases often coincide and work well together.

When it comes to TikTok, live streaming is TikTok’s hidden feature that isn’t used as popularly as on Douyin. Users of TikTok lean more towards interacting with their followers rather than promoting objects through Tiktok livestream videos.

In-app Purchase Function

Douyin’s in-app store is one of its most defining features. With purchases being only a click away, the store takes advantage of impulse purchases. The products that can appear on Douyin range widely, so many businesses use user-generated adverts and link their products directly to the app.

KOLs featuring Brands

The KOLs who are most popular on Douyin usually have sponsorships with multiple brands, posting several videos a month that feature the products they promote. This content is usually creative and entertaining. Any foreign Chinese company can collaborate with influencers on Chinese Tiktok.

KOLs usually feature products on their “product recommendation” page but also have links to the Tmall or in-app Douyin store on their profile. Brands looking to increase brand awareness should consider using Douyin. Additionally, brands wanting to use social media marketing strategies to generate sales can take advantage of the in-app purchase feature.

In comparison, the influencers of TikTok have no access to the “product recommendation” feature. They are only allowed to mention the sponsored products in their bio with an attached link.

How to develop a Marketing Strategy for Douyin

Douyin is one of the most popular social media platforms in China and it’s important to know how best to address its users, especially if your target audience is young people. Those people open Douyin everyday to watch videos and look for interesting content, so it’s definitely a chance for your brand if you know what to do.

Localize your Content

We talked about the distinct features, interests, and demographics associated with Douyin and TikTok. So, to engage users on these platforms, brands need to tailor their marketing strategy specifically for each app.

If brands target to attract the Chinese audience on Douyin, they must tailor their creative content to the Chinese market’s unique standards. The key to success comes from engaging content. Maybe the audience is looking for fun and entertainment, or they seek more serious content and info. The brands must study the audience, understand them, and finally aim for what they desire.

When promoting your brand on Douyin you must redesign your content and focus on how to appeal to the Chinese audience. Brands must understand Chinese customers’ preferences. They need to make sure that their content is localized specifically for the Chinese market. On the other hand, when marketing your brand on TikTok, creating content that is engaging, and entertaining is good enough. This will encourage users to interact with your brand more frequently.

Use all the features effectively

• Use the Custom Stickers feature: Douyin audience is very into brand-sponsored animated stickers. Increase engagement with your users by sponsoring animated custom stickers.
• Join in Hashtag Challenge Games: Hashtag challenges are a great way to get people talking about your brand and creating content.
• Make use of Paid Advertisements: There are many paid advertising options to connect with users on Douyin such as Splash Ads and Feed Ads. Your brand can make use of them to increase interaction with users.
• Don’t underestimate KOL Advertising: Key Opinion Leaders can jumpstart your brand’s promotion with Douyin advertisements. Find a well-known figure in your industry and region to help you get started with the process.

Contact us to start promoting your brand on Douyin!

To have an official and verified social media account on any given platform, usually, a lot of paperwork needs to be filled out in Chinese. If you do not hold a Chinese business license, the process becomes more complicated.

Are you struggling to find your way into the China Market? We recommend finding an agency to help with these sorts of things. We are an experienced marketing agency located in China. We have over 10 years of experience on the Chinese market.

We can help you set up your brand account on Douyin and use all the features that will contribute to the growth of your brand on this platform. We worked with over 600 brands and many of them wanted us to help them promote their products on this short-video platform.

Leave us a comment or contact us if you have any questions regarding the app and how to download it on the Chinese app store. If you are abroad and would like to have access to Douyin, there are also ways to download it from the overseas apple store. Let us know!

Its unique user base and e-commerce features make it a powerful channel for international brands aiming to enter China.

With years of experience in China’s digital ecosystem, we’ve seen firsthand how Kuaishou marketing fuels brand growth.

Here, you’ll learn what Kuaishou is and how to leverage it effectively to capture market share in China.

What is Kuaishou?

Kuaishou (快手) is a Chinese video-sharing app, Douyin’s main rival (TikTok abroad). Kuaishou is often referred to as “Kwai” in overseas markets. The app was born as a GIF creator. Founded in Beijing in 2011, in a few years Kuaishou has become not only one of the most important short video apps in China. Not only one of the most downloaded videos sharing applications but the biggest live streaming app worldwide. By 2019, that figure had surpassed 200 million active daily users.

Kuaishou is one of the favorite apps for the live streaming sector. To date, it is precisely the latter sector that accounts for the largest share of Kuaishou’s annual revenue. In fact, the app registered revenue of $7.2 billion in 2019 only, and more than half of these came from live streaming.

Kuaishou leader of live streaming e-commerce

Kuaishou is a leader in live streaming e-commerce. A striking example is that of the Kuaishou “King of sales”, Xinba, who recorded a sales record of $ 176 million in a single Livestream session.

Kuaishou actively collaborates with all the other major players in Chinese online retail. From Kuaishou it is possible to connect to platforms such as Taobao, Pinduoduo, and JD.com. And it is with the latter that Kuaishou has strengthened the partnership. From 27 May it is in fact possible to purchase JD.com products directly from the Kuaishou app.

JD & Kuaishou partnership on May 2020 for the “618 Shopping Festival”

Video apps have their advantages in rich content and access to potential buyers, but e-commerce platforms have their strengths in brands, supply chains, and after-sales support.

This is a win-win strategy because, through this partnership, JD hopes to reach younger customers as well as those based in China’s second-tier cities and below. In addition, the new deal allows Kuaishou users to purchase JD’s self-run products directly without leaving the short video app, offering a more streamlined shopping experience.

This way not only lets short-video app users remain longer inside the app, encouraging more impulse buying, but also it makes those buyers who place orders through Kuaishou enjoy the same delivery and after-sales services provided by JD.

Kuaishou Chinese users: Young and from lower-tier cities

Kuaishou has a particularly strong user base among users outside of China’s tier-1 cities.

While most social media is dominated by a small circle of celebrities and influencers, Kuaishou amplifies the voice of ordinary people and their lives. Kuaishou users are mainly young people who come from second and third-tier cities, but also from villages and rural areas of China. Interesting data: 80% of Kuaishou users were born after 1990.

Kuaishou is trying to extend its target to first and second-tier cities (such as Beijing and Shanghai), this by forming a solid partnership with JD.com, on which this type of user often makes purchases.

Kuaishou’s huge jump during Covid-19

Kuaishou reported a huge jump in the number of live-streaming users in the first half of this year, mainly driven by the Covid-19 epidemic that prompted wider use of the service.

The number of daily active users of its live-streaming function has reached 170 million as of June, a surge of 70 million since the end of 2019.

Before the pandemic outbreak, live streaming was only seen as an option for brands to reach Chinese consumers, but now it has become essential. The number of online live-streaming service users in China reached 560 million as of March 2020, accounting for 62% of the country’s total number of 904 million internet users, an increase of 163 million since the end of 2018.

Among all the new e-businesses created on Kuaishou, there are, those in:

• automotive,
• smartphone,
• home products,
• beauty and cosmetics,
• education sector.

Livestreaming e-commerce will become a daily aspect of a merchant’s brand, a new kind of brand marketing scenario.

Kuaishou vs Tiktok: Who will win?

Kuaishou’s main competitor is Douyin, which is known as TikTok outside of China. Kuaishou is similar to Douyin. The App, in fact, allows users to share their life through photos, videos, and direct streaming. However, its audience is slightly smaller, in fact, it has 443 million monthly active users.

But how do these platforms differ? There are some important points where they differ:

• Users from different areas of China

Like Douyin, Kuaishou entertains a very young audience: 80% of its users were born after 1990. But unlike Douyin, most of them come from third or fourth-tier cities. Only 10% live in first-tier cities

• Kuaishou has a higher engagement rate than Douyin

The two apps work on the basis of different algorithms. On Douyin, priority is given to showing the user new and highly popular content on the platform (about 80-90% of the feed). On Kuaishou, on the other hand, users see proportionally much more content related to the accounts they already follow.

The first, therefore, is an App that focuses more on sharing viral and high-quality content. Often this content is created by Key Opinion Leaders (Chinese influencers). The second, however, finds its strength in the social ties between users, this allows Kuaishou to have a higher engagement rate than its rival.

• Douyin wins in advertising

In the field of advertising, Douyin has the upper hand. In fact, this is one of the most profitable ways to sponsor brands on the App. In addition to collaborations with KOL, two other advertising modes are available: Splash Ads and Newsfeed Ads. In the first case, the screen is occupied by one to for 3-5 seconds when the App is opened. In the second, the CEO is presented in the form of video in the user’s feed and can last up to 60 seconds.

Kuaishou, on the other hand, attracts fewer investments in this field. In fact, in 2019 it had around 15 billion RMB of adv receipts (about 2 billion euros). Douyin, on the other hand, reached RMB 50 billion (€ 6.4 billion).

• Douyin and Kuaishou challenge for Chinese eCommerce

Kuaishou is increasingly imposing its voice on the Chinese social landscape. It managed to achieve very positive results during last June’s 618 shopping festival, thanks to a masterfully managed and promoted the live event and a strategic partnership with JD.com.

The method in which the e-commerce and live functions are integrated within the two platforms is very different: While Douyin is more focused on video sharing rather than live interaction than Kuaishou, on the other hand, it is much more limited in e-commerce than its rival.

In fact, Kuaishou not only guarantees up to 6 integrations with third-party platforms but also offers a store creation function that allows the consumer to participate in a live show and make purchases without leaving the platform. These reasons allow Kuaishou to achieve a conversion rate of 3-5 times higher than that of Douyin, as well as facilitate access to live-streaming e-commerce for brands with more limited budgets.

Which platform chooses to promote and sell products: Douyin or Kuaishou?

We have seen that both the short video apps, Douyin and Kuaishou, have different strategic approaches to the market and the business model. It is therefore a matter of understanding which of the two Apps offers the best opportunities for a specific brand. This can be understood through a preliminary analysis of its objectives and targets.

Finally, we must not forget that the Chinese digital landscape is much more fragmented and competitive than the western one. Therefore, there is not a single platform that guarantees immediate success, therefore a multichannel strategy is the best choice.

What are the opportunities that Kuaishou offers to brands?

In recent months in the Chinese digital world, there has been a lot of talk about Douyin and Kuaishou, and not without reason. The two short video apps, in fact, are climbing the charts thanks to an increasingly large audience. It seems that videos of a few seconds and live streaming are the last frontiers in the world of social networks.

But What are the opportunities that Kuaishou offers to brands?

The popularity of Kuaishou among the public is purely given by the high content proposed and the potential profit that can arise.

Sellers sell users’ attention through short videos and then profit from advertising on their accounts. Additionally, sellers can capitalize directly via live streaming. In this way, it is also easier to turn the attention of many highly active consumers to oneself. The latter, in fact, through live streaming can get closer to the product. On the other hand, sellers can show the characteristics of the different products marketed.

Another peculiarity no less important is that Kuaishou insists on promoting activities related to the traceability of the brand in various sectors, including exclusive events, to increase sales. Finally, it should be noted that Kuaishou connects directly to e-commerce platforms such as Taobao, Pinduoduo, and JD by exploiting the interoperability of the platform.

To summarize, the general advantages of e-commerce video through the Kuaishou app are purely contained in the user scale, shopping guide, product performance, and purchasing experience.

In addition, the recent 618 promotions have revealed that even much higher price range products can find a huge market in the Kuaishou audience, therefore having a starting presence within Kuaishou, therefore, could seriously prove to be a great strategic move.

In order to promote your brand and if you have any questions related to how to market your products by using Kuaishou, contact GMA now!

Read also:

• HOW CAN BEAUTY BRANDS USE KUAISHOU TO INCREASE THEIR SELL IN CHINA?
• THE RISE OF SHORT VIDEO E-COMMERCE ON KUAISHOU
• HOW TO LEVERAGE DOUYIN FOR ADVERTISING? 2020

As China’s fastest-growing short-video platform, Douyin is reshaping how people discover brands, shop online, and consume content. For marketers, understanding its audience and trends is no longer optional—it’s essential for success in this market.

At GMA, we have years of experience helping international brands thrive on Douyin. I’ve seen firsthand demonstrated how data-driven strategies can turn this platform into a powerful growth engine.

In this article, you’ll get the latest Douyin statistics for 2025, explore key user insights, and uncover marketing opportunities to help your brand win in China’s dynamic digital landscape.

Overview of Douyin Social Media Platform

Douyin, the Chinese version of Tiktok (and in fact the mother app, as Tiktok came after that) was launched in September 2016. Thanks to its immediate success, Bytedance, the company behind TikTok, pushed for the launch of Tiktok, the international version of the Chinese app, just one year after.

Why was Douyin immediately so successful in China? The answer is very simple: it filled the gap of something new and fresh, coming with a new format, unseen in other social media platforms: short videos. It quickly turned out that short videos were something missing in the social media landscape, so the number of Douyin users started growing rapidly.

As of 2023, Douyin boasts an impressive 746.5 million monthly active users, placing itself as the second most popular Chinese app, just behind WeChat (with 1.3 billion users). It’s forecasted that by 2025, the number will grow up to 835 million Chinese TikTok users.

User Base and Demographics

Douyin will exceed 835 million social media users by 2025

Douyin is a definite leader in China’s short-video platforms market and it’s also currently the fastest-growing platform in the world. We can clearly see the big ambitions of Bytedance, which managed to revolutionize the way Chinese social media users spend time on social media platforms, interact with each other, and shop. It’s an amazing growth story to watch and I can’t wait to see what else will Bytedance prepare next.

As you can see above when it comes to the number of users (data from the end of 2022), Douyin is the definite leader, with Kuaishou, the second-most popular short-video app in China following its footsteps.

65% of Douyin users are under 35 years old

When looking at the graph below, you can see that although Douyin is perceived as one of those Chinese apps for young people, in fact, it’s expanding into other age groups. The number of older daily active users is growing, thanks to many features introduced in recent years on the app, such as e-commerce integration and live-streaming.

It is definitely less and less surprising to see even older people scrolling through the app, and you can easily find Douyin senior influencers, boosting millions of followers!

Douyin is growing rapidly, from 639.4 million in 2021 to an expected 835 million in 2025. It’s also not surprising that the TikTok app is mainly viewed on smartphones, with an 80.8% penetration rate, expected to grow up to 87% in 2025.

When it comes to gender distribution, male users are a slightly bigger group, accounting for 54% of the total number of Douyin users against 46% of female users.

The majority of Douyin users reside in 1-tier cities, but it’s slowly changing

While it initially gained popularity in tier-1 cities like Beijing and Shanghai, Douyin has since made significant inroads into tier-2 and tier-3 cities, demonstrating its widespread appeal. This expansion into lower-tier cities has not only contributed to its user growth but has also diversified the types of content and influencers that thrive on the platform, reflecting the rich tapestry of China’s cultural landscape.

As you can see below, first and new first-tier cities are not taking the majority of Douyin’s audience like it was before (respectively 8.2% and 19.4%). Followed by tier-2 cities (19.5%), tier-3 cities (22.2%), and tier-4 and lower accounting for 30.6%.

This is the core aspect that differentiates Douyin and Kuaishou, the main rivals in the short video industry in China. Kuaishou has historically had a more prominent presence in lower-tier cities and rural areas. It positioned itself as a platform for authentic, everyday content from users in these regions, making it particularly popular among this demographic.

This tiered city strategy has differentiated Kuaishou from Douyin and has been a key factor in its success, as it caters to a distinct user base with its own content preferences and consumption habits.

Spending Habits and Social Media Trust

Douyin users spend more than global users on other social media platforms

According to a recently published report by Deloitte on e-commerce in China, Douyin users engage in e-commerce activities far more and spend more than global users on other social media platforms. As you can see in the graph below, the average spending amounts are higher on Douyin.

There is a higher proportion of Chinese TikTok users spending more than 5000 RMB per year than global users (spending around 2000 RMB).

What are the reasons for Douyin to be so successful in generating sales among its users?

Douyin’s success in generating sales among its users can be attributed to its highly engaging short-form video content, influencer marketing, and seamless e-commerce integration. Users are drawn to captivating videos showcasing products, often endorsed by trusted influencers, and can make purchases within the app, all of which create a user-friendly and persuasive shopping experience.

This blend of entertainment, trust, and convenience has propelled Douyin’s effectiveness as a sales-driving platform.

Social media became the most trusted channel for gathering information about products and services

Social media has become the primary channel for discovering high-quality products. Thanks to the fact that users spend so much time on social media platforms (with more than 53% of Chinese internet users spending more than 3h daily on social media apps), social media are the first place of channels to discover, talk about, and grow interest about a product.

As you can see on the chart above, 82% of consumers in China chose social media as their favorite channel for gathering and checking information about new products, with e-commerce platforms coming second (50%), followed by video platforms (17%), offline experiences (8%), friends and family recommendations (6%), traditional advertising (3%) and search engines (only 2%).

These numbers will only grow, as social media, especially Douyin/Tiktok downloads are not slowing down any time soon and Tiktok statistics are only growing.

Douyin eCommerce Statistics

Douyin’s e-commerce statistics underscore its prowess as a sales-generating platform. In 2022, Douyin reported that its e-commerce revenue exceeded $69 billion, recording a 25% year-on-year growth. Live-stream shopping sessions on the platform frequently attract millions of viewers, with some sessions reaching up to 50 million concurrent viewers.

As you can see above, live-streaming commerce alone generated $200 billion in 2022, growing 150 times since 2018. Apart from its own commerce operations in China, Bytedance revenue also comes from overseas Tiktok, reaching a total of $85 billion in 2022.

Moreover, the average time users spend on Douyin each day has been steadily increasing, providing ample opportunities for exposure to shoppable content. This wealth of data underscores Douyin’s status not just as a social media giant but also as a thriving e-commerce marketplace, making it a top choice for businesses looking to leverage its impressive user base and sales potential.

Content Trends on Douyin

Video formats and duration

When it comes to video content on Douyin, diversity reigns supreme. The platform offers a spectrum of video formats catering to varied audience preferences. Short-form videos, typically lasting 15 to 60 seconds, have been the bedrock of Douyin’s success.

However, the platform has also witnessed the emergence of long-form videos, allowing creators to delve deeper into their content. Additionally, live streaming trends have surged, with influencers and brands leveraging this interactive format to connect with audiences in real-time.

Content categories

Douyin’s content landscape is as diverse as its user base, with a plethora of content categories to explore. Some of the most popular niches include beauty, travel, and food, where creators offer insights, tutorials, and mouth-watering experiences.

Beyond these staples, Douyin has also seen the rise of emerging content trends, such as sustainability and educational content. Users are increasingly drawn to informative and socially conscious content, signaling an evolving content landscape on the platform.

Virality and challenges

The notion of virality is deeply ingrained in Douyin’s DNA. Viral video characteristics often include catchy music, creative editing, and relatable storytelling. Douyin’s algorithm further amplifies the reach of viral content, rapidly spreading it across the platform.

Viral challenges and trends play a pivotal role in this phenomenon. Users actively engage in challenges, adding their unique spin and contributing to the virality of content. The ability to harness the power of challenges and trends has become a strategic focus for content creators and marketers seeking to make a significant impact on Douyin.

What’s Likely to Come Next on Douyin?

Staying on top of trends shaping China’s social media and e-commerce landscape, I made up a list of expected moves on Douyin in the upcoming years:

Global Expansion

Douyin has been actively expanding beyond its core Chinese market. This trend is likely to continue as it seeks to capture a broader international audience. Douyin’s international version, TikTok, has already gained immense popularity, and the platform may invest more in localized content and marketing strategies to solidify its global presence.

E-commerce Integration

Douyin’s success in e-commerce is likely to intensify. The platform will likely continue to refine its e-commerce features, making it even more seamless for users to discover and purchase products. Douyin may also strengthen partnerships with e-commerce giants to enhance its shopping capabilities.

Monetization

Douyin may introduce new monetization options for creators, such as premium content, paid subscriptions, and exclusive access to features. This could incentivize content creators to produce high-quality content and further engage their audiences.

Enhanced Personalization

Douyin is expected to invest in more advanced algorithms and artificial intelligence to enhance content recommendations and user personalization. This will keep users engaged and ensure they discover content and products aligned with their interests.

Innovative Ad Formats

Douyin will likely introduce new advertising formats and tools for businesses to target and engage with users more effectively. This may include interactive ad experiences, augmented reality (AR) ads, and deeper integration with influencer marketing.

User Engagement Enhancements

Douyin may introduce features to boost user engagement, such as gamification elements, social challenges, and improved content creation tools.

These trends reflect the platform’s ongoing evolution and adaptation to changing user preferences and market dynamics. Douyin’s future success will depend on its ability to innovate, remain relevant to users, and effectively monetize its vast user base while addressing regulatory challenges.

Unlock Douyin’s Full Potential with Gentlemen Marketing Agency: Your Trusted Douyin Certified Partner

In the fast-paced world of Douyin marketing, having a trusted partner by your side can make all the difference. Enter Gentlemen Marketing Agency, your key to harnessing the full potential of Douyin’s dynamic platform. As a certified Douyin Partner, we bring a wealth of expertise and insider knowledge to the table, ensuring your brand not only stands out but thrives in this competitive digital arena.

With our in-depth understanding of Douyin’s ever-evolving algorithms and trends, we craft a tailored marketing strategy that resonates with your target audience. From eye-catching content creation to influencer collaborations and user-generated content that pack a punch, our approach is not just about going viral; it’s about driving real, measurable results from customer interaction.

As your trusted Douyin Certified Partner, Gentlemen Marketing Agency empowers your brand to navigate the complexities of the platform effortlessly. We’re here to help you unlock the sales potential, engage your audience, and build a lasting presence in the Douyin ecosystem, so different from other short-video players.

Let’s elevate your brand’s visibility and drive revenue together on the most downloaded app in China as of today. Connect with us today to embark on a Douyin journey like no other.

Overview of The Xiaohongshu App, Valued at More Than $3 Billion

Xiaohongshu, also known as “Little Red Book,” made its debut in China in 2013, and swiftly became a sensation. Why did Xiaohongshu experience such immediate success? The answer lies in its innovative approach: it introduced a unique blend of social media and e-commerce, where users could collect recommendations and reviews of products and later purchase them on the platforms. Users could not only explore and share lifestyle content but also purchase recommended products directly through the app.

This novel combination of content sharing and online shopping struck a chord with users, filling a gap in the digital landscape and leading to rapid growth for Xiaohongshu. The platform’s distinctive model and success have since paved the way for its continuing evolution and influence in the social commerce sphere.

As of 2023, Xiaohongshu boasts almost 200 million monthly active users, with a majority of them being females looking for shopping notes and user-generated content from other Xiaohongshu users recommending and reviewing products.

So let’s take a closer look at user statistics that make the Xiaohongshu platform a unique one among other Chinese social media platforms.

User Base and Demographics

Xiaohongshu platform started as a hub for female users who were searching for a safe space to post their photos, showcasing fashion outfits or skincare routines, to discuss them with other females under their social media posts. Because of that, the platform grew into a very ‘consumer decision-making’ platform, where users (mostly female, as male users take up more or less 1/3 of the whole audience) were sharing reviews and recommendations, looking for advice, etc.

Xiaohongshu boasts 190 million monthly active users

This is very important to understand, because it is the core to understanding the purpose of the platform, and it’s core demographics, with it’s purchasing habits and social media usage.

As mentioned earlier, Little Red Book currently has 190 million monthly active users. 72% of those users are under 30 years old and around half come from first and second-tier cities.

The app presents a big opportunity for all baby-related products and services

What is important to understand is that a majority of users are females (around 70%), but also from all the users, 66% are married, and of those, 83% have babies. This means it’s a perfect platform not only for fashion and cosmetics, but baby care, maternity clothes, and everything from the baby and children’s market.

Main types of Xiaohongshu users

Apart from the fact that the majority of users are young, it’s good to understand their main motivations.

Here are 6 main types of young people using the platform:

• Generation Z: Engaged in social interactions, following trends, participating in online gaming, achieving learning milestones, and being involved in competitive sports.
• Urban Trendsetters: Focused on fashion, mindful of personal image, thinking independently, and opinionated.
• Exquisite Moms: Valuing quality of life, attentive to appearance, indulging in high-end consumption, and investing in skincare.
• Emerging White-Collars: Financially independent, enthusiastic about work, energetic, and showcasing individuality.
• Singles with High Income: Financially self-sufficient, in pursuit of enjoyment, valuing quality, and inclined towards moderate consumption.
• Pleasure Seekers: Valuing entertainment, indulging in hobbies, seeking experiential consumption, and prioritizing enjoyment.

Xiaohongshu Usage Statistics

Xiaohongshu, colloquially known as “Little Red Book,” boasts impressive usage statistics that underscore its burgeoning popularity in the digital domain. With millions of active users, the platform witnesses a diverse range of demographics engaging daily, sharing insights, and making purchases.

The statistics above reveal intriguing insights into the diverse user behavior on Xiaohongshu. With 37% of users seeking authentic reviews on topics or products of interest, it underscores the platform’s credibility and the value users place on peer opinions. The close 36% that are drawn to the app to keep abreast of current Xiaohongshu trends signifies the app’s role as a trendsetter in the digital space, particularly in areas like fashion and lifestyle.

The 30% of users driven by posts shared on other social platforms highlight the app’s cross-platform influence and the interconnectedness of the social media ecosystem. Furthermore, the notable 40% actively searching for products or topics, especially in categories such as fashion, beauty, and lifestyle, underline Xiaohongshu’s strength in catering to diverse interests and needs.

Lastly, the 33% who visit Xiaohongshu for inspiration point to the platform’s rich and varied content, confirming its status as a go-to source for creative ideas and lifestyle trends. Overall, these figures paint a comprehensive picture of a vibrant and engaged user community, each seeking something unique, yet collectively contributing to Xiaohongshu’s dynamic ecosystem.

Influencer Marketing and Social Media Trust

Thanks to being a very user-generated content-focused platform, Xiaohongshu is the main platform of choice for influencer marketing. Xiaohongshu is the primary platform for a majority of Chinese Key Opinion Leaders and Key Opinion Consumers, with 91% of influencers picking this platform as the most valuable one.

Xiaohongshu is the primary platform for Chinese influencers

67% of influencers select Little Red Book as their primary platform with 43% of them using it more frequently than in the previous year. Xiaohongshu, with its users who are searching for product and service recommendations and reviews, is a perfect choice for word-of-mouth marketing.

Costs for Xiaohongshu-sponsored posts are growing

But this preference comes with a cost. High-quality content done by top influencers is expensive, and here is the breakdown of average post costs on the Little Red Book app:

• Over 1M followers: 125k RMB (US$17k) – 380k RMB (US$53k)
• 500k – 1M followers: 60k RMB (US$8.5k) – 190k RMB (US$26k)
• 300k – 500k followers: 35k RMB (US$4.5k) – 120k RMB (US$17k)
• 100k – 300k followers: 15k RMB (US$2k) – 35k RMB (US$4.5k)
• Under 100k followers: 3500 RMB (US$500) – 15k RMB (US$2k)

As you can see, the costs of influencer marketing on Xiaohongshu are high, so it’s best to work with professionals, so you know precisely how to find the right influencers and get the best ROI.

Chinese consumers trust social media the most when it comes to gathering information about products and services

Social media has established itself as the predominant channel for discovering premium products, with Xiaohongshu leading the way in this digital evolution.

A considerable portion of the Chinese population, over 53%, is investing more than 3 hours daily on social media apps, positioning platforms like Xiaohongshu as the initial touchpoint for discovering, discussing, and developing interest in products.

As depicted in the accompanying chart, a whopping 82% of Chinese consumers prefer social media for researching and verifying information about new products. E-commerce platforms trail behind at 50%, followed by video platforms at 17%, offline experiences at 8%, recommendations from friends and family at 6%, traditional advertising at 3%, and search engines at a mere 2%.

Xiaohongshu Content Statistics

Over 2021, Xiaohongshu has witnessed a remarkable influx of content, amassing around 360 million posts. The majority of this content falls within the realms of food, beauty, and entertainment, which have contributed 33.686 million, 26.956 million, and 20.342 million posts respectively, making up 23% of the total posts.

Given that the platform is predominantly utilized by female users, these statistics align seamlessly with the user demographic, reflecting Xiaohongshu’s inherent strength in product recommendations and fostering a sense of community.

Food-related content leads the way, comprising 9% of the total posts, with users sharing a plethora of food tutorials, culinary explorations, food pairings, and more. Beauty content is also a significant pillar of the Xiaohongshu community, representing 7% of the overall posts in 2021 and showcasing a myriad of beauty tutorials, product recommendations, and makeup sharing.

Other very promising categories are pets (the category increased by 22.4% month-on-month in 2022) and gaming, an absolute winner, with a 31.9% month-on-month increase. Other categories recording growth include: home and renovation content, medical and health content, and tech & digital content.

This insight into the content landscape of Xiaohongshu underscores the platform’s role as a vibrant space for sharing lifestyle tips and trends, particularly in the realms of food and beauty.

Xiaohongshu eCommerce Statistics

Xiaohongshu, to our surprise, is a winner when it comes to branding. Today, when everyone is talking about the impressive growth of Douyin, we must see, that we got surprised with those stats. But after some thought, indeed, Xiaohongshu scoring 57% in the most effective platform for branding purposes via influencer marketing is no surprise, as this is the king of word-of-mouth marketing in China.

Xiaohongshu is also the most effective platform for social e-commerce, which goes hand in hand with the previous statistic. People see some product recommendations from their favorite influencers, check comments, other reviews, and maybe live streams, and, when convinced, move on to purchase. As simple as that, yet very effective and impressive.

Xiaohongshu’s 80% of revenue comes from advertising

Xiaohongshu, valued at more than $3 billion in 2023, is more dependent on paid ads and search ads than other social media platforms, with ads revenue accounting for 80% of the total revenue. The remaining 20% comes from e-commerce, as the platform has its own built-in online marketplace.

Promoted and sponsored posts account for 25% of the advertising revenue on the platform and this number will only grow, as influencer marketing is the core of its functioning and the main reason why the target audience visits the platform (word-of-mouth marketing).

Content Trends on Xiaohongshu

Current content trends

User-Generated Content

Xiaohongshu thrives on authentic user-generated content, especially reviews and recommendations, which helps in building community trust and drives product discovery.

Lifestyle and Wellness

Content related to health, wellness, and sustainable living has gained significant traction, reflecting a growing consumer focus on holistic well-being.

Short-Form Video Content

Short, engaging videos, especially tutorials and product demonstrations, have become increasingly popular, providing users with quick and visually appealing information.

Localized and Niche Content

There is a rising trend in localized and niche content, catering to specific interests and communities, thus fostering a more personalized user experience.

Future Trends to Come:

Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Try-Ons

Integration of AR technology for virtual try-ons and product visualization is expected to enhance the shopping experience and drive user engagement. Advances in AI technology will enable more personalized content recommendations, tailored to individual preferences and browsing behavior, enhancing user engagement and satisfaction.

Sustainability and Ethical Consumption

Content focusing on sustainable products and ethical consumption practices is likely to become more prominent as users become more environmentally conscious.

Enhanced Community Engagement

New features and tools for community building and user interaction are expected to be introduced, further strengthening the sense of community and trust among users.

By keeping abreast of these evolving trends, brands and content creators can better align their strategies to meet user expectations and optimize their presence on Xiaohongshu.

Elevate Your Brand with Gentlemen Marketing Agency

Navigating the dynamic landscape of Xiaohongshu can be challenging, but with Gentlemen Marketing Agency by your side, you can turn these challenges into opportunities. We specialize in crafting tailored marketing strategies that resonate with the unique user base of Xiaohongshu, ensuring your brand not only stands out but also thrives.

• Expertise in Trend Analysis: Stay ahead of the curve and tailor your content to align with user interests and emerging trends.
• Innovative Marketing Strategies: Amplify your brand presence and foster meaningful connections with cutting-edge strategies and influencer collaborations.
• Global Brand Expansion: Seamlessly introduce your brand to Xiaohongshu’s diverse audience, integrating global products with local preferences.
• Community Engagement: Build trust and foster a loyal customer base by enhancing user interaction and encouraging authentic reviews.
• Data-Driven Insights: Optimize content performance and maximize ROI with comprehensive analytics and insights.
• End-to-End Support: Achieve your business goals with our dedicated team providing support from consultation to implementation and analysis.

Ready to unlock your brand’s potential on Xiaohongshu? Contact Gentlemen Marketing Agency and let’s craft your success story together!