Paola L.

Today, there are over 1.3 billion Chinese internet users. With 74.2% of this user base actively engaging via social media, it’s clear why more foreign businesses are pouring their resources into building their presence on these apps.

Douyin (抖音) is the Chinese counterpart of TikTok, developed by ByteDance. Widely recognized as the leading short-form video-sharing app in China, the platform recently surpassed 1 billion monthly active users in 2026. With the right strategy, its algorithm can help foreign brands distribute content and reach audiences beyond their existing follower base.

Xiaohongshu serves over 300 million monthly active users, with an average user spending at least 40 minutes on the platform per day. As a social media marketing channel in China, it heavily favors user-generated content (UGC) and community-centric activations. To succeed in this platform, brands must learn how to build organic content authority and appeal to the platform’s younger demographic.

Chinese consumer habits are primarily shaped by a unique culture and an ever-evolving digital ecosystem. From how people shop online to the role local social media apps play in influencing purchasing decisions, these audiences often behave in a way that often surprises foreign brands.

On Xiaohongshu, many businesses rely on peer-driven posts to “seed” content and product ideas in the minds of their target audiences. This type of content marketing strategy is known to effectively drive product discovery, more traffic, long-term brand recognition, and even sales conversions.

When WeChat launched Mini-Programs in 2017, it was met with skepticism. Today, this feature has created over 3.5 million sub-applications from various industries. More than 924 million monthly active users are also utilizing it, covering around 90% of the platform’s population.