Xiaohongshu Live-Streaming: Setup Requirements & Strategies

Last Updated on July 11, 2026

Xiaohongshu’s livestreaming ecosystem is expanding quickly. As of September 2024, monthly livestreaming sessions had increased 147% year-on-year, while livestream views rose 173%, according to official platform data in 2025.

This growth reflects Xiaohongshu’s shift from a user-generated content platform into a broader social commerce ecosystem where users can discover products, evaluate recommendations, and purchase within the same journey.

In this guide, we explain how Xiaohongshu livestreaming works and the strategies brands can use to build trust, attract viewers, and support conversions.

 

How Xiaohongshu Live-Streaming Works: Platform Requirements and Setup

Xiaohongshu allows eligible creators, merchants, and verified organizations to host live video sessions through the app or its desktop live-streaming tools. For brands, the setup process depends on whether the session is intended for community engagement, product promotion, or direct e-commerce sales.

 

 

Xiaohongshu Live Access Checklist

Before planning a live stream, brands should complete the following steps:

Complete account verification

A company or organization that uses Xiaohongshu Live in their China social media marketing campaign must complete the enterprise Professional Account verification.

The account information should match the legal business entity, brand ownership documents, and any required authorization records. Xiaohongshu’s Live Service Agreement specifically requires institutional users to complete enterprise Professional Account verification.

 

 

Live streaming on Xiaohongshu is closely tied to identity verification. Individual hosts complete real-name (身份证) verification, which for personal accounts is built around a mainland China ID. It’s often a constraint for overseas individuals streaming in their own name.

Some brands avoid this by operating through a verified enterprise/store account, where verification is handled at the business level using company registration documents, trademark certificates, and authorization letters.

 

Check live access inside the account

Open the Creator Center or Host Center and check whether the live-streaming application or activation option is available. Xiaohongshu does not publish a universal follower requirement for every account type.

Eligibility may depend on the account’s verification status, activity, compliance record, and the features currently available to that account.

 

Build a relevant content history

Xiaohongshu does not publicly specify that every brand must publish a fixed number of notes before applying. However, a new account with little original content provides the platform and potential viewers with limited evidence of its focus and credibility.

Before applying, publish a consistent group of original notes related to the products, category and audience that will appear in the live stream. Avoid reposted, low-value or heavily promotional content.

 

Confirm category eligibility

Brands selling through a live stream must meet the platform’s category and product qualification requirements. Regulated categories may require additional licenses, test reports, import documents or brand authorization.

Some goods and services are restricted or prohibited. These rules can apply to live-stream content, product listings, profile information and promotional claims. Review the latest rules in Xiaohongshu’s merchant system before developing the live-stream script.

 

Set up the store and product listings

Products intended for the live-stream shopping feature should first be submitted through Xiaohongshu’s Qianfan merchant platform. The merchant selects the correct category, supplies the required information, and submits the listing for review. Only eligible and approved products should be included in the live-stream product plan.

 

 

5 Best Xiaohongshu Live-streaming Strategies for Your Brand in China

 

1.   Product Launches

Live streaming is an ideal strategy for advertising new products on Xiaohongshu, enabling brands to create excitement and engage directly with consumers. Louis Vuitton used the same strategy to debut on Xiaohongshu’s live-streaming landscape in 2020.

Although the real-time promotions lasted only an hour, they garnered more than 152,000 pageviews and hundreds of comments from viewers interested in the clothes the live streamers wore.

 

 Louis Vuitton Summer Hour Live-stream (Source: Jing Daily)

 

In this live stream, the brand introduced its Summer Hour collection. The hosts discussed the best way to style LV bags and the fashion accessories that complement them.

During the event, they reminded viewers that the products were available on their e-commerce stores, effectively linking the live stream to direct sales conversions.

Why did this brand launch become successful compared to regular social media promotions? It’s because viewers feel like they are getting an insider’s look at new products, which can create a sense of exclusivity.

Live-streaming also allows for dynamic demonstrations that static images or videos cannot replicate, enhancing the product’s desirability.

 

Louis Vuitton’s Voyager Livestream Show on Xiaohongshu (Source: WWD)

 

Before you go live with your product launches on Xiaohongshu, it’s important to consider the following:

• Tools to use: Live preview notes, product cards, coupons, moderated Q&A, and a clearly sequenced product demonstration.
• Setup requirements: Approve the new product listing before the session, confirm inventory and fulfillment capacity, and prepare answers for common questions about ingredients, sizing, usage, origin, and availability.
• Content structure: Rather than revealing every detail immediately, structure the session around a product problem, the development story, a live demonstration, and a final question-and-answer segment.

 

2.   Collaborations with Influencers

KOLs and KOCs are among the most sought-after live streamers in Xiaohongshu. Given their highly engaged follower base, it’s not surprising that these influencers often have higher success rates in live commerce campaigns.

Beyond amplifying your brand’s reach on this social e-commerce platform, these collaborations can also establish credibility and drive significant traffic to your live streams.

The power of KOLs and live streaming is especially evident in Dong Jie’s Little Red Book livestreams last year. Her approach to the quiet live selling trend has led to an impressive viewer count of 2.2 million users and sales of approximately $4.1 million.

 

Xiaohongshu Live Streams by KOLs (Source: Jing Daily)

 

Following Dong’s success, Teresa Cheung launched an e-commerce live stream on the platform, introducing roughly 200 products to her audience. Within the broadcast’s 6-hour period, the real-time content attracted over 1 million viewers and exceeded over 50 million RMB in GMV.

The popularity of these influencers is a testament to what they can offer to your social media marketing campaigns on Xiaohongshu. Remember, the right KOC or KOL should resonate with your target users and embody your brand’s values.

 

When working with a livestream host, make sure to note the following:

• Setup requirements: Confirm the host’s identity, account permissions, category suitability, content approval process, and product knowledge. Provide a clear claims guide explaining what the host can and cannot say.
• Host selection: Choose an influencer whose audience, content style, and expertise align with your product category rather than focusing solely on follower count.
• Campaign success factor: Successful influencer marketing campaigns on Xiaohongshu depend on the host’s credibility, natural communication style, and ability to answer detailed audience questions with confidence and authenticity.

 

Case Study by SDG: Jax Coco

Building Credibility Through Xiaohongshu Creators

To support Jax Coco‘s entry into China, Sekkei Digital Group partnered with 20 lifestyle and wellness KOCs who naturally featured the premium coconut water in their daily routines. The campaign demonstrates how relevant creator selection and authentic storytelling can build trust with Xiaohongshu users.

Campaign results:

1. Activated 20 lifestyle and wellness KOCs to publish authentic Xiaohongshu content.
2. Generated 172,000 content views across the campaign.
3. Achieved more than 2,000 engagements, strengthening brand awareness among health-conscious consumers.

 

3.   Exclusive Offers on Official Xiaohongshu Store

Xiaohongshu store live-streaming sessions work exceptionally well when brands create a sense of urgency through limited-time offers and discounts. By offering exclusive deals during real-time broadcasts, you can encourage viewers to make immediate purchases.

This strategy focuses on leveraging fear of missing out (FOMO) to prompt viewers to act before the offer expires. It’s highly effective during e-commerce festivals and local holidays, especially because these events often mark the height of consumerism in the country.

 

 

During the Singles’ Day Festival in 2023, around 21 influencers in Xiaohongshu generated 10 million yuan through live streaming.

These numbers are not yet comparable to the revenue generated by other platforms like Douyin or Taobao. However, LRB’s recent live commerce performance suggests a promising outlook for brands planning to use this feature during the upcoming e-commerce festivals.

 

When planning exclusive offers for your Xiaohongshu live campaign, remember to consider these factors:

• Tools to use: Store coupons, time-limited product cards, live-stream promotions, lucky draws, or viewer rewards where available.
• Setup requirements: Configure the promotion in advance, confirm the included products, test the coupon conditions, and prepare the host’s explanation of eligibility and expiry.

Promotions should support the product presentation rather than replace it. Avoid repeated countdowns or unsupported claims of scarcity, as these can erode trust in the Chinese market and create compliance risks.

 

4.   Storytelling and Brand Culture

In China’s digital ecosystem, live streaming is often associated with entertainment, e-commerce, and sales. However, if you want your business to grow further with this feature, the best approach is to use it to communicate your brand’s values and culture.

Rather than focusing solely on selling products, brands can craft narratives that resonate with their target demographic and community. For example, Chinese actress Dong Jie’s live streams feature a more relaxed, intimate setting where she shares personal stories and experiences about the products she’s demonstrating.

This approach not only appeals to Xiaohongshu’s primarily Gen Z and Millennial consumers but also helps build a more authentic and relatable brand image.

 

Dong Jie Live-streaming Session on LRB (Source: Jing Daily)

 

Remember, compared to other social media channels, Little Red Book has a user base of educated and financially comfortable young adults. So, beyond seeking products, they want to patronize brands that align with their lifestyles and beliefs.

The storytelling approach helps build a long-lasting, authentic connection between the brand and its audience. For example, brands focusing on sustainability can use live streaming to showcase their eco-friendly practices, taking viewers behind the scenes to see how products are made.

This strategy informs and builds trust, as Chinese consumers are increasingly concerned about the ethical practices of the businesses they support.

 

5.   Live Tutorials and Product Demos

In the highly competitive landscape of Chinese e-commerce, where platforms like Douyin and Taobao are known for their high-energy sales tactics, Xiaohongshu sets itself apart by focusing on high-quality, community-centric, and authentic content.

This distinction makes live tutorials and product demonstrations an exceptionally effective strategy for brands on this platform.

Xiaohongshu users value genuine, informative content over mere promotional gimmicks. They seek out brands that offer insightful, detailed product presentations, helping them make informed purchasing decisions. Live tutorials provide a perfect avenue for brands to meet this demand.

 

 

Beauty and skincare brands on Xiaohongshu often host live tutorials, demonstrating product application on real people. They explain each step and the science behind the ingredients.

Known brands like Perfect Diary and Winona have successfully employed this strategy, turning KOL live streams into valuable educational sessions that encourage viewers to make informed purchases​.

 

Who are the consumers of Xiaohongshu Live Streams?

Before you launch any Xiaohongshu livestream strategies we mentioned above, it’s important to understand the type of audience you need to attract. Here are some important pointers worth considering to achieve better campaign results:

• They are typically from first- and second-tier cities in China, such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou.
• These users tend to have higher disposable incomes, which makes them more inclined to invest in quality products.
• Most of Xiaohongshu’s users fall within the Gen Z and Millennial age groups.
• Xiaohongshu live-stream audiences are not passive consumers.

 

 

Platform Comparison: Xiaohongshu Live vs. Douyin Live vs. Taobao Live

Xiaohongshu, Douyin, and Taobao all support live commerce, but users enter each platform with different expectations and intents. The right choice depends on whether the campaign is centered on product discovery, mass reach, or direct marketplace transactions.

 

Factor	Xiaohongshu Live	Douyin Live	Taobao Live
Primary user intent	Lifestyle research, recommendations, inspiration and product evaluation	Entertainment, algorithm-led discovery and rapid product exposure	Active shopping, price comparison and marketplace purchasing
Typical content style	Detailed, conversational and community-led	Fast-paced, high-frequency and promotion-led	Product-led demonstrations, promotions and store events
E-commerce route	Native brand store, market menu, and in-stream shopping features	Douyin Shop, product showcase and live product cards	Taobao marketplace listings and store inventory
Best suited to	Beauty, skincare, fashion, wellness, travel and lifestyle products that benefit from education or demonstration	Products seeking broad reach, fast testing and high-volume promotional activity	Brands with established marketplace operations and users already showing purchase intent
Main strategic strength	Trust-building and consideration	Reach and fast-moving commerce	Marketplace purchasing and transaction infrastructure

 

When to choose Xiaohongshu for Live-streaming Campaigns

Choose Xiaohongshu Live when your goal is trust before transactions. The platform’s smaller live-commerce footprint is not a weakness for the right brand. It’s a filter.  Its audience skews toward affluent, urban women who research before they buy, so streams that teach, demonstrate, and tell a credible story outperform streams that highlight discounts.

For most beauty, skincare, lifestyle, and FMCG brands entering China, the strategic approach is not choosing a single platform among Xiaohongshu, Douyin, and Taobao. It’s understanding which part of the user journey the platform works best for your marketing campaign.

In Xiaohongshu’s case, it’s when the consumer is trying to build consideration and trust for your brand. Its positioning centers on interest communities, personal experiences, and product discovery. This makes it more suitable when consumers need context, demonstrations, or peer-style explanations before purchasing.

 

Setting Up E-Commerce Integration for Xiaohongshu Livestreams

Xiaohongshu live commerce normally relies on the platform’s native store, approved product listings, and in-stream shopping bag. This allows viewers to inspect or purchase products without manually leaving the live-stream environment.

 

Livestreams on Xiaohongshu Stores

To sell during a stream, your products must be listed in your Xiaohongshu store and passed through the platform’s product-listing review before you go live.

During the broadcast, approved products are added to the in-stream shopping bag (小黄车 / “little yellow cart”), and hosts surface them one at a time as on-screen product cards that viewers tap to buy without leaving the stream.

Merchants add and sequence products in advance through the seller/product-selection center, so a single tap during the stream pushes the right card to the audience at the right moment.

Here’s the typical e-commerce integration for Xiaohongshu livestreams:

1. Add or import the approved product IDs to the store’s self-broadcast product pool.
2. Select the products from the live preparation interface.
3. Display the relevant product card when the host begins discussing that item.
4. Configure any product-specific live coupons before the event.
5. Test the product page, price, stock, and coupon conditions from a viewer account.

 

Cross-Border Route for Foreign Brands

International brands can sell through Xiaohongshu’s cross-border e-commerce (CBEC) program without a mainland entity, using a bonded warehouse or direct shipping fulfillment.

This setup involves enterprise certification, a category-based security deposit, and platform technical service fees, with store review and contracting typically completed within 1–7 working days once documentation is in order.

Because exact fees and deposits vary by category, confirm the current figures against Xiaohongshu’s official cross-border merchant agreement before budgeting.

 

Tracking Performance: Key Metrics for Xiaohongshu Livestreams

Brands should review the full viewing and shopping journey rather than judging a live stream by total views alone.

• Live-room Click-through Rate
  This measures how many users enter after seeing the live-stream card. A weak result may point to the cover, title, topic, or audience targeting rather than the host’s performance.
• Average Viewing Time
  Average viewing time indicates whether the content holds attention. Compare viewing time against the product and topic being discussed at each stage of the session.
• Comments, Likes and Follows
  These interactions help identify which questions, demonstrations, and product benefits generated the strongest response. New follows also indicate whether the session built interest beyond an immediate purchase.
• Product-detail Views and Product Clicks
  Compare clicks across products and presentation times. A product may receive fewer clicks because it appeared too late, lacked sufficient context, or was paired with the wrong offer.
• Order Conversion and Sales Value
  Track orders, units sold, average order value, and GMV alongside product clicks. High clicks with low orders may point to pricing, stock, product-page information, or weak purchase confidence.
• New and Non-Follower Conversion
  Xiaohongshu’s own training material identifies new or non-follower conversion as an important live-stream signal. This can show whether the session reached beyond the account’s existing community.
• Replay and post-stream performance
  Where replay functionality is available, compare live and replay viewing separately. Also monitor follower growth, product activity, and relevant search or note engagement after the session. Replay availability and reporting can differ by account, so confirm the settings before the event.

 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Can international brands link Tmall stores to Xiaohongshu live streams?

Standard Xiaohongshu live product cards typically link to products approved in a native store. For third-party listings, the platform now supports external Tmall and JD links through approved advertising programs, but these integrations are typically found in paid notes and advertising placements rather than in livestream product cards.

 

Do Xiaohongshu live streams receive replay views after the event?

Replay availability depends on the account, settings, and content review. Brands should confirm that replay recording or publishing is available before launching the stream rather than assuming every session will remain publicly accessible. Where replay analytics are shown, measure them separately from live views and use the results to identify topics that continue attracting interest after the event.

 

How many followers do you need to start live-streaming on Xiaohongshu?

Xiaohongshu does not publicly state a single follower requirement that applies to every creator, merchant, and Professional Account. A 500-follower threshold may appear for some accounts, but it should not be presented as a universal platform rule.

The clear requirement is that organizations must first complete Professional Account verification, while individual hosts may also need real-name verification. Brands should check the eligibility conditions displayed in the Creator Center or Host Center before planning the campaign.

 

Your Trusted Xiaohongshu Marketing Partner in the Chinese Market!

Xiaohongshu’s community-centric features make the platform the perfect place to acquire potential consumers in the Chinese market. While it’s not like other live-streaming platforms, its diverse audience reach and dynamic interface open doors for international brands to boost local visibility and sales conversions.

At Sekkei Digital Group, we understand the impact of live streaming on the overall consumer journey. With our team’s extensive experience handling digital marketing campaigns in China, we can help your brand maximize Little Red Book’s live commerce features.

 

 

Planning a Xiaohongshu live-streaming campaign for your brand? Our team at Sekkei Digital Group is highly adept and experienced in managing campaigns, from platform verification and KOL/KOC coordination to performance monitoring and analysis, for businesses trying to reach Chinese consumers.

 Contact us today to review your account eligibility and campaign timeline. Let’s get this collaboration started!