Is Xiaohongshu the new TikTok?

 

 

With the threat of a potential ban looming over TikTok in the country, former US TikTok users are registering for a new platform, Xiaohongshu (or RedNote, as it is called there). Although the ban is not definite yet, TikTok users seem to rebel against the US government by registering to another Chinese platform. But what is Xiaohongshu and how does it differ from TikTok (or Temu, for that matter?)

 

 

What is Xiaohongshu

Founded in 2013 in Shanghai, Xiaohongshu is a social media platform that enables its users to share content and interact with other users, including influencers and brands.

 

The platform’s name is roughly translated as “Little Red Book” (therefore it’s sometimes simply referred to as “Red”, or “RedNote” in the US), and its layout generally resembles that of Instagram.

 

 

Screenshot of www.xiaohongshu.com’s homepage in its original Chinese

 

 

The above screenshot, depicting the homepage of Xiaohongshu, displays various types of content in the form of tiles. Users can enter the content/creator they’re looking for into the search bar on top of the page, or browse the categories featured right below that for a curated selection of content.

 

 

Screenshot of www.xiaohongshu.com/explore?channel_id=homefeed.food_v3 displaying content in the category of gourmet food. Translated into English by Google Translate

 

 

Users can browse categories like fashion, food, beauty, entertainment, work, travel and more. When clicking on a tile, the content may enlarge and the other tiles remain the backdrop of the selected one. Users then can better view the content and interact with its creator.

 

 

Screenshot of https://www.xiaohongshu.com/explore/64c7636d000000000c036fdb displaying a random tile of content. Translated into English by Google Translate

 

 

Although Xiaohongshu is not new, it has seen a surge of popularity in the last few years, especially amongst the younger generations.

 

Analysts attribute this newfound success to Xiaohongshu’s emphasis on travel, lifestyle and fashion, which corresponds to the interests of young Chinese consumers. In addition, the platform mainly features and aggregates user generated content (UGC), creating trust and a sense of belonging among users.

 

Another important factor is the seamless integration between Xiaohongshu’s social media and shopping functions, making it an excellent platform for social commerce purchases.

 

Learn more about noteworthy online marketplaces in Asia!

 

 

Xiaohongshu in numbers

The platform has over 300 million monthly active users, the majority of whom come from China and are aged between 18-35. While Xiaohongshu content can be viewed from almost anywhere in the world, the majority of the app is actually in Mandarin. Due to its surging popularity in the US, the company has issued a step-by-step guide for English speakers on how to register and use the platform while working on translating the app to English.

 

Around 140,000 brands are registered on the platform, including international brands like Aldi Süd, Rossman, and even luxury names like Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Celine and Givenchy.

 

No wonder that Xiaohongshu reports an annual profit of over $1 billion - and some even refer to the platform as a “high quality Temu.”

 

 

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TikTok and Douyin in e-Commerce

 

 

Xiaohongshu vs TikTok

TikTok’s future in the US is in the hands of the Supreme Court. Justices have until 19 January to decide whether to uphold a law that requires TikTok’s Chinese owner ByteDance to divest TikTok US or face a ban in the country due to concerns of national security. If the law is upheld, the platform will have to cease its operations.

Not waiting for the court’s decision, TikTok’s US-based users have found themselves a new platform in Xiaohongshu (or RedNote). Calling themselves “TikTok refugees,” US users flock to RedNote en masse so much so that over 700,000 people have downloaded the app in the span of two days.

Interestingly, existing users have welcomed the new recruits with open arms, offering assistance with setting up their accounts and asking for help with their English homework in return. And, as mentioned earlier, Xiaohongshu itself is rapidly working on making its platform more accessible to English-speakers.

 

 

Xiaohongshu vs Temu & Co.

Besides their country of origin, Temu and Xiaohongshu also share their quick journey to recognition: both platforms have found massive success within a relatively short time frame. However, where Temu focuses on low price and a large selection of goods, Xiaohongshu goes about it a bit differently.

 

Instead of pushing products, heavy discounts and other hard sell techniques, Xiaohongshu focuses on the community-building aspect of shopping. UGC product recommendations, genuine reviews, tutorials, product comparisons and shopping guides are much more popular on the platform than actual ads. Indeed, experts recommend brands starting out on Xiaohongshu to focus on authenticity and community-building instead of classic ads and hard selling.

 

These features contribute to Xiaohongshu becoming increasingly popular with the younger generation.

 

Find out all about Generation Z and how to market your products to them!

 

As mentioned above, well-known Western brands have already set up shop on Xiaohongshu. The platform helps brands to open their official brand account by providing a step-by-step guide for the setup process, as well as assistance with marketing, data insights, tech support and more.

 

Discover how Temu tries to get Western sellers on its platform!

 

 

Xiaohongshu in Europe?

While the Xiaohongshu or RedNote app can also be downloaded in Europe, the features may not be the same as what users in China experience, particularly regarding shopping. The question is, how long will it stay like that?

 

Quite a few Chinese online marketplaces, including AliExpress, Temu and SHEIN are already available to European shoppers. No wonder that EU authorities have a hard time processing all the packages ordered from China.

 

Adding a new marketplace would certainly increase the volume of those packages, although the fact that many European brands also operate on Xiaohongshu would perhaps make logistics a bit easier. (However, would European consumers order from European brands via Xiaohongshu?)

 

 

Screenshot of xiaohongshu.com displaying a random post that features European luxury branded products. Translated into English by Google Translate.

 

 

Another important issue to settle in case of a Western expansion is that of the protection of IP rights. Although, unlike Temu, SHEIN and Co, Xiaohongshu is not exactly known for the heavy presence of IP infringing products, third party sellers do operate on the platform, which increases the chance of knockoffs, counterfeits and other infringing goods appearing.

 

Find out why SHEIN is accused of violating copyright via AI

 

And let’s not forget how the look and feel of a marketplace influences your products’ chances of being discovered and purchased. When surrounded by bad quality goods, your authentic products suffer just by appearing next to those listings. While Xiaohongshu has a good reputation in that regard, we can’t ignore the possibility and dangers of dodgy listings surrounding your authentic one. This is why ensuring a clean marketplace for your products is so important.

 

But how can you ensure that? Well, that’s what globaleyez is here for.

 

 

Protecting your IP rights and reputation on Xiaohongshu

Our services and solutions were created to detect and eliminate IP infringements that hurt your brand’s rights both on- and offline.

 

If you have suspicions about a fraudulent seller infringing on your rights on Xiaohongshu, we’d recommend our social media monitoring service. With state-of-the-art software solutions, our service quickly detects IP infringing content, including ads, posts and product listings on social media platforms.

 

Since Xiaohongshu is heavily image-based, a round of image monitoring would be essential to discover fraudulent sellers using your images without permission in posts, ads or other picture-based content. Thanks to our user-friendly SaaS infrimage, you can even download our software and try your hand at image monitoring yourself!

 

The removal of infringing images or any other type of content is at the core of our enforcement service, which effectively puts a stop to fraudsters’ activities. At least until they upload the infringing content again, which is why sustainable enforcement is key to a continuous effort to keep your IP rights safe.

 

 

Conclusion

Whether Xiaohongshu’s shopping features make it to Europe in the near future or not, your brand has a chance to open a store on the platform and reach out to a new target audience. Or perhaps fraudsters have already taken your products to Xiaohongshu?