The Best Chinese Social Media Platforms to Promote Your Fashion Brand

With more than a billion internet users as of 2023, China is one of the most digitalized countries in the world. With the rising use of social media platforms, it has become essential for brands to have an online presence in order to promote their products and attract consumers.

Thus, it is undeniable for every company especially fashion brands, to master Chinese social media. However, you might be wondering what social media you should use in order to effectively promote your brand. Don’t worry, in this article, we will give you some tips and advice about the most popular social media for fashion brands.

Overview of the Chinese social media landscape

As one of the most lucrative industries in China, many brands are trying to conquer the Chinese market. However, the Chinese market is way different from the Western one. China has its own e-commerce websites and social media platforms and they often work hand in hand. Thus, if you want to seize the opportunity of selling your products to a wide audience, don’t forget to get as much information as possible about Chinese consumers’ habits.

Chinese social media platforms stand apart from their Western counterparts by providing a more diverse range of functions. From online monetary transactions to gaming and entertainment, these apps have something for all social media users in China.

What’s more, the e-commerce capabilities are so broadened that each app is now an integral part of its own commercial ecosystem – highlighting just how much social eCommerce has prospered within the country.

Chinese consumers & online shopping

If you want to attract Chinese consumers, you have to know that nowadays, the majority of the Chinese population is purchasing goods online instead of going to brick-and-mortar stores. It is easier, more convenient, and most of the time, cheaper. All of this was possible thanks to China’s digitalization and the rising use of the internet.

China is the world’s largest social media market, with people increasingly depending on such platforms to express and share their opinion, ask for product recommendations, and connect with other users.

There were more than 900 million online shoppers in China, which means that e-commerce platforms and social media are more than ever at the core of Chinese society.

China is a bustling market of 1.4 billion consumers, with an ever-growing appetite for social media and digital platforms. In 2023, seven out of every ten Chinese individuals had already made the switch; by 2026 that number will reach nearly all citizens as usage skyrockets to 91%. There is no denying that you really need to become present on Chinese social media sites.

The best social media in China for fashion brands

In the increasingly digitalized market of China, brands need to use Chinese social media platforms in order for them to be visible and increase brand awareness. Chinese people are very active on these platforms so it’s no surprise that 92% of luxury and fashion companies have at least an official WeChat account.

Brands that have an active presence online will often receive positive feedback through comments or shares while those who don’t might find customers giving them bad ratings without hesitation if given enough time which could lead to decreased sales numbers overall.

WeChat (微信): #1 Social Media in China

With more than 1.2 billion monthly active users, WeChat is the most popular app in China. Even though it was at first a messaging app, the app released under the giant Tencent in 2011 quickly became a vast ecosystem of services. Nowadays, WeChat is a must-have for every citizen and business as it became a new player in the e-commerce industry.

WeChat is even more important for fashion brands as it allows you to promote your brand by sharing posts, and articles, running mini-programs, creating H5 Brochures, etc.

Moreover, it is the best way to communicate directly with your customers and reply to their questions. 

One key point to successfully promote your brand through WeChat is to create an Official Account. Don’t worry, if your brand is still not present in China, we will help you find and reach your target audience by improving your brand awareness as well as creating your WeChat official account.

Some of the best features of WeChat for brands include:

• WeChat Moments: that work like a Facebook feed
• WeChat Official Accounts: a must-have for any brand that wants to become reliable to Chinese consumers
• WeChat mini-programs: that allow for the creation of WeChat stores, where you can sell your own products without the need of entering Tmall first
• WeChat Pay: allowing consumers to pay for products directly in the app
• WeChat CRM
• Influencer marketing
• WeChat Channels: a short video sub-platform, where you can reach out to new audiences

Weibo (微博): The Social Media with the most engagement in China

Launched in 2009 by the Chinese technology company Sina Corporation (新浪), Weibo is one of the biggest Chinese social media apps. It provides microblogging services and has often been compared to Twitter but has evolved to be much more over the years with eCommerce and live streaming function functions for instance.

The engagement on the app is great and the post can go viral in a couple of a minute. This high engagement and ad algorithm are similar to Facebook, making it a great place for marketing to promote products and gain visibility.

With over 570 million monthly active users, Weibo is one of the leading social media platforms in China. Furthermore, its impressive 94% mobile penetration ensures that brands can effectively reach their target audience through this app – making it a great option for promotion and marketing efforts.

Additionally, creating official verified accounts on Weibo makes engaging with customers effortless; providing ideal conditions for building strong brand awareness amongst Chinese consumers.

Almost all the fashion brands in China have a Weibo account on which they can share content with their followers, as well as promote their brand and new collection.

Xiaohongshu (小红书): The birth of Social eCommerce in China

Founded in 2013 by Charlwin Mao and Miranda Qu, Xiaohongshu (小红书) also known as ‘The Little Red Book’ and ‘RED’, is a Chinese social media platform and one of the world’s largest community e-commerce platforms. Over the years, it has grown to become China’s foremost shopping platform in terms of beauty, fashion, and luxury products.

In 2018, it was listed on Forbes’ “Top 50 Most Innovative Companies in China 2018” list. As of 2023, Xiaohongshu is boasting over 200 million monthly active users. It was also valued at more than USD 3 billion in 2018 and has the support of giants like Alibaba, Tencent, Zhenfund, Genesis Capital, etc.

Xiaohongshu differs from most other e-commerce backbones, offering platforms for users and brands to interact in more interactive and informative ways. Its messaging features allow companies to connect with Chinese Internet users directly upon purchase, whilst its reviews system provides detailed posts by KOLs & KOCs that demonstrate product usability – perfect for influencer marketing campaigns.

Even though Xiaohongshu is an e-commerce platform, it has some social networking features, allowing users to share reviews and experiences about products. Xiaohongshu can be a valuable tool for your e-reputation in China, as word-of-mouth is the main way of discovery for Chinese consumers. By sharing their opinion on Xiaohongshu, users are at the same time promoting your fashion brand.

Douyin (抖音) – the Chinese social media that conquered the world

With more than 700 million daily active users in China as of 2023, Douyin, known as Tik Tok in other parts of the world, is one of the most lucrative and promising apps in China. In March 2021, Douyin launched its flagship stores, available for brand accounts on its platform, marking a major step into e-commerce. 

Until now, Douyin was just a way to promote new products and popular items to consumers through short videos and live-streaming. Moreover, it was also possible for companies to send vouchers to their followers and add links to e-commerce platforms such as JD.com and Taobao. However, these flagship store allows fashion brands to directly promote, advertise and sell their products on this social media platform.

Weitao (微淘) – Taobao’s social media

Following the success of its e-commerce platforms Tmall and Taobao, Alibaba decided to follow the trend of content marketing and Chinese social media apps like WeChat and Weibo, by creating its own social experience in 2013: Weitao (微淘).

As a matter of fact, social media and e-commerce platforms are closely linked, especially in the eyes of Chinese mobile users. The majority of brands using e-commerce platforms have also an official account on various Chinese social media platforms.

Weitao can be a useful and powerful tool to leverage your brand on Tmall and Taobao as consumers are able to directly click on the pictures of products to be redirected to your store. It is also important to collaborate with influencers and KOLs to promote your products among Chinese customers.

How to use Weitao?

Compared to other social media, Weitao is seen as a digital shopping assistant, so you must only talk about products. For example, you can write short articles about your products, short posts, etc. Users are able to share their experience by giving writing reviews about your products and your online store, watching live streaming, short videos, etc.

Youku (优酷)

Launched in 2003, Youku is a video hosting platform often nicknamed the ‘Youtube of China’. In China, Youku is one of the most important online video and streaming service platforms. The unique point of Youku is that it offers long-format videos. Despite the emergence of short videos and live streaming platforms, longer videos are still preferred when users want to gain deeper knowledge, learn about a topic, or watch the news.

Thanks to its massive audience, you will be able to reach much more consumers on this Chinese social media platform, and different kinds of consumers compared to social media like Douyin, which is more targeted to the younger generation.

Kuaishou: the biggest Douyin competitor

Kuaishou is another short-video Chinese social networking platform and the biggest competitor of Douyin in the Chinese market.

Kuaishou’s success as one of the largest short-video platforms in the world lies within its unique approach to targeting underrepresented, lower-tier city consumers.

The content featured on this Chinese Social Media app is casual and down to earth; it’s focused on daily life activities often taking place even in rural areas that were previously neglected by other applications.

These efforts have paid off—over 600 million monthly active users attest to Kuaishou’s continued presence significantly larger than Douyin – with prospects for further growth still ahead.

Kuaishou became even more popular when the live-streaming function was added to the platform, and today it’s one of the most viewed live-streaming platforms in China, with more than 200 million live streams being added every day.

How can fashion brands take advantage of social media in China?

If you want to take advantage of Chinese social media, you will first have to understand and adapt your marketing and advertising strategies according to Chinese consumers’ habits.

When are Chinese users generally connected to the internet?

If you want to promote effectively your fashion brand, it is important to take into account Chinese consumers’ habits. For example, they visit social platforms during these periods of time:

• 08.00 – 10.00 (On their way to work / Before work)
• 13.00 – 14.00 (During lunch break)
• 16.00 – 17.00 (After work)
• 18.30 – 19.30 (Before dinner)
• 22.00 – 23.00 (Before sleeping)

Chinese KOLs to leverage your brand

KOLs (Key Opinion Leaders) are the best ambassadors of your brands, they act like influencers. If you want to promote your brand, you can collaborate with KOLs who will promote your products to their community.

Some KOLs are even more famous than celebrities and they have more impact when it comes to sales. Many brands collaborate regularly with KOLs, the more they have followers, the more expensive their fees will be.

Contact us to expand your China Social Media Marketing Strategy

After reading this article, you can see that social media are part of Chinese people’s lives. Thus, it is an excellent marketing tool for fashion brands to grow their awareness and become viral.

Our agency can help you create your Official accounts on social media, run Paid Advertising Campaigns, Content creation, and so on.

So, if you want to know more about social media in China, do not hesitate to contact us. We offer a free consultation with one of our experts, that will advise you on the best social media marketing strategy for your brand.