This Article is written by local marketer, and is designed to resonate with international brand managers, founders, and marketers looking to enter or grow in China.
Douyin E-commerce is Changing
???? From Hype to Structure: The Great Shift in China’s Livestream Economy
For years, Chinese e-commerce has been dominated by the so-called “Cat, Dog, Pin” trio: Tmall (cat), JD.com (dog), and Pinduoduo (pin). But the game has changed — and Douyin (China’s TikTok) has broken into the top three, claiming its position as a true e-commerce heavyweight.
According to 36Kr, Douyin’s total GMV in 2024 hit an estimated ¥3.5 trillion (~$480 billion) — up 30% YoY. It now ranks third in China’s e-commerce market, behind only Tmall (¥8 trillion) and Pinduoduo (¥5.2 trillion).
What’s Make this surge?
Not just short videos. Not just influencers.
???? It’s store-operated livestreaming (“店播” or “store-cast”) — and it’s transforming China’s digital sales ecosystem.
???? What’s Actually Working on Douyin?
Let’s talk numbers.
Between February 2024 and January 2025, nearly 70% of livestream-driven GMV on Douyin came from store livestreams, not influencer (KOL) sessions.
The GMV split now sits roughly at 4:3:3 among:
- Traditional product shelf sales
- Store livestreaming (店播)
- Influencer livestreaming (达播)
While influencer selling once dominated, store-based livestreaming is now the fastest-growing and most consistent sales channel.
2025 Douyin Strategy: Growth Through Brand and Store Channels
Douyin isn’t just riding the trend — it’s building infrastructure around it.
In February 2024, ByteDance merged its massive ad platform Ocean Engine (巨量千川) into Douyin’s e-commerce unit. The result?
→ One team, one algorithm, one focus: drive GMV.
→ Ad spend is now directly accountable to sales performance and ROI.
They’re also rolling out merchant support policies, including:
- Faster onboarding for stores
- Streamlined logistics integration
- New refund subsidy policies (e.g., covering returns on eligible ad-driven orders)
These are designed to support brands and large-scale sellers — not just influencers or resellers.
???? Store Livestreaming Is the New Growth Engine
Influencers aren’t dead, but store-run livestreaming has outpaced them for two years straight.
- 21,000 merchants generated over ¥10M each through store streams in 2024
- Over 1,000 sellers exceeded ¥100M in annual GMV
- Even the book industry — once considered old-school — saw a 38% YoY growth in store livestream sales
Take ZHIZHI, a premium Chinese women’s fashion brand founded in 2018.
By focusing on store livestreams and full-funnel operations, ZHIZHI reached ¥20M+ in a single day of GMV.
Their livestreams convert 1.5–2x better than static product shelf listings.
Their plan for 2025?
→ Expand their account matrix
→ Create differentiated content per product vertical
→ Serve a high-end, loyal fan base, directly
???? Industrial Belt Sellers + Brand Stores = Douyin’s Secret Weapon
It’s not just DTC brands.
Thousands of “industrial belt” factories (local manufacturers from China’s production hubs) are using Douyin to go direct-to-consumer, skipping middlemen entirely.
Example: Dongli Cashmere, based in Chifeng, started on Douyin in 2019. After years of trial and error, they grew their GMV 5x, built an agile supply chain, and now run flexible production based on livestream data.
This means:
- Faster turnaround
- Lower inventory risk
- Personalized manufacturing at scale
With Douyin’s AI recommendations and sales analytics, Brands can now understand consumer behavior in real time, Philip CHEN GMA
???? Price Wars, Platform Evolution & Survival of the Fittest
In 2024, Douyin — like many platforms — tested aggressive “price power” strategies.
The result? A brutal filter.
???? Middlemen with weak supply chains were eliminated.
✅ What survived: brands and factories with tight control over cost, quality, and speed.
The numbers speak for themselves:
190,000+ sellers broke ¥1M in livestream-driven sales
15.4 billion industrial goods orders on Douyin in 2024 (+39% YoY)
Over 830 industrial clusters each generated over ¥100M GMV
2M+ SMBs used Douyin livestreaming to grow sales
Behind the Scenes: Internal Shakeups & Strategic Focus
To handle the rapid evolution, Douyin consolidated its e-commerce operations at the end of 2024.
Two internal groups — “Industry Operation A” and “B” — were merged under a single leader, Zhao Rui, to improve cross-category collaboration.
This signals a strategic focus on:
- Streamlining merchant management
- Merging small verticals for better efficiency
- Giving brands more traffic allocation
Media reports confirm:
???? In 2025, Douyin, Tmall, and even Pinduoduo will all focus heavily on brand seller growth — not just traffic or discounts.
???? Philip Chen Insight:
Douyin’s Future Is Brand-Driven, Not Influencer-Dependent
“The age of relying purely on top KOLs is fading.
The future belongs to brands that build operations around content — and content around conversion.”
Douyin has evolved from a video platform into China’s most advanced full-stack retail machine:
- Traffic engine
- Sales engine
- CRM system
- Advertising suite
- Supply chain partner
And the message is clear:
→ If you’re a brand or manufacturer, you don’t need a distributor anymore.
→ You need a store account, a camera, and a strategy.
Who Want help entering China via Douyin?
I can help you with:
✅ Go-to-market strategy for Douyin
✅ Store livestream playbook
✅ Full content calendar for 30 days
✅ KOL vs store strategy comparison
✅ Funnel: Douyin → WeChat → Repeat purchase
Just tell us your Brand and goals — we will tailor you a Strategy for China
