The development of the Internet has given birth to many new professions, and the Chinese live-streaming industry has also been developing rapidly. Especially in the West, we always hear of fairy tails about successful live streaming that enabled fashion brands to be out of stock in mainland China in less than a couple of minutes. What are the live-streaming apps for fashion brands? How to select the right ones and implement the most result-driven strategy?

Latest Data on Live-Streaming Apps in China

As of June 2021, the scale of China’s webcasting users reached 638 million with a YoY growth of +47.2% compared with the same period in 2020. The current Chinese live-streaming app users pool is accounting for 63.1% of the overall Chinese netizens. With the rapid development of internet technology, the webcasting ecological chain is attracting attention, the scale of webcasting users continues to rise, and the live broadcasting industry has a huge market development space.

In 2022, the number of live-streaming users should reach about 660 million people.

The Opening of the Live Broadcasting Era in China

Looking back, live broadcast in 2005 was mainly presented to everyone in the form of video chat rooms, and the first year of China’s network live broadcast officially arrived in 2016. At that time, the live broadcast was dominated by live e-commerce platforms, such as Jumei Youpin, Mushroom Street, and Taobao Live.

In 2020, the live-streaming system has matured and live broadcast has entered the house of all people. Chinese netizens watch, interact, purchase, and entertain themselves with live-streaming at home or on public transport.

The Evolution of Live-Streaming for Fashion in China in 2022

The major change came from the birth and decline of live-streaming superstars such as Viya and Austin Li who were respectively ranked TOP1 and TOP2 key opinion leaders (KOL) in China. Viya who had 80 million followers on Weibo was fined by the Chinese government for tax evasion while Austin Li was spotted in 618 for promoting an ice cream that looked like a tank during the Tiananmen Square Protests anniversary.

The King and Queen of live-streaming for fashion brands lost their crown. The market is evolving at a fast pace and small or medium influencers are thriving on new platforms. If you want to be broadcasted live on Chinese platforms, these are the best platforms to work on.

What are the 5 Major Live Broadcast Platforms in China?

From social media channels to e-commerce channels, China gradually emerged 5 big live platforms:

1. DouYin – China’s Biggest Short Video App

DouYin (抖音 in Chinese) is a short-form video-sharing platform that aims to help the public to express themselves and record a good life. The app was officially launched in September 2016 and is open to people of all ages. Users can choose songs and shoot short music videos to form their own works through this software, which will update users’ favorite videos according to their preferences.

if you’re serious about livestreaming in China, Douyin (抖音) is not just an option.
???? It’s the best-performing, highest-converting, most powerful platform you can use.

Here’s the full breakdown, Oussama Ammar style — big truths, hard numbers, and zero fluff.

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Why Douyin Is the Best App for Livestreaming in China (2025)

???? If your brand isn’t on Douyin, you’re not live — you’re invisible.

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???? 1️⃣ Massive Audience. Massive Engagement.

✅ 800M+ monthly active users
✅ Douyin = China’s #1 short video + livestream platform
✅ Average user watches 80–120 minutes daily
✅ Covers all tiers: Gen Z in Shanghai to new moms in Chengdu

???? It’s not social media.
It’s China’s attention engine.

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???? 2️⃣ Livestreaming = Direct Sales Channel (Not Just Content)

Douyin livestreams aren’t “events.”
They’re real-time conversion machines.

✅ You can:

• Demo products live
• Offer limited-time deals
• Answer questions
• Close sales instantly
• Link directly to Douyin store
• Use affiliate KOLs to drive traffic + orders

???? Brands regularly do ¥10M–¥100M GMV in a single livestream.

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???? 3️⃣ The Algorithm Is Ruthless — In a Good Way

Douyin doesn’t care about your follower count.
It cares about content performance.

✅ If your live content performs, it gets shown
→ You can go viral from zero
→ Organic growth is still possible
→ Every minute is scored → conversion rate = exposure

???? It’s not a feed. It’s a marketplace powered by AI.

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???? 4️⃣ End-to-End Ecosystem = Seamless Funnel

Douyin does what Instagram, Shopify, and Stripe wish they could.

✅ From livestream to product page
✅ From product to checkout
✅ From comment to follow-up
✅ With full tracking, CRM, and promotion tools

No jumping platforms.
No friction.
Just watch → want → click → buy.

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???? 5️⃣ Trusted by Chinese Consumers

✅ Chinese shoppers prefer livestreaming over ads
→ They want to see the product, not just read specs
✅ They trust real-time demo + questions
→ “Will this color match my skin?” → answered live
✅ They love the urgency
→ “Only 30 left! Ends in 5 mins!” → boom, sales spike

???? Livestream = modern version of the old department store salesperson, but with scale, emotion, and FOMO.

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⚙️ 6️⃣ Top KOLs + Brands Are Already Dominating

✔️ L’Oréal, Perfect Diary, Huawei, Florasis
✔️ Li Jiaqi, Crazy Little Brother Yang, Cherie, and 1,000s of micro-streamers
✔️ They sell everything: skincare, fashion, wellness, appliances, even real estate

???? Brands build entire teams just for Douyin livestreaming

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???? How to Succeed on Douyin Livestream

✅ Use a charismatic host (KOL or trained in-house talent)
✅ Focus on 1–2 hero SKUs per session
✅ Offer limited-time bundles or gifts
✅ Warm up audience 24h in advance with teaser content
✅ Link everything to your Douyin mini-store
✅ Re-target viewers via Douyin CRM or WeChat

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⚠️ Mistakes to Avoid

???? Too scripted or too stiff — livestream is performance
???? Selling too many products — focus wins
???? Ignoring the chat — interaction is what converts
???? No post-live follow-up — build loyalty via WeChat
???? Treating Douyin like Instagram — it’s e-commerce first, not branding first

2. KuaiShou – Live-Streaming E-Commerce

Kuaishou 快手 is a national short video community, a platform to record and share life. The app stands for seeing the real and interesting world, finding your own interest in people, but also letting the world find the real and interesting themselves.

In 2021, Kuaishou’s live-streaming business annual revenue reached 31 billion RMB. In the past years, Kuaishou launched “live with the post”, and ecological exploration of industrialization live-streaming. The human resources anchor Liu Chao used Kuaishou to help 4,000 to 5,000 migrant workers find work. From living with goods to living with a post, from consumer services to match employment, Kuaishou has improved social value. Louis Vuitton noticed the importance of this platform and launched a live-streamed menswear show that reached 49 million viewers on Kuaishou.

3. Taobao with its Taobao Live Feature

Taobao 淘寶 is the number 1 e-commerce platform in China. Specializing in C2C, Taobao is also the search engine for Tmall stores and Tmall Global stores, mainly used by luxury and fashion brands.

In February 2019, Alibaba made the live broadcast module in the Taobao app independent, forming an independent app called Taobao Live. According to information from Alibaba’s fiscal year 2021 Q3 earnings report, Taobao Live brought in more than 400 billion RMB in GMV for the 12 months that ended December 31, 2020.

The average daily active users of Taobao Live increased significantly in 2020, up 100% year-on-year. In particular, the user increase was most significant during the 330 Live Extravaganza, Tmall 618, Tmall Double 11, and other major promotion stages. The choice of anchors, not only stars and the president, shopping guides, and others closer to the brand, more specialized role to become the anchor.

4. YY Live

YY Live 直播 is a domestic live entertainment platform that includes music, technology, outdoor, sports, games, and other content. The app gathers 300 million users and over 41 million monthly active mobile users with over 1.5 million contracted star anchors.

In 2008, YY Voice was launched as an instant communication tool for World of Warcraft players, and in 2011, YY Live was launched with the concept of art anchors and listeners, and since then YY Live has maintained its position as a pan-entertainment live streaming platform, with products, content, and business layout around it. In terms of innovation, YY Live is the inventor of “live reward” today.

YY Live also innovated in content operations. For example, the app has built a content system in the field of celebrity live broadcast, including a “star customization program + live variety show + fan support group building live”. Following their success, Baidu acquired YY Live in 2020.

5. HuYa Live

HuYa Live 虎牙 is China’s leading live pop-up interactive platform and one of the leading live gaming platforms, covering more than 3,300 games and gradually covering diversified pop-up interactive live content such as entertainment, variety, education, outdoor, and sports. As of March 31, 2020, Huya Live has over 151 million monthly active users.

Since its creation, Huya has been focusing on the mining of head anchors in the game category, signing up several popular anchors at a heavy cost. In addition to the big anchors, Huya also actively cooperates with celebrities, inviting Chen He, Tang Yan, and other stars to participate in the platform’s live broadcast.

For International Brands Entering China, Live-Streaming is Inevitable

In 2020, the luxury brand Louis Vuitton entered Little Red Book for a test although the effect is difficult. But there was a breakthrough that became the first major international brand to try it, becoming a guide and spearhead for the entire luxury industry to act in the Chinese market.

After this, many luxury brands entered the live broadcast. This year, light luxury brands like Coach joined Taobao, Jitterbug, and Racer the three major platforms for synchronized broadcast, May Day live broadcast throughout the holiday. Luxury brands should find a live rhythm that suits them.

Want to Live-Stream with Goods in China? Contact us

Indeed, there are many opportunities to develop your business in China. Thanks to the digitalization of society and new marketing tools. However, in China, you really need to gain market share faster than others, because the pace of business is very fast, and the environment is constantly evolving.

In China, GMA is a business that specializes in digital marketing. Because we understand how to efficiently market your company in China in accordance with the market and Chinese consumers, we have created numerous successful projects. Our staff is located in our HQ in Shanghai and is knowledgeable about the most recent technological advancements and market trends, enabling us to offer you a comprehensive range of services, from business advice to marketing operations.

Contact us to know if your brand is a good fit for China