What is Xiaohongshu and how to get started

Xiaohongshu, also known as Little Red Book, RED, or 小红书, is one of the largest and fastest growing social e-commerce apps in China, mainly targeting women.

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Xiaohongshu

About Xiaohongshu

Xiaohongshu, also known as Little Red Book, RED, or 小红书, is one of the largest and fastest growing social e-commerce apps in China, mainly targeting women, and a leading Chinese fashion lifestyle platform.

Founded in 2013, Xiaohongshu started as an online tour guide for Chinese shoppers, for users to review products and share their shopping experiences with the community. It is often referenced as the Chinese version of Instagram.

Due to the platform’s early focus on fashion and beauty trends, Xiaohongshu’s user base is predominantly female, mostly in first and second-tier cities, and is now China’s top how-to guide for all things fashion, beauty, and lifestyle. It also established its cross-border e-commerce platform, where Chinese consumers can buy products from overseas and order directly. It is now a combination of social media and an e-commerce platform, where users can first browse user-generated content and then shop within the app.

Beauty and fashion are the most popular content on Xiaohongshu

How To Get Started On Xiaohongshu

Create Content On Xiaohongshu

Xiaohongshu is commonly used by businesses and brands to gain organic growth by creating content. Businesses may create a brand account to create their content on Xiaohongshu.

Advertising On Xiahongshu

You can sign up on Xiaohongshu’s ad platform Pugongying, where you can find influencers, their pricing for collaboration, and their past cases. Many major brands like Tiffany have had successful social marketing campaigns on Xiaohongshu.

Successful Campaigns Showcased On Xiaohongshu

Sell On Xiaohongshu

Xiaohongshu is popular among e-commerce businesses as it allows users to browse social content while finishing transactions within the app. To open a store on Xiaohongshu, you need to follow the steps below:

Step 1. Submit your company information on Xiaohongshu’s merchants’ site.

Step 2. Wait for the Xiaohongshu team to verify your application. It usually takes 1-5 business days.

Step 3. Sign the service agreement and pay a security deposit and an annual fee.

Step 4. List products and launch your store.

Cost To Sell On Xiaohongshu

To open a store on Xiaohongshu, the fees needed are a security deposit and a commission fee based on transactions.

Generally, the deposit for general merchants is 20,000 yuan, the deposit for cross-border merchants is 3,500 US dollars, and the commission rate is 15%-20%, subject to specific product categories.

Do not have a Chinese entity, Chinese phone number or Chinese ID? We can help!

If you do not have a Chinese entity, Chinese ID, or Chinese phone number, which is essential to register an account on Xiaohongshu, 21YunBox is here to help.

We can provide the necessary supporting documents to use Xiaohongshu and walk you through the process. Meanwhile, we will also bring your company, product, and service into full compliance with Chinese law.