China stands as a beacon for the advancement of state-of-the-art technologies and entrepreneurial innovation: a genuine digital upheaval that took root in metropolises like Shenzhen and Shanghai has captivated audiences across Europe.

Establishing business ties in the vicinity of the Great Wall necessitates a comprehensive understanding of the tools favored by the local populace, the behavior patterns of Chinese netizens, and prevailing industry movements. While contrasts with the Old World can be nuanced, they are frequently pronounced; recognizing these differences is crucial in crafting a strategy that is both effective and efficient, safeguarding against the squandering of resources, time, and financial outlay.

Social Networks in China: Audience, Trends, and Tools

Although the growth trends of the Chinese audience on social media have slowed down over the last five years, as is normal, the absolute numbers speak of over 1 billion active profiles at the end of 2022 (KAWO data).

About 95% of Chinese internet users engage with social media daily, navigating in a continuous stream of information and stimuli, sometimes as spectators, very often as producers and promoters of more or less professional content.

Beyond the subscribers, the trends of Chinese social media are particularly interesting:

• They are increasingly used as search engines, thanks to increasingly sophisticated internal algorithms capable of sifting through hundreds of millions of contents uploaded every day;
• Short videos have conquered the social public: over 1 billion people actively participate in platforms such as Douyin and Kuaishou, strengthening the country’s digital audience;
• Advertising investments are continuously increasing, which is why the strategies needed to emerge are increasingly sophisticated;
• The complexity of social media marketing operations also depends on strict government regulations;
• A good way to breach the Chinese social public are Key Opinion Leaders and viral content, trends always in vogue in the sector;
• Podcast activity is also growing, an emerging and increasingly popular sector.

With everything written so far, it is easy to identify in social media the battlefield to capture the attention of the new Chinese bourgeoisie, an increasingly wealthy, competent, and interested public in new experiences, in the most diverse sectors, from consumption in fashion and food, to tourism.

Among the many indigenous social channels, dominating the digital market segment is undoubtedly the WeChat universe, which has over 1.3 billion subscribers (not all residing in China, by the way). Douyin’s fan base is also excellent, with over 715 million active users monthly, and Kuaishou, which is close to 650 million active profiles.

But what are the unique features of these platforms?

WeChat, a Multifunctional Ecosystem

Talking about WeChat means discussing a veritable multifunctional digital ecosystem, composed of various channels and services, interconnected in a single app-platform.

The landscape ranges from instant messaging, akin to the Western WhatsApp, to WeChat Search, which challenges Baidu as the most used search engine by local internet users. In between, there are hundreds of millions of business accounts capable of integrating small institutional sites, e-commerce services, as well as task management software into the usual social networking activities, with content sharing, short videos, and various influencers.

WeChat is the main hub for anyone wanting to carry out professional communication and marketing activities in China, regardless of the sector: it is indispensable for B2C as well as B2B, to build brand awareness but also for customer service and sales.

Douyin, TikTok’s Alter Ego

Douyin is the most popular entertainment platform in China, which has imposed the short video format in the shadow of the Wall and around the world, revolutionizing the way to do social media marketing in just eight years of existence (since its birth in 2016).

Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok and a favorite space for local key opinion leaders, is increasingly oriented towards the promotion and sale of products, with an in-video search engine that allows users to find anything they might be interested in, as well as take advantage of flash purchasing functionality, even during streaming events or presentations.

From entertainment to marketing, it was a short and very quick step, thanks to the new features introduced in 2023, which make purchasing easier and facilitate access for sellers: the goal is to engage and exploit the enormous user base, especially Gen Z and Millennials (35-45 years old), to help the B2C market flourish.

Xiaohongshu, the Space for Shopping Advice

Xiaohongshu is the ideal platform for those who want to showcase consumer products of medium-high positioning, with an eye to status symbols and lifestyle, and for those who still believe in textual storytelling.

Here more than elsewhere, copywriting best marries with videos and images of everyday life where luxury items and common products reign supreme, to showcase their features and also respond to the commercial needs of the audience, who, besides sharing the content and following brands, can also purchase directly thanks to specific buttons.

Xiaohongshu is thus a board of shopping advice dedicated to high-spending users, both in large metropolises and small centers. For these features, it is the preferred field of action for over 140,000 brands, enthusiastic about the efficiency of marketing measurement tools, and the high level of user engagement.

Kuaishou, the App Dedicated to Lifestyle

Kuaishou is the rapidly rising social network, capable of increasing the number of active subscribers by 11% between 2021 and 2022. Originally an app for creating and sharing GIFs, the service has rapidly evolved into a platform that combines short videos, live streaming, and social commerce. Therefore, it is the ideal channel for discussing lifestyle, offering tutorials, and playful experiences.

Kuaishou is particularly popular in areas characterized by small and medium-sized urban centers, where there are fewer entertainment and leisure opportunities. Its growth also testifies to the desire of the less evolved public to have fun online, particularly among Gen Z (25-35 years old) and Gen Alpha (15-25 years old).

From a brand communication professional perspective, it is an excellent channel for showcasing and promoting products and services, contextualizing them, and selling them live, also thanks to content produced by users who follow the brands.

Trends in Europe, Between Boomers and Digital Natives

And in Europe? The web scenarios on the Old Continent are evolving, both in the use of social channels and in the habits of internet users, increasingly composed of digital natives, who love movies and series, music and cooking, especially. However, there exists skepticism and stasis typical of territories where the boomer audience is also growing online, seeking news and old school friends.

The over-55s (16% of European web users, as opposed to a global average of 8%) spend more than 5 hours online per day, but three-quarters on a PC or laptop, while Gen Z and Millennials (44% of the audience) split evenly between computers—often for work—and smartphones, browsing daily for over 8 and 7 hours each, respectively (GWI data).

This fragmentation limits the mass diffusion of some mobile apps: while WhatsApp is indeed the most used platform in Europe, typically on smartphones, YouTube and Facebook lead the ranking of favorite social networks, with many activities carried out precisely on PCs.

The demographics of internet users and the use of digital tools also outline social trends: for 44% of users, the main reason for frequenting Instagram and the like is to stay updated on friends’ activities, while 41% admit to simply wanting to have fun during their free time. Social networks are the primary information channel for 41% of subscribers.

There is a more detached relationship with commercial brands: only 12% of European subscribers click on advertisements; the same percentage chooses to reshare company content. In general, only 28% of subscribers think that social media have a positive impact on their existence.

The age of the audience and the ambiguous perception of the platforms result in lengthy and arduous online purchase paths, pushing 51% of the web audience to avoid spending on websites and e-commerce, preferring physical stores (while the global average counts on 58% of the population now dedicated to e-shopping).

In short, if in China digital business activities are driven and designed mainly for the dynamic and more open under-40s, who also wish to make their economic and social achievements count, in Europe the gaze must widen to involve many over-60s, also because of the high purchasing power of this public segment.

A Strategic Approach, Between Local Needs and Global Vision

The differences between China and Europe demonstrate how it is impossible for brands to think of equivalent social media strategies, lest they face a resounding failure.

The ideal approach to conquer the Chinese public via social media requires a perfect balance between targeting local initiatives and a global vision, a precise choice of the most useful tools to act on, depending on one’s business objectives, and the development of content specifically thought for Chinese internet users, their needs, and their aspirations.

Knowledge of the socio-cultural context, technical-legal competence of the platforms, and flexibility are essential preconditions for nurturing ambitions of success: that’s why a dedicated partner can make all the difference.