The RED App has become a crucial platform for global luxury, fashion, and beauty brands aiming to engage with Chinese consumers. It enables brands to tap into local consumption trends, enhance brand visibility, establish direct connections with customers, and foster brand loyalty. The platform’s vast volume of user-generated content sets it apart from other digital platforms, making it especially valuable for international brands that prioritize authenticity and real-time customer interaction.
- From ‘Product Seeding Economy” to “New Brand Incubator”, RED App has Transformed
Founded in 2013, the RED App began as a social media platform focused on sharing content related to cross-border online shopping, with product reviews and shopping experiences shared by international students and cross-border shoppers. Over the past decade, RED App has built its foundation on user-generated content, emerging as the pioneer of the “product seeding economy.” As the platform continued to enhance its content mechanism and services, it gradually evolved from a social media space aimed solely at consumers to a dynamic ecosystem that connects commercial brands, internet celebrities (including celebrities and KOLs), and a diverse range of audiences.
Today, RED App serves as a constant source of shopping inspiration and fresh lifestyle trends for Chinese consumers. It has been particularly influential in driving the rise of outdoor activities such as glamping, frisbee, and cycling among urban Chinese populations. The platform’s vast consumer base, always eager to discover the latest trends in lifestyle and brands, allows it to not only introduce individual products but also rally fashion-forward consumers to spread new brand information across the market.
RED App has transcended its role as a “product seeding” platform and is now recognized as a true “new brand incubator.” Niche brands that have yet to enter the Chinese market can leverage the RED App to build reputation and popularity, helping to shape their future market entry strategies.
Overseas brand Sézane has already gained significant popularity on RED App prior to its official entry into the Chinese market.
Smaller niche brands like Sézane, which have not yet fully established a presence in China, have been able to engage with potential customers and receive direct feedback by testing the waters on RED App. Many Chinese consumers, after following Sézane’s official RED App account, have inquired about the brand’s official launch in the market.
One enthusiastic fan shared, “Since I moved back to China from Paris, I have only been able to purchase from the brand’s global website, which is slow and tedious. If Sézane could open a store in China, online or offline, that would be perfect.” She added that for many Chinese consumers who have studied or lived abroad, Sézane is no longer a niche brand, making RED App an ideal platform for gauging consumer interest.
BY FAR, a luxury brand from Bulgaria, also successfully built brand recognition in China before officially entering the market, thanks to the RED App.
Though the brand hadn’t officially sold in China, many of its bags had already become popular among fashion consumers and social media influencers. BY FAR attributes much of this success to the organic traffic and reputation generated through the RED App platform. Valentina Ignatova, co-founder and chief marketing officer of BY FAR, stated, “RED App has always been a platform for discovering and sharing new finds, fostering relationships between emerging brands and Chinese consumers.”
数据来源：易查云平台
According to Ignatova, in 2022, “many vibrant content creators on the RED App” mentioned BY FAR in over 30,000 posts, signaling a strong interest and recognition for the brand in China. That same year, BY FAR opened its second global store in Shanghai.
“For brands seeking to establish a close connection with Chinese consumers, the RED App is always the best platform to share information and introduce new products,” Ignatova added.
- User Reputation Reshapes Overseas Famous Brand Strategy
Real feedback from Chinese consumers on the RED App has sometimes sparked new business opportunities for internationally renowned brands.
Swiss watchmaker Longines, for example, discovered that the “Prima Luna” watch, which had been popular in other markets, had not yet been launched in China. This insight, gained through the RED App, prompted the brand to adjust its product lineup for the Chinese market.
The “Prima Luna” watch had been in existence for over a decade, but it wasn’t until RED App users helped promote it that it truly entered the mainland China market. Around 2019, Chinese consumers who had purchased the watch in popular shopping destinations like Dubai, Hong Kong, and Macau began sharing their experiences on the RED App with stunning photos.
The watch quickly gained traction through word-of-mouth, leading many Chinese consumers to seek it out elsewhere. Some even contacted Longines stores in China to inquire why “Prima Luna” was not available through local channels. As a result, Longines swiftly responded by launching the watch in China and holding an interactive online campaign for RED App users in late 2020. The campaign, featuring a gift recommendation video with Chinese actor and Longines ambassador Zhao Liying, further boosted the watch’s appeal among Chinese consumers.
- Empowering Fashion Brands to Tap into the Latest and Most Comprehensive Consumer Trends
Having helped brands test the popularity and receive feedback from the Chinese market, RED App has continuously enhanced its marketing services in recent years. The platform now offers one-stop solutions for brands that have gained traction, helping them consolidate and amplify traffic and reputation while facilitating more comprehensive development within the Chinese market.
For instance, RED App has astutely identified the rise of the NFT trend in China, swiftly offering brands innovative ways to engage with consumers through this trend starting last year.
Key Consumer Demographics for Fashion Users: Trendy Men and Women
On the RED App platform, the largest user group within the fashion industry is labeled “trendy men and women,” accounting for 19.06% of users. Their primary interest lies in fashion (8.96%), with a notable focus on other popular content such as beauty and hairstyles.
Preference for Fast Fashion and Sportswear Brands
Among the top 100 fashion products on RED App’s product seeding list, fast fashion and sportswear brands are particularly popular with the younger generation, reflecting a preference for unique styles, design, and brand concepts. Notably, 58% of these top products are priced over 1,000 yuan, highlighting that consumers not only seek luxury branded items but are also drawn to versatile and affordable products that stand out on the platform.
