Hong Kong is experiencing a wave of Xiaohongshu, also known as RED or Little Red Book. This social media giant from China, boasting over 200 million monthly active users, has begun to captivate the city, with a 50% surge in daily active users year over year, totaling 1.13M+ users as of April, according to EternityX Marketing Technology.
Charlene Ree, the founder and CEO of EternityX, mentioned that the platform gained traction four to five years ago and has since been blossoming, specifically among female users aged 18 to 35 who are passionate about beauty, shopping, food, and travel.
PRIZM Group’s CEO, Jeffrey Hau, confirmed the trend, noting a significant rise in Xiaohongshu’s popularity in the Hong Kong market. An internal study revealed that most users are females within the age group of 25 to 35. Social media agency Spread-It further corroborated this trend, revealing that around 75% of Gen Z individuals use the platform as their primary resource for fashion, beauty, food, and travel information. Spread-It’s director, Vin Ng, also added that there are over 1.2 million active Xiaohongshu users in Hong Kong, a user base that is growing exponentially.
Xiaohongshu’s success in Hong Kong could be attributed to its focus on user experience sharing, shopping recommendations, and insightful information. Initially, most content creators on the platform were from mainland China. However, the app has gradually won over Hong Kong’s local celebrities, influencers, and content creators, driving the platform’s growth further.
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Hau mentioned that Xiaohongshu’s unique business model, which merges content sharing and e-commerce into one platform, has led to a community heavily focused on reviews and recommendations. The platform, according to Spread-It’s Ng, has been careful to maintain content credibility, which has helped foster user trust and boost the platform’s popularity.
Hong Kong brands, recognizing this shift in consumer behavior, have also started to invest in Xiaohongshu as a tool to promote their growth. For brands just starting out on Xiaohongshu, like Sa Sa, Luk Fook Jewellery, Chow Sang Sang, Chow Tai Fook, and Kee Wah Bakery, the strategy is often aimed at drawing in inbound tourists from China and boosting retail store foot traffic. Another approach is utilizing Xiaohongshu for cross-border e-commerce, allowing brands to sell their products directly through the platform.
Ree believes Xiaohongshu’s “Read, Like, Buy” action mindset can shorten the purchase process and provide a valuable marketing opportunity for local brands. It’s clear that this Xiaohongshu fever among HongKongers presents promising potential for Hong Kong brands to tap into.
Based on a report from Marketing Interactive
