Douyin Marketing
for Foreign Brands
China's dominant short-video platform with 766 million daily users. Where purchase intent is created through content, not search — and where RMB 3.5 trillion in e-commerce happens every year.
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Douyin is not TikTok. It's China's fastest-growing commerce platform — disguised as an entertainment app.
Douyin (抖音) combines short-video entertainment with a fully integrated e-commerce ecosystem that generated RMB 3.5 trillion in transactions in 2024. Users don't search for products — the algorithm surfaces products to them based on content consumption patterns. Douyin calls this "interest e-commerce" (兴趣电商).
For foreign brands, Douyin is increasingly unavoidable. It's the platform where Chinese consumers between 18 and 35 spend over 100 minutes a day. And now, with Douyin Global and Douyin Mall, it's a complete sales channel — not just a marketing one.
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Douyin vs TikTok: same parent, different platforms
Foreign brands familiar with TikTok often assume Douyin works the same way. It doesn't — and the differences define your strategy.
Douyin (抖音)
TikTok
Interest e-commerce vs search e-commerce
Understanding this distinction is fundamental. It defines how you sell on Douyin versus Tmall, JD, or Amazon.
Interest E-commerce (兴趣电商)
Search E-commerce
4 ways to sell on Douyin
Douyin's commerce ecosystem has multiple touchpoints. Most successful brands use all four.
Short Video + Product Links
Create engaging short videos (15–60 seconds) with product tags embedded. The algorithm distributes them to likely buyers. Users tap the product link, view the listing, and purchase — all within the app. This is the foundation of Douyin e-commerce.
Livestream Commerce
Hosts demonstrate products live, answer questions, and process sales in real time. Sessions typically run 4–8 hours with hundreds of products. Commission-based (20–30%), making it cost-effective for repeated promotions. Livestream content is temporary — it disappears after broadcast, protecting your pricing strategy.
Douyin Mall (抖音商城)
A dedicated shopping section where consumers browse and search for products, similar to a traditional marketplace. This captures search-driven purchases — users who already know what they want. Shelf e-commerce on Douyin grew 49% YoY and now represents roughly half of total transactions.
Douyin Global (抖音全球购)
The cross-border channel for foreign brands — sell to Chinese consumers without a Chinese legal entity. Similar to Tmall Global's CBEC model, though with a younger infrastructure. Products shipped from bonded warehouses or direct from overseas. Growing rapidly as Douyin invests in cross-border capabilities.
Douyin's advertising formats
All Douyin advertising runs through Ocean Engine (巨量引擎). The system is powerful but opaque — much of the targeting happens algorithmically behind the scenes.
In-Feed Ads (信息流广告)
Native video ads that appear in the user's For You feed. They look like organic content but include a CTA button. The strongest format for driving direct traffic to your Douyin Store. Supports multiple optimization goals — impressions, clicks, conversions, or ROI.
TopView (开屏广告)
Full-screen video ad that plays when a user opens Douyin. Guarantees 100% viewability and massive reach. Premium pricing but unmatched for product launches and major campaigns. Available in 3-second static or 5-second video formats.
Search Ads (搜索广告)
Appear when users search for keywords in Douyin's search bar. As Douyin Mall grows, search advertising becomes increasingly valuable. Captures consumers who already have purchase intent — the same principle as Baidu SEM or Tmall Zhitongche.
DOU+ Promotion (DOU+)
A self-service tool to amplify the reach of existing posts. Pay to push your organic videos to more users — targeted by demographics, interests, or lookalike audiences. Budget-friendly entry point for brands testing Douyin content. Low minimum spend.
Branded Hashtag Challenge (品牌挑战赛)
Create a branded hashtag challenge where users produce content around your theme, song, or product. Douyin promotes the challenge on the Discover page. Generates massive UGC (user-generated content) and engagement. Premium investment but can produce hundreds of millions of impressions and thousands of user-created videos featuring your brand.
What sells well on Douyin
Douyin favors products that create engaging visual content. Some categories naturally outperform others.
Beauty & Skincare
Douyin's top e-commerce category. Before-and-after results, texture reveals, and application tutorials create naturally compelling video content. Foreign skincare brands benefit from perceived ingredient innovation.
Fashion & Apparel
Styling videos, try-on content, and outfit inspiration drive significant sales. Livestream try-on sessions perform particularly well. Brands with distinctive design aesthetics have a content advantage.
Food & Beverage
Taste tests, recipe videos, and unboxing content for imported food perform well. Gift-worthy packaging and novelty factor boost foreign brands. Impulse-friendly price points work in Douyin's favor.
Personal Care & Home
Products that can be demonstrated in use create engaging video. Cleaning products, kitchen gadgets, and personal care devices with visible results generate strong conversion rates.
Health Supplements
Growing category but subject to strict advertising regulations. Higher price points create friction on Douyin's impulse-driven platform. Livestream formats help address objections and build confidence in real time.
Premium / Luxury
High-consideration purchases (over RMB 500) require more sophisticated content strategies. Brand storytelling and aspirational content work, but expect slower conversion. Douyin Mall search helps capture intent-driven luxury buyers.
On Tmall, you optimize listings and bid on keywords. On Douyin, you produce content that entertains consumers into buying. Brands that understand this distinction succeed. Brands that don't, fail.— Shanghai Jungle, E-commerce Strategy Team
Common Douyin mistakes foreign brands make
Each one wastes months and budget. We see them repeatedly from brands entering the platform.
Repurposing TikTok content
Content created for TikTok audiences doesn't work on Douyin. Different platform, different culture, different expectations. Everything must be produced natively in Chinese by people who understand Douyin's content ecosystem. Translation is not localization.
Treating Douyin like Tmall
Brands that upload product listings and wait for search traffic miss the point entirely. Douyin is content-first. Without a consistent stream of short videos and livestream activity, your store is invisible. The algorithm rewards active content producers.
Making ads that look like ads
Douyin ads that feel like traditional advertisements perform poorly. The algorithm deprioritizes content with low engagement, and polished corporate videos get scrolled past. Native-looking content that entertains first and sells second consistently outperforms.
Ignoring livestream commerce
Livestream accounts for a massive share of Douyin's e-commerce GMV. Brands that rely only on short video miss a major sales channel. Commission-based livestream partnerships with hosts are cost-effective and drive volume — especially during shopping festivals.
Choosing influencers by follower count
Fake followers and inflated engagement are widespread on Douyin. Agencies often boost their KOLs' numbers artificially. Work with partners who verify influencer data through backend analytics, not surface metrics. Authentic engagement matters more than reach.
No Douyin Mall optimization
As shelf e-commerce grows (49% YoY), search optimization on Douyin becomes essential. Brands that ignore product listings, keywords, and reviews in Douyin Mall miss the half of transactions that are now search-driven.
Budget and timeline by stage
Douyin requires more content investment than most other Chinese platforms. Here's what to expect at each phase.
Foundation
Growth
Scale
Our Douyin services
Shanghai Jungle manages end-to-end Douyin strategy for foreign brands — from store setup through content production, livestream management, and advertising optimization.
Key terms you'll encounter
We manage Douyin as part of an integrated China e-commerce strategy. Content production, livestream partnerships, advertising, and store operations — all connected to your broader Tmall, Little Red Book (Xiaohongshu), and WeChat presence.
Start with a 30-minute call where we assess whether Douyin fits your brand right now — and if so, whether cross-border or domestic entry makes more sense for your category and budget.
Book a Free Consultation