WeChat has been the quiet achiever of China’s online platforms. Despite the hype of Douyin and RED, the value of goods sold on WeChat reportedly doubled last year

A softening ad spend market in China reveals some changes in priorities across online platforms and shifts in spending from major categories

Traditional collectibles have become a form of social currency among young people. From spiritual comfort to stylish accessories, livestreams and e-commerce have made these pieces more accessible. And people watch appraisal livestreams for whacky collectibles as an entertainment.

China's media market is more complex and fragmented than ever. It is also unique. Digital accounts for a much larger share of spend compared to western markets, and Douyin is increasingly taking a larger share of that. But not every brand is maximising its Douyin investment

Douyin provides a platform for ordinary people to build small businesses. By creating unconventional and slightly whacky livestreams and videos, they've captivated young audiences and driven significant sales, despite their simple, rough-around-the-edges style.

Despite the Paris Olympics getting mixed reviews in China so far, the opportunities for brands to align with sports to connect with consumers is large, and growing

Douyin is moving from an embedded mall to a standalone app as it aims to break through existing limitations of its ‘interest-based e-commerce’ model

AI influencers are shifting hefty sales volumes n Douyin, but on close inspection there are some tell-tale signs that they are not real people

What has made Haidilao’s video receive over a billion views

Kraft Heinz’s flagship sauce in China, Master Weijixian, is celebrating its 40th anniversary with a campaign which ticks a lot of boxes in capturing current trends in China

Elon Musk is looking to develop Twitter/X into a China-style superapp. Looking at the way China’s apps are evolving, he’s got plenty of examples to choose from, which should factor in China marketing strategies

It's a lot cheaper to retain a customer than acquire a new one, so the old adage says. Many marketers in China don't seem to have got that memo, with marketing plans based around increasingly expensive livestreams and KOLs for sales, with limited initiatives to retain those customers once they've transacted.We track many loyalty initiatives at China Skinny, but one of the most exciting we've seen lately is from Chinese EV brand, Nio. Car sales have been one of the brightest categories in China's retail sphere, last month growing 17% year-on-year. As we noted in July, Beijing has been strategic in putting its weight behind car sales - it takes a lot of packaged goods or shoe sales to match that of a single car in making retail sales look rosy.

The best performing brands in China all have an uncompromising use of data to steer opportunity analysis, marketing and NPD decisions.

China's bottle water giant Nongfu Spring provides some good lessons on how to succeed in China, even after its share of scandals

China is notorious for its festivals, which are increasingly morphing into “themed shopping occasions.” When it comes to love, there are six official days on the calendar which fit the mould of the Western Valentine’s Day. Qixi, or the ‘Double Seven Festival’, on August 25 this year, is thought to be the most romantic and authentically Chinese. It celebrates a 2,000 year old love story with its roots in Chinese mythology; a mortal man, a goddess, forbidden love, talking oxen, astrological obstacles and bridges made up of magpies – all your ingredients for a powerful tale of romance.

The global pandemic has brought about much soul searching. Lockdowns and general uncertainty has given consumers around the world the impetus to reflect on what is important to them. This reflection has been echoed by businesses and we have even seen this at a government level in some countries.

WeChat has finally created its answer to the gaping hole in its content ecosystem. WeChat Channels provides Tencent’s answer to the short-form video/image content dominated by the likes of Douyin, Kuaishou and Little Red Book.

Isn’t it amazing what a coronavirus outbreak can do to online usage habits. The infographic below illustrates how China's online millions (netizens) have altered their behaviour, with most of the country being homebound over the past few weeks. In the three weeks from Jan 14, online usage grew over 20% to 6.11 billion hours – over 6 hours per Chinese online.