Chinese social networks have become essential tools for any business that wants to reach Chinese consumers. Kuaishou is one of them, a Chinese social network that has gained a lot of popularity in recent years.
In this article we will look at the origin of the great growth of Kuaishou, as well as highlighting the reasons why brands should engage with this social network, as it can represent a turning point, and we will finish by looking at the first steps to take to promote and sell on this intriguing Chinese platform.
Chinese social networks are fundamental tools for businesses interested in reaching Chinese consumers
1. What is Kuaishou?
Kuaishou is a Chinese live streaming application that is becoming increasingly popular. Since its public inauguration in February 2021, the number of shares of the social network has increased exponentially. Despite its recent burst in popularity, it was launched in 2011, being described as a platform similar to Instagram and TikTok.
Kuaishou focuses on a very diverse audience, including users from less developed cities in China (Tier 3 and Tier 4), and even rural areas. It is mainly used for watching humorous videos and live streams of people’s daily lives.
In addition, Kuaishou is also used by influencers to promote their products and services in China, while connecting with their followers to build a loyal audience, like other social networks like Xiaohongshu.
The main functionalities of Kuaishou are posting short videos, following other users, watching and doing live broadcasts, messaging and forming online communities. In this sense it is very similar to other social networks such as Douyin or Xiaohongshu
Who uses Kuaishou?
According to South China Morning Post data, Kuaishou recorded nearly 600 million monthly active users in 2022, constituting nearly 350 million daily active netizens. Among them, nearly 380 million of them are content creators, who broadcast 200 million live streams every day on the platform.
It is therefore a great opportunity for rural content creators excluded by other more “upscale” platforms in terms of content.
Kuaishou broadcasts 200 million live streams every day
In terms of demographics:
- Kuaishou has focused primarily on tier 2 and tier 4 cities
- Only about 10% of users live in tier 1 cities
- About 55.8% of 2022 consumers were male
- 44.2% are female, which is important to note as it is contrary to other platforms such as Little Red Book where the majority of users are female
- The majority of Kuaishou users are young people born after 1990, making up 80% of the total number of users. It is worth mentioning that this is a generation that is eager to become KOLs (Key Opinion Leaders), i.e. successful influencers
2. 4 reasons why Kuaishou is interesting for foreign brands
With the rise of e-commerce, knowledge of Chinese social networks such as Kuaishou can be the key to success in expanding your business in tier 3 and 4 cities in China. Here are some of the main reasons why brands may be interested in promoting themselves on Kuaishou:
User penetration in economic growth areas
According to the recent report by Tencent, “the Chinese giant”, Chinese people from lower tier cities are 200% more interested in mobile shopping than those from higher tier cities.
In addition, it is estimated that most of the economic growth in China will come from the middle class in the coming years, who live in tier 3 and 4 cities. In these cities, Kuaishou has a larger user base than other networks, so its importance is even greater.
Couple this with the advantages of Kuaishou for those living in rural and lower-tier areas, and there are great opportunities for brands to increase brand awareness and connect with users that they would not be able to connect with through other social networks.
Brands will have the advantage of connecting with Chinese consumers in rural and lower-tier cities on Kuaishou
Increased number of users in economic growth areas
Kuaishou is, as we have been reporting, the leading social network for live streaming. With the COVID-19 pandemic, this new form of promotion has expanded into more and more diverse scenarios, such as entertainment, e-commerce, education and Chinese tourism.
According to a publication by the Chinese authorities, much more support will be provided by the government to encourage new business models based on e-commerce and, specifically, on live streaming, so it is imperative for foreign businesses to get involved in this social network as soon as possible.
Ideal for social media e-commerce campaigns
According to Kuaishou’s own finance report, the amount of e-commerce transactions provided by the platform in 2021 was about 380 billion yuan, which, compared with 56 billion yuan in 2020, is a year-on-year increase of nearly 540%.
The amount of e-commerce transactions provided by Kuaishou in 2021 was 380 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 540%
Users have the ability to purchase products directly on Kuaishou, without having to leave the app. This is important for sellers, because it can increase the likelihood that their products will be purchased, as the direct purchase process becomes a seamless and uninterrupted experience.
Users can purchase products through the Kuaishou app itself, increasing the likelihood of sales for brands
Continued growth of Kuaishou
As we have seen, the growth of this Chinese social network in recent years and, especially from 2021 onwards, is immense, and these are not figures that will stagnate. According to predictive reports, these figures will continue to grow exponentially, as the number of Internet users interested in video streaming and e-commerce grows in the same way.
3. How to promote a brand on Kuaishou
The first step is to create an official commercial account on Kuaishou, in order to gradually gain the trust of users and the application itself. Then, weigh up the best strategies to sell your products, where connecting and communicating with users who interact with your business is very important.
Through merchant accounts
A highly effective way for sellers interested in promoting themselves on Kuaishou is through merchant accounts. By having one of these, merchants can post photos and videos of their store, products and services, as well as include links that redirect the user to a specific product or answer customers’ frequently asked questions.
These accounts also offer access to sponsored ads, as well as the possibility of analyzing in detail the statistics on their presence and performance on the social network.
Collaboration with influencers
Chinese influencer marketing has become an indispensable tool in digital strategy and advertising. In China, they are known as KOLs (Key Opinion Leaders), people with a large number of followers on social networks.
To sell via Kuaishou it is essential to collaborate with influencers, as they are very well recognized in China, in addition to being considered as professionals and people to listen to when buying or not buying a product.
Our agency specialized in collaborations with Chinese influencers has a large and reliable database of high quality Chinese influencers. Our team has carefully selected and carried out successful collaborations with various brands.
4. Ways to sell on Kuaishou
Selling on Kuaishou can be significant for brands that want to reach Chinese consumers, so here we propose several ways to do it:
Through live streams
Kuaishou is, according to Xinhuanet’s report, the leader in live-streaming e-commerce. This means that businesses can stream live broadcasts to publicize and promote their services and products. These broadcasts can be done in two ways:
- The brand organizes the live stream.
- By collaborating with an influencer to carry out the live stream and, in turn, take advantage of their community to maximize sales.
Regarding these two options, the first one is interesting for brands with a follower base, while the second one, despite being more expensive, is the most successful.
Kuaishou is the leading e-commerce platform for live streaming
Partnering with online retail platforms
Finally, it is important to know that this social network makes collaborations with other online retail platforms, such as Taobao, Pinduoduo and JD.com. These partnerships give businesses the opportunity to expand their reach and sell their products to a wider segment of the population.
If you have a store on Kuaishou and Pinduoduo, you can offer your services on both platforms and reach two different audiences, which is an effective and complete marketing strategy.
5. Conclusions
As we have seen, the growth of Kuaishou is tremendous, as well as being extremely relevant for any business that intends to expand and promote itself in China. Therefore, being knowledgeable about this and other Chinese social networks can represent a turning point in your business revenue.
If you are interested in promoting your business on Kuaishou, you can contact InfluChina through hello@influchina.es, a social media agency in China that is dedicated to promoting businesses with tourist influx in Chinese social networks through influencers.
If you are interested in promoting your business on Kuaishou, you can contact InfluChina, a social media agency in China that is dedicated to promoting businesses with tourist influx in Chinese social networks through influencers
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions about Kuaishou
What is Kuaishou?
Kuaishou is a Chinese short video application that is becoming increasingly popular and effective for e-commerce.
How can I promote my business on Kuaishou?
There are different ways to sell on Kuaishou: with merchant accounts, through live streams, through the app and with online retail platforms.
Why is it important to be aware of Kuaishou?
With e-commerce booming, knowledge of Chinese social networks such as Kuaishou can be the key to success in expanding your business in the Chinese market.
What are the main functionalities of Kuaishou?
Kuaishou users can post short videos, follow other users and their content, watch and stream live, build online communities and message other users.