Influencer Marketing in China 2025

Influencer marketing in China has become a cornerstone of brand promotion by 2025, driven by the preferences of Gen Z and young middle-class consumers who trust authentic recommendations on social platforms. KOLs and KOCs leverage content, short videos, and live-streaming to seamlessly integrate products into everyday life, sparking engagement and driving conversions. With its unparalleled social reach, influencer marketing delivers rapid returns for brands seeking to penetrate China’s dynamic market.

Understanding KOLs and KOCs in China

KOLs (Key Opinion Leaders)

KOLs are influential content creators with large, dedicated followings in specific verticals, such as beauty, technology, or lifestyle. Their polished, professional content exudes credibility and authority, making them ideal for:

• New Product Launches: Creating buzz and awareness.

• Brand Endorsements: Enhancing trust and prestige.

• Seasonal Promotions: Amplifying visibility during key sales periods.

While KOL collaborations come with higher costs, their ability to elevate brand recognition and amplify reach is unmatched, making them essential for high-impact campaigns.

KOCs (Key Opinion Consumers)

KOCs are everyday consumers with smaller but highly engaged audiences. Their authentic, relatable content resonates deeply, fostering trust and connection. KOCs excel in:

• Product Seeding: Sparking organic interest and trial.

• Reputation Building: Cultivating long-term brand loyalty.

• Community Growth: Driving word-of-mouth and social sharing.

Through fragmented, scalable content, KOCs trigger consumer curiosity and are cost-effective for brands aiming to build grassroots momentum.

An effective influencer marketing strategy combines the strengths of KOLs and KOCs to create a seamless conversion funnel.

Leading Influencer Marketing Platforms in China

Douyin: The Powerhouse for Viral Content and Instant Conversions

Douyin, China’s largest short-video platform, boasts over 800 million daily active users, spanning urban centers to lower-tier markets. Evolving from an entertainment hub, Douyin now integrates content distribution, e-commerce, and brand promotion into a dynamic commercial ecosystem. Its fast-paced short videos and live-streaming formats excel at sparking trends and driving immediate engagement, making it a cornerstone for influencer marketing in 2025.

Advantages for Influencer Marketing:

Douyin’s algorithm-driven content distribution ensures high-quality videos rapidly reach targeted audiences, maximizing exposure. Its streamlined consumer journey enables users to progress from discovery to purchase within a single video or live stream, delivering unmatched conversion efficiency. For visually compelling product categories, influencers (particularly mid-tier creators) leverage strong fan loyalty and authentic content to highlight product differentiation, boosting comprehension and purchase intent.

How to Excel in Influencer Marketing on Douyin:

• Engaging Content Collaborations: Partner with influencers to create compelling product demonstrations, unboxing videos, or reviews, amplified through Dou+ promotions to expand reach and influence.

• Live-Streaming Sales: Collaborate with live-stream hosts to drive real-time transactions, capitalizing on Douyin’s interactive format to convert viewers into buyers instantly.

• Hybrid Strategy: Combine short-video “seeding” campaigns with live-streaming “selling” to balance brand awareness and direct sales, optimizing both visibility and revenue.

• Brand-Owned Presence: Establish a branded live-streaming channel to deepen user relationships and build private domain traffic, fostering long-term loyalty and engagement.

Xiaohongshu: The Epicenter for Seeding and Reputation Building

Xiaohongshu is a lifestyle content platform predominantly used by young women, focusing on authentic user-generated content across high-consumption categories like beauty, personal care, parenting, home decor, and travel. Its community-driven ethos, emphasizing genuine experiences and interactivity, has made “checking Xiaohongshu” a critical step in consumer decision-making by 2025.

Advantages for Influencer Marketing:

Xiaohongshu’s unparalleled “seeding” capability lies in its ability to foster trust through organic, user-like content recommendations, which resonate more than overt advertisements. This enhances brand affinity and credibility. The platform’s blend of image-text posts and short videos offers lasting search value, with high-quality notes generating sustained organic traffic and conversions long after posting. This content longevity enables brands to build compounding influence and durable digital assets.

How to Excel in Influencer Marketing on Xiaohongshu:

• KOC-Driven Buzz: Engage a broad network of KOCs to create authentic, high-volume content that sparks discussions and lays a foundation for organic engagement.

• KOL-Structured Content: Partner with mid-tier KOLs to produce polished content such as product reviews, comparisons, or usage tips, optimized with strategic keywords and hashtags to boost search visibility.

• Brand Content Matrix: Develop an official brand account to curate a cohesive content ecosystem, leveraging promoted notes, brand collaboration programs, and live streams to reinforce messaging.

• Closed-Loop Conversion: Integrate Mini Programs or in-platform storefronts to seamlessly guide users from content discovery to purchase, completing the seeding-to-sales journey.

Tmall : The Core Hub for Brand E-Commerce and Live-Streaming Conversions

Tmall is China’s top destination for brand-driven e-commerce, attracting millions of high-value, purchase-ready consumers. It’s the platform of choice for building flagship stores, boosting brand prestige, and accelerating sales. By 2025, live-streaming has become the heartbeat of Tmall’s marketing engine. During key moments like 618 and Double 11, brand live streams drive instant engagement. They turn inspiration into action—fast—cutting the journey from discovery to purchase in record time.

Advantages for Influencer Marketing:

Tmall’s seamless integration of content and commerce sets it apart, embedding live-streaming and influencer content within product pages and search pathways. This “watch-and-buy” experience minimizes drop-off rates and boosts conversion efficiency. The platform’s robust influencer ecosystem enables brands to collaborate with a diverse range of talent, from top-tier KOLs to niche vertical influencers, accommodating varied budgets and strategic goals. Additionally, Tmall’s growing support for brand-owned live streams empowers businesses to build private domain traffic pools and enhance user engagement.

How to Excel in Influencer Marketing on Tmall:

• High-Impact Influencer Partnerships: Partner with high-impact influencers for product launches or seasonal campaigns. Use limited-time offers, bundles, or flash deals to drive urgency and boost conversions.

• Brand-Owned Live Streams: Establish a brand-owned Tmall live channel to deliver consistent content and grow fan loyalty. This reinforces brand value while creating a stable and engaged audience.

• Hybrid Strategy: Combine influencer-led campaigns with in-house live streaming for a balanced strategy. This hybrid approach delivers both short-term spikes and sustained brand trust.

Partner with STAiiRS for Influencer Marketing Success in China

In 2025, influencer marketing in China has evolved from a trend to a cornerstone strategy, transitioning from a supplementary tool to a central pillar of brand success. Whether leveraging KOLs to rapidly build brand awareness, harnessing KOCs to foster authentic word-of-mouth, or strategically engaging platforms like Douyin, Xiaohongshu, and Tmall for precise audience targeting, brands must embrace a core principle: content is connection. To thrive, businesses need a systematic, long-term influencer marketing framework that drives engagement, trust, and conversions.

Effective influencer marketing requires deep expertise. Thus, STAiiRS, China’s digital marketing specialist, empowers brands. We precisely target audiences with tailored KOL and KOC strategies. Additionally, we design full-funnel campaigns across leading platforms. Our approach amplifies brand growth and drives explosive conversions. Moreover, we build sustainable influence through data-driven optimization and authentic storytelling.

Ready to unlock influencer marketing’s potential in China? Contact STAiiRS today to transform your brand and achieve unparalleled success!