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Where to People Shop and Sell Online in China

Where to People Shop and Sell Online in China

February 17, 2025
6 mins read
Douyin,Ecommerce,Product

When it comes to where to shop online in China, the options are endless, but one platform has emerged as a game-changer for both consumers and merchants: Douyin.

While many global brands are already familiar with Douyin as a popular social video platform in China, few know that it has quickly become a dominant Chinese marketplace where millions of users consume content and shop directly via livestreams and short video product links.

In this post, we’ll explore why Douyin has become the go-to platform for online shopping in China, and how merchants can take advantage of its massive audience to sell in China.

Where do people shop online in China?

The landscape of e-commerce in China is vast and diverse. While traditional e-commerce platforms like Taobao, Tmall, JD.com, and Pinduoduo are well established, Douyin has captured the attention of Chinese consumers as the new go-to destination for online shopping—especially among younger audiences.

With features like live broadcasts to host shopping shows, product links, and in-feed shopping ads, Douyin provides an interactive and immersive shopping experience that appeals to the modern consumer.

Douyin shopping is unique because it integrates entertainment and commerce into one seamless solution. Users can scroll through short videos and livestreams that showcase products, often paired with direct purchase links, making it easy for them to buy on impulse, all while engaging them with engaging content that interests them.

On Douyin, the dominant consumer group is aged 25–35, spanning young professionals, small-town youth, stylish mothers, and other subgroups. In recent years, the platform has also seen rapid growth among Gen Z and older users. In contrast, traditional e-commerce platforms primarily attract users aged 25–40, making this group the dominant consumer base for more conventional online shopping channels.

Why Douyin is a hotspot for online shopping in China

Douyin has become a hotspot for online shopping because of its unique ability to blend short-form video content with instant purchasing capabilities.

Below are four reasons why people in China prefer shopping on Douyin:

  1. Livestreaming shopping: Douyin’s livestreaming feature is the heart of its e-commerce success. Influencers, key opinion leaders (KOLs), and brands can easily host live sessions where they can interact with viewers in real-time, answer questions, and showcase products. This format has proven incredibly effective, with live sales events regularly generating millions of dollars in revenue in just a few hours.

  2. In-app shopping: Unlike other platforms where users have to navigate away from content to purchase products, Douyin allows for seamless in-app purchasing. Users can click on product links within videos or livestreams, leading them directly to a checkout page without leaving the app.

  3. Interest-based e-commerce: Douyin recommends personalized content to consumers. This means that users are constantly exposed to products and brands that align with their interests. This highly targeted approach helps ensure that businesses reach the right audience, increasing the likelihood of conversion.

  4. Engaging content: Shopping on Douyin isn’t just about buying products; it’s about entertainment. Brands and merchants can leverage Douyin’s creative video tools to create engaging and shareable content that resonates with users, making the shopping experience fun and interactive.

Where can you sell in China as a global brand?

The demand for overseas products is rapidly increasing on Douyin E-Commerce, particularly through its cross-border arm, Douyin E-Commerce Global.

With the support of Douyin E-Commerce Global’s marketing tools, e-commerce capabilities, and comprehensive logistics support, global brands now have access to end-to-end solutions designed specifically for cross-border e-commerce in China. This includes solutions such as bonded storage facilities and streamlined direct mail services, which simplify the logistics of delivering to Chinese households from abroad.

Trending products

The product categories seeing the highest sales growth through Douyin E-Commerce include dietary supplements, beauty and skincare, mom-and-baby products, as well as fashion and luxury goods.

At the same time, emerging sectors like digital products and personal care are also gaining momentum, offering a promising outlook for global brands looking to tap into China’s e-commerce market.

sales volume of douyin ecommerce

Breaking Boundaries: New Opportunities for Overseas Merchants in China’s Cross-border E-commerce Market, Douyin E-Commerce Global & 36Kr Global Research, March 2024

How to sell in China as a Douyin E-Commerce merchant?

As a brand or merchant, Douyin E-Commerce offers tremendous potential for expanding your reach and growing your brand in China. Here’s how you can tap into this thriving marketplace:

1. Set up a Douyin store

To sell on Douyin, brands and merchants can set up a Douyin E-Commerce store, a mini e-commerce site within the platform that lets you showcase products, manage orders, and track sales seamlessly. To open a store, you will first need to apply online and go through a verification process.

2. Leverage Douyin livestreaming

One of the most powerful features for selling on Douyin is its livestreaming option. To host a successful live shopping event, you can partner with influencers or set up your own livestream sessions. During these broadcasts, viewers can purchase products in real-time while interacting with the host. This creates a sense of urgency and excitement, encouraging impulse purchases.

3. Run targeted ads

Douyin’s suite of advertising tools, available here on Ocean Engine, allow you to reach potential customers with highly targeted ads based on their interests, behaviors, and demographics. Running ads within Douyin’s short-form videos or as banner ads on users’ feeds can drive traffic directly to your Douyin store or specific product pages, increasing visibility and conversions.

4. Collaborate with key opinion leaders

In China, KOLs hold significant influence over consumer behavior. Finding and partnering with relevant KOLs on Douyin can help your brand quickly gain credibility and access a large, loyal audience. These collaborations often involve product placements within videos, giveaways, or even sponsored livestreams.

5. Optimize your content for Douyin’s algorithm

Douyin’s content recommendation algorithm favors content that gets high engagement, so it’s vital to create videos that are entertaining, informative, and shareable. High-quality videos that incorporate popular trends, music, or Hashtag Challenges are more likely to be pushed to a larger audience. Additionally, making your videos interactive—such as including calls to action like “tap to buy” or asking viewers to leave comments—can also help boost engagement rates.

Douyin as the future of online shopping in China

For both brands and consumers, Douyin represents the future of e-commerce—where shopping is no longer a solitary activity but an immersive, communal, and highly interactive experience.

The app’s vast user base, which includes millions of active consumers across various demographics, presents an unparalleled opportunity for global brands to reach targeted audiences.

To learn more about how to get started selling on Douyin and opening your own store, please contact us as soon as possible.

Also, to find out more about the latest digital trends in China, be sure to read our post on digital marketing trends in China.