New Search Product "Diandian" Makes its Debut

Recently, Xiaohongshu has quietly launched its latest AI search product, "Diandian."

While this isn't Xiaohongshu's first foray into AI—other products like the AI painting tool "Trik," the text-to-image feature "Cike," and the AI chat function "Da Vinci" exist—none of these hold top priority status.

Amidst the intensifying competition in AI applications, Xiaohongshu desperately needs a product with a substantial user base and active engagement. It doesn't necessarily have to be a blockbuster, but it must drive continuous refinement and iteration of AI search technology, bolstering its future competitiveness.

"Diandian" represents a strategic move within Xiaohongshu's differentiated approach. Even though the product is still in its nascent stages, it is pivotal for Xiaohongshu to enhance its AI search capabilities through iteration.

Strengths and Weaknesses of "Diandian"

The newly launched "Diandian" positions itself as a life search assistant, developed by Shanghai Shengdongshizhang Technology Co., Ltd., with Wei Kuang, the legal representative, serving as a product manager at Xiaohongshu.

Unlike general AI search products like Kimi, "Diandian" focuses on life scenarios, leveraging the rich community content to aggregate diverse life experiences across the web, addressing issues related to food, shopping, and more.

Currently operating as an independent product, it has a dedicated app and mini-program, incorporating content sources beyond Xiaohongshu. It supports voice and image-based queries on certain devices, showcasing multimodal capabilities.

However, as an independent app, "Diandian" has its limitations.

For instance, the interface is relatively basic, lacking tools for organizing supplementary information, making it inconvenient to search historical Q&As. Search results are subpar, with poor ad filtering, inaccurate comprehension of complex queries, and outdated or misleading information. Additionally, multimodal capabilities are limited, absent on some mobile devices.

Most crucially, usage scenarios are constrained—users tend to complete searches within the Xiaohongshu app itself, where insightful comments under posts offer unique reference value.

Acknowledging this, Xiaohongshu is conducting a small-scale grayscale test for the "Diandian" function within the app's search bar. Clicking on it redirects to the "Diandian" page for a response.

Challenging Baidu's Search Dominance?

2024 was a prosperous year for Xiaohongshu.

With China's internet population at 1.092 billion, there's a vast pool of search engine users. The wave of AI search has surged, dazzling the consumer market with astonishing iteration speeds.

According to Zhou Tian Finance data, Xiaohongshu's daily average search volume (Qv) approached 600 million in the fourth quarter of 2024, nearly doubling from 300 million in mid-2023. It's projected to exceed $1 billion in profit in 2024.

Xiaohongshu's UGC content is rich and authentic, offering a social search experience that contrasts sharply with traditional Baidu search and Baijiahao content.

Leveraging its robust user base and vibrant community, Xiaohongshu has emerged as a significant information channel, attracting numerous users and subtly altering their search habits.

Starting with younger generations, an increasing number of searches are conducted on Xiaohongshu, ranging from travel recommendations to wedding and education preparations. This poses a threat to search giant Baidu.

Xiaohongshu's daily average search volume is nearly 600 million, approaching half of Baidu's, diverting significant search traffic.

In the era of large models, data quality is paramount, and Xiaohongshu boasts numerous high-quality guides and other content. Conversely, Baidu once had a valuable content ecosystem like Tieba but self-destructed it.

From a market share perspective, the May 2024 "China Search Engine Market Share Report" reveals that while Baidu leads in mobile market share with nearly 70%, it trails Bing on desktops, holding about 25% compared to Bing's nearly 46%.

Thus, maintaining its mobile market advantage is crucial for Baidu.

The rise of new search engines like Xiaohongshu serves as a disruptive force, pressuring traditional search engines like Baidu to reassess themselves.

Although Xiaohongshu is currently performing impressively, whether it can consistently outperform Baidu hinges on its ability to innovate and sustain user engagement.

Future competition in the search engine landscape will center on AI technology application and content ecosystems, with early deployment and precise strategies being paramount. Xiaohongshu's development warrants continued attention.