On November 21, the Vibrant Market and the first-ever Douyin Local Services Creator Conference took place in Chengdu. During the event, Douyin Local Services released its List of Vibrant Local Businesses, spotlighting 360 highly acclaimed small eateries, often referred to as "hole-in-the-wall" gems, across 10 cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, and Wuhan. The conference also hosted an offline vibrant market, bringing together nearly a hundred popular dining spots known for their long queues nationwide, which rose to fame via Douyin. This initiative directly translated online buzz into offline foot traffic.

Tu Qing, Vice President of Douyin Local Services, explained that the platform's goal is to curate a definitive list of vibrant local eateries where users can dine with peace of mind. "This list is crafted based on Douyin's content and review data, user nominations, and on-site evaluations by grassroots food explorers. It distills high-quality vibrant content on Douyin into an authoritative consumption guide, significantly reducing the decision-making costs for consumers. It also provides featured small businesses with a swift growth trajectory from being 'seen' to being 'consumed'," Tu Qing remarked.

(On November 21, Tu Qing, Vice President of Douyin Local Services, shared insights at the event)

Cultivating a 'Vibrant Local' Content Ecosystem to Empower Small Businesses

Industry reports reveal that individual businesses constitute nearly 80% of the catering sector, contributing over 70% of catering consumption, and serve as essential capillaries of urban economies. However, their online presence remains below 40%, indicating a significant developmental gap.

Tu Qing highlighted that the platform's unique 'vibrant local' content ecosystem effectively bridges the online presence gap for small businesses, aiding their breakthrough. "Vibrancy is the essence of Douyin Local Services," she emphasized.

Since the beginning of the year, Douyin Local Services has launched a series of initiatives centered around the theme of 'Exploring Vibrant Local Flavors,' including the 'Vibrant Small Business Discovery Plan' and the celebrity variety show 'Exploring Vibrant Flavors.' These efforts seamlessly connect online content with offline experiences, reinforcing the platform's vibrant local characteristics. Data indicates that since the year's start, content related to vibrant small businesses on Douyin has witnessed a 36% increase in views and amassed over 70.5 billion likes.

Online popularity has swiftly translated into offline consumption. Data shows that the number of small businesses with transactions on Douyin has increased by 42% year-on-year this year, with creators playing a pivotal role. Over 2.75 million small businesses have received orders through creator content, and creator-driven transactions for vibrant small businesses have grown by 30% year-on-year.

A video by Nicholas Tse showcasing a Chengdu noodle shop, which garnered over 430,000 likes, quadrupled the shop's customer traffic. Influencer 'Te Bie Wu La La's' visit to a Zhengzhou stir-fry spot during the National Day holiday triggered a surge in related category consumption, with Douyin group-buying transaction volume soaring over 2,000 times month-on-month. Influencer 'Da Zhang Gui Bu Chi Xiang Cai's' video about a Lanzhou beef noodle shop attracted over 30 million views, transforming a small eatery with only a few hundred daily views into an overnight sensation.

Data-Driven, User-Nominated, and On-Site Evaluated: Crafting an Official 'Dine with Confidence' Guide

Leveraging its content ecosystem strengths, Douyin Local Services has introduced the List of Vibrant Local Businesses. Relevant officials explained that since the year's start, the platform has selected featured vibrant small businesses based on a triple mechanism: Douyin content and review data, user nominations, and on-site evaluations by grassroots food explorers, aiming to curate an exclusive list of vibrant local eateries where users can dine with confidence.

To ensure the list's impartiality and quality, the selection process incorporated a crucial element—248 seasoned grassroots food explorers. These individuals have visited over 500 restaurants each and published an average of 400 dining reviews, serving as veritable 'living maps of local cuisine.'

"It is the grassroots food explorers' on-the-ground investigations and authentic feedback that form the solid foundation of this list, making the featured small businesses enduring 'culinary memories of the city'," said a Douyin Local Services List of Vibrant Local Businesses official.

Additionally, Douyin Local Services has appointed 'Te Bie Wu La La' as the spokesperson for the List of Vibrant Local Businesses. Over the past few years, this creator has traveled to over 100 cities, specifically seeking out 'hole-in-the-wall' eateries and street stalls frequented by locals. Through his lens, he captures the essence of bustling street food scenes—charcoal-fired grills and diners savoring their meals—bringing authentic local vibrancy to a wider audience. He is affectionately known as the 'Walking Vibrancy.'

The official stated, "Wu La La's commitment to 'telling the truth and savoring authentic flavors' aligns perfectly with our list's philosophy. We look forward to collaborating with him to discover more vibrant small businesses that adhere to traditional cooking methods and offer exceptional tastes."

List of Vibrant Local Businesses Fuels Offline Consumption

According to reports, a total of 360 small businesses from across the country have made it onto the Douyin Local Services List of Vibrant Local Businesses, covering 10 cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Xi'an, Nanjing, Shenyang, Changsha, Wuhan, and Chongqing. Among them, 95% are standalone stores, while 61% are decade-old establishments and 58% specialize in local cuisine. The Douyin Local Services List of Vibrant Local Businesses will gradually expand to encompass more cities nationwide.

(Release of the Douyin Local Services List of Vibrant Local Businesses)

Among the featured small businesses, 'Xiao Mei Bu Chi Ti Hua' in Chengdu has garnered over 67 million views on Douyin, driving over 60,000 store collections. Meanwhile, 'Xiang Yun Xuan (Fayuan Si Xi Li Store)' in Beijing has accumulated over 56 million views, resulting in over 920,000 store clicks. With the list's endorsement, online attention is expected to further translate into offline foot traffic, stimulating regional dining consumption.

For small businesses featured on the Douyin Local Services List of Vibrant Local Businesses, the platform offers not only list display and traffic incentives but also prime placement in the list channel, local page, group-buying section, and search results. Combined with offline guidance materials, these efforts truly help featured vibrant small businesses transition from the screen to reality, allowing more people to experience and appreciate them.

In addition to the List of Vibrant Local Businesses, Douyin Local Services has introduced six support measures to bolster the small business economy: The platform will reduce entry deposit fees, continuing to promote zero-cost entry for small businesses and helping merchants lower operating costs. A co-management model will be introduced to assist small business merchants in acquiring traffic at lower costs and higher efficiency, overcoming operational challenges. An 'Assurance Protection' system will be established, offering customized services and bundled benefits to reduce operational risks for small business merchants. A merchant experience center will be set up to provide diagnostic reports and solutions, helping small business merchants enhance their service capabilities. An 'Assurance Service' standard will be formulated, offering exclusive badges, traffic, and multiple benefits to encourage small business merchants to provide high-quality services to consumers. Additionally, the platform will allocate over ten million yuan in special subsidies to support small business operations.

(Huang Yi, Head of Douyin Local Services Agency and Creator Ecosystem, introduces creator support policies)

At the conference, Huang Yi, Head of Douyin Local Services Agency and Creator Ecosystem, also outlined the platform's creator support policies. Moving forward, the platform will provide personalized resource support for creators at different growth stages through enhanced traffic allocation, project resource support, and product tool upgrades, comprehensively assisting creators in showcasing the vibrancy of local life.

In terms of traffic, the platform has launched the Heartfelt Content Creation Plan, allocating billions in traffic support for high-quality content throughout the year. Additionally, the platform will offer more trending content strategies, collaborating with creators to produce more viral content akin to the Zibo barbecue phenomenon. For projects, the platform will invest in initiatives like the Thousand Stars Plan, Category Ambassadors, and Heartfelt Travelers, focusing on vertical categories and regions with billion-yuan budgets to incentivize creator growth and content expansion. Meanwhile, products like Smart Merchandising and the Creator Growth Center will undergo continuous upgrades to safeguard creator rights and facilitate their development, jointly building a thriving ecosystem.