In the American TV series Emily in Paris, Emily, a marketer, is sent to Paris by her company to work and begins posting photos and thoughts about her life as an American in Paris on social media. This attracts much attention and discussion, and even the French First Lady agrees with her views on the gender of certain French words. As she becomes more involved in life and work in Paris, she, who usually leads influencers and brands, also becomes a favored influencer herself, with her life and work gradually merging.

This story is not exaggerated and is actually common in China, and this approach to being an influencer is very much in the style of Xiaohongshu.

Nowadays, it is a consensus among many individual influencers on Xiaohongshu to highlight their unique identities on their profiles. Many of them are not even full-time influencers signed with an MCN, but can still gain a following by sharing their thoughts on life or work. Their content may not be strictly vertical, but it revolves around their personal perspectives.

This approach to promoting products through personal narratives is referred to as 'lifestyle e-commerce' on Xiaohongshu.

On July 22, in a video conversation between COO Conan of Xiaohongshu and economist Xue Zhaofeng, Conan publicly defined Xiaohongshu's e-commerce as 'lifestyle e-commerce' for the first time.

As major platforms strive to give their e-commerce models catchy names, Xiaohongshu, with its relatively slow commercialization process, has finally given a name to its e-commerce that is neither loud nor very specific. The conversation repeatedly mentioned the broad concept of 'people' with some qualifiers and specific scenarios, but did not clarify how 'Xiaohongshu people' differ from those on other platforms, leaving some interpretations still unclear.

As a heavy user of Xiaohongshu and an influencer who has built a personal IP on the platform in the style of 'Emily,' the author of 'New Standpoint' believes that regardless of the name, Xiaohongshu's e-commerce differs from other content-based e-commerce platforms mainly in its shift from vertical content to vertical identities. The difference between 'Xiaohongshu people' and others lies in the relationship between content and people.

This differentiating underlying logic stems from Xiaohongshu's content gene - the dual feed, dominated by images and text.

01. From people serving content to content serving people

The history of influencers promoting products can be traced back to the dawn of human civilization, where consumers essentially followed the decision-making of influencers they trusted. However, in the recent era of UGC on the internet, the main platforms for influencers are text, video, and image-text.

These three formats have become popular in different eras, influenced by social media products and changing the way people describe and convey information, determining how influencers present themselves to their audience.

The text-image era, dominated by early forums like Baidu Post Bar and Zhihu, was limited by internet speed. Influencers' identities were often their real-life ones.

The video era of social media emerged alongside content recommendation algorithms. Video production is more challenging, and algorithms centralize content distribution. Mastering algorithm rules and producing vertical content intentionally can lead to monetization, favoring full-time influencers or agencies. 'Influencer' became a profession during this stage.

The image-text era can be seen as an evolution of the text-image era, with influencers returning to their real identities. On Xiaohongshu, for example, these real identities feel more human.

While Xiaohongshu has full-time influencers, it also has former employees, curators, interior designers, and interview evaluators sharing their lives and experiences. These identity labels are anchors that attract users and spread the influencers' life stories.

While other video platforms also have similar influencers, the key difference is that video-based platforms have influencers serving content, while image-text platforms have content serving influencers' identities.

Video-based platforms prioritize immersive viewing experiences. Content is more important than the influencer, and users follow influencers who can consistently produce engaging content. This is content serving identities.

Such content often represents the consensus of a large group, and traffic is more likely to go to those who understand this consensus.

Image-text platforms, on the other hand, prioritize 'guides.' This echoes Xiaohongshu's original content format of shopping guides. As the platform has grown, users seek not just product guides but also 'life guides,' which Xiaohongshu now calls 'lifestyle.'

In the image-text-dominated content landscape, with videos and live streams as supplements, basic content units are simple images or texts, allowing for more personal expression. Xiaohongshu's dual feed format Divert users' attention ，giving more chances for personal thoughts to be heard, even if niche.

Take the recent 'Guanyadi' trend on Xiaohongshu, which started when a user named Guanyadi casually posted about avoiding users named 'momo' and blocking them. This sparked a chain reaction among 'momo' users, who renamed themselves Guanyadi, creating a Xiaohongshu-style 'farce.' Guanyadi later responded to the 'farce,' revealing his work in film and podcasting, unrelated to the trend but still drawing attention to his personal brand.

While other video platforms have similar influencers, the key difference is that video-based platforms have influencers serving content, while image-text platforms have content serving influencers' identities.

In this process, the influencer's personal thoughts also filter users rather than serve them. Changing the relationship between people and content changes how people are defined on the platform.

02. Merchants, influencers, users: Blurring the lines

This change in the relationship between people and content also disrupts the traditional relationship between products and audiences in content-based e-commerce.

Merchants can promote their products on content platforms in two ways: collaborating with influencers who promote products through images, videos, or live streams; or promoting directly through their own content.

Video platforms tend to have more centralized traffic, attracting a broader audience for merchants. In contrast, the unique personal expressions on image-text platforms attract a niche audience.

As mentioned in 'New Standpoint's' previous article, 'From Price War to Content War: Douyin and Taobao Converge in 2024,' future trends in product sales will see increasingly specific consumer demands.

This means more opportunities lie in products that meet precise needs, with live users leading these demands. On Xiaohongshu, it's common for merchants and users to respond thoughtfully to every comment, and even small audiences can generate significant sales.

In this scenario, a product may not necessarily target a uniform audience but rather attract various people with similar interests.

Another notable feature of Xiaohongshu's business model is the significant proportion of self-promoted merchant notes, especially those labeled 'sponsored.' While these appear to bypass influencers, they still rely on deep user connections.

For example, when the author introduced a new keyword in an interest group on Xiaohongshu, users within deeply connected circles began emphasizing it. Multiple users following the keyword reported seeing related products in their feeds, demonstrating the power of user sharing and deep connections.

This high sharing desire and deep connections bring precise traffic, making every click and view meaningful. This explains why Xiaohongshu influencers with thousands or tens of thousands of followers can generate significant sales. Advertisers on Xiaohongshu also report high click-through rates and conversion rates, higher than other content platforms.

After all, people understand people better than algorithms, and human decisions are more valuable. The difference is that in the past, a thousand users might have shared a generic shopping decision template, while now, each of them has a unique live person helping them make decisions.

As Xiaohongshu's COO Conan puts it, 'They are not just consumers and users but creators, matchers, and selectors of products based on user needs. They are Xiaohongshu buyers and curators.'

In this context, the lines between merchants, influencers, and ordinary users become blurred on Xiaohongshu. Conan notes that small teams of 5-10 people can start a business based on niche needs and be well-served by Xiaohongshu.

Users who find supply chain solutions and understand their target audience can quickly become merchants.

A notable example is the role of 'mom of dolls' popular in anime and celebrity fan communities. While they may initially seem like active users, their handmade dolls and custom services create a market within these communities. Similar roles include cosplay commissioners, artists, and consultants. Within these tight-knit communities, any missteps are quickly noticed.

In these cases, users selling to each other prioritize maintaining the community's 'magnetic field' regardless of their self-defined roles.

03. Closing Thoughts

Using the author's account as an example, after years of using Xiaohongshu anonymously, the author finally identified and connected with a niche audience, creating a new 'magnetic field' together.

On Xiaohongshu, finding a 'magnetic field' for your business is more precise than identifying a business model, product, or audience. However, maintaining this field is challenging. A few users' views can create a small field, but their dissatisfaction can destroy it.

This dual nature of 'even minority voices matter' is evident in content moderation. Some users report that content removal due to reports is common, even if the content itself is not problematic.

One influencer revealed that content in their interest group was mass-reported and removed in late July, including popular videos and images with thousands of likes. They have contacted Xiaohongshu for resolution.

'Every butterfly flap on Xiaohongshu matters. We need to adapt,' the influencer said.

*Images in the headline and article are sourced from the internet.