BUSINESS

TikTok Refugees Send Xiaohongshu to Top of U.S. App Store Charts

By Bao Yunhong, Lv Yating and Denise Jia

Published: Jan. 16, 2025 2:19 a.m. GMT+8

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Xiaohongshu’s headquarters in Shanghai. Photo: Bloomberg

The Chinese social media app Xiaohongshu has surged to the top of U.S. app store charts as American TikTok creators, dubbed “TikTok refugees,” migrate to the platform amid a potential U.S. ban, driving new global user engagement and sparking cross-cultural trends.

Ryan Martin, a TikTok user, said restricted access to Douyin — TikTok’s Chinese counterpart — and dissatisfaction with Meta Platform’s role in the TikTok ban had prompted his switch to Xiaohongshu. He described the platform as the most similar to TikTok in terms of interface and functionality. Unlike TikTok and Douyin, Xiaohongshu does not isolate domestic and international users, allowing seamless access for overseas users.

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Explore the story in 30 seconds

Xiaohongshu climbed to the top of U.S. app store charts, driven by American TikTok creators migrating amid potential TikTok bans.
The platform stands out by integrating user-generated content with e-commerce, attracting both individual users and businesses globally.
Despite its success, challenges like content moderation have arisen, with Xiaohongshu employing over 15,000 staff, including 5,000 moderators, to manage these complexities.

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Who’s Who

Xiaohongshu: Xiaohongshu, launched in 2013 as a product review platform, has evolved into a lifestyle-focused social media app combining user-generated content with e-commerce. It offers seamless access for international users, drawing American TikTok creators amid a potential ban. The app, popular for its engaging content in fashion, travel, and culture, rose to the top of U.S. app store charts. The platform employs 15,000 staff for content moderation, facing challenges with rising international user engagement.

Douyin: Douyin is TikTok's Chinese counterpart, offering a similar interface and functionality. Unlike Xiaohongshu, Douyin restricts access, isolating domestic users from international ones. Dissatisfaction with these restrictions has prompted some TikTok users to switch to alternative platforms like Xiaohongshu.

TikTok: TikTok creators, known as "TikTok refugees," are migrating to the Chinese app Xiaohongshu amid a potential U.S. ban on TikTok. The platform's interface and functionality are similar to TikTok, drawing significant engagement and cross-cultural trends. However, some creators find Xiaohongshu's content moderation stricter compared to TikTok's more lenient rules, leading to lower engagement and adaptation challenges.

Meta Platforms: The article mentions dissatisfaction with Meta Platforms regarding its role in the potential U.S. TikTok ban. This dissatisfaction has contributed to TikTok creators, like Ryan Martin, migrating to Xiaohongshu. However, the article does not provide specific details about Meta's role or actions.

Tmall Global: Tmall Global is a platform that Chinese businesses are using to leverage the #tiktokrefugee trend to promote products to overseas users, in light of Xiaohongshu’s recent surge in U.S. popularity. It's part of the strategy to capitalize on increased international traffic and interest driven by displaced TikTok creators exploring alternative platforms.

Taobao: Taobao is a Chinese online shopping platform mentioned as benefiting from the influx of traffic due to the #tiktokrefugee trend. It is used by businesses to promote products to overseas users, leveraging Xiaohongshu’s increased international engagement. Taobao facilitates cross-border e-commerce, allowing brands to capitalize on the growing attention and user base shifting from TikTok to Xiaohongshu.

Haidilao: Haidilao is one of the brands leveraging the #tiktokrefugee trend on Xiaohongshu to promote products to overseas users. As Chinese platforms and brands capitalize on the influx of global traffic, Haidilao appears to be taking advantage of the increasing engagement and cross-cultural trends spurred by the migration of TikTok creators to Xiaohongshu.

Mixue Bingcheng: Mixue Bingcheng is mentioned as one of the Chinese brands leveraging the #tiktokrefugee trend to promote products to overseas users. As Xiaohongshu gains popularity among American TikTok users, such brands are capitalizing on the increased traffic for cross-border promotion and marketing opportunities.

Sensor Tower: Sensor Tower is a platform that provides insights into app store data and trends. According to the article, it reported that Xiaohongshu rose to the top position on the U.S. Apple App Store free app list on January 11 and its international version, Rednote, also reached first place on the U.S. Google Play Store on January 14.

AI generated, for reference only