Social Commerce

Xiaohongshu (Red) is reportedly launching its “Xiaohong Card” program by the end of September, pushing into the local lifestyle services market. The initiative, targeting F&B, leisure, and entertainment businesses in pilot cities like Hangzhou, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, aims to connect online discovery with offline transactions. The “Xiaohong Card,” similar to Alibaba’s 88VIP, offers exclusive discounts (at least 10%) to users at participating merchants. Youzan is the exclusive service provider, facilitating traffic conversion into sales through integrated solutions.

JD.com launched the “Hong Jing Program,” an enhanced partnership with Xiaohongshu, building on the success of the “Xiao Hong Meng” initiative. This program integrates the platforms to create direct-to-purchase pathways, including a “Planting Grass Direct” advertising feature. The goal is to guide users from content discovery on Xiaohongshu to purchases on JD.com, streamlining the buying process and boosting sales, leveraging successful metrics from the initial collaboration. This initiative focuses on streamlined traffic flow, improved data integration, and expanded collaboration.

JD.com sues influencer “Cat Cup” (Xu Jiayi) over contractual disputes in Hangzhou court, following her 2023 “lost homework” hoax scandal. Xu’s firm promoted JD products one day before Chinese authorities exposed her fabricated viral video. With 40M+ followers pre-ban and estimated $13.8M annual earnings, the legal battle highlights risks in China’s influencer partnerships. The case, linked to potential breach of contract or reputational damage claims, may set precedents for liability in the $200B social commerce sector amid tightened platform regulations.