2026 Xiaohongshu WILL Commerce Conference

One post, one search, one purchase.

On Xiaohongshu, these everyday actions increasingly shape how brands are discovered, evaluated, and chosen in China.

On Dec. 22, the 2026 Xiaohongshu WILL Business Conference concluded in Shanghai. Under the theme “Content-Driven Discovery Enters the Performance Era” the event outlined how discovery-led marketing on Xiaohongshu is evolving into a measurable, performance-oriented growth engine for brands.

What Is Xiaohongshu?

Xiaohongshu, widely known internationally as RedNote, is one of China’s most influential social commerce platforms. Often compared to a blend of Instagram, Pinterest, and Amazon, Xiaohongshu combines community-driven content, influencer recommendations, and in-app commerce to guide consumer decision-making.

For many brands, Xiaohongshu has become the starting point of the purchase journey in China—where users research products, validate opinions, and build trust long before conversion.

The annual WILL Conference is Xiaohongshu’s flagship business event, where platform leaders share strategic direction, data insights, and new tools shaping the future of social marketing, influencer marketing in China, and content-driven commerce.

As an official Xiaohongshu partner agency, WSD closely follows these developments. Below is a practical summary of the conference’s most important takeaways for global brands.

1. Performance Marketing on Xiaohongshu Starts With Real People

At the conference, Xiaohongshu leadership emphasized a clear principle: performance does not start with traffic—it starts with people.

Unlike traditional digital advertising platforms, Xiaohongshu is built around real users sharing real experiences. Discovery happens through lived scenarios, not impression-based media buying.

Data revealed the prosperity of Xiaohongshu as a prime marketing channel:

● 2,500+ interest-based content tags

● 9 million posts published daily

● 70 million comments per day

● Users open the app an average of 16 times daily

● Over 200 million monthly users actively searching for products

These figures highlight why Xiaohongshu marketing functions as a community-first, commerce-enabled ecosystem.

From Product Messaging to Scenario-Based Storytelling

A featured case study involved Biostime, a leading maternal and infant nutrition brand. Instead of focusing on product claims, the brand identified a common pain point among young parents: inconvenience during milk powder preparation.

Working with WSD’s subsidiary, THINC（时刻互动）, Biostime launched a user-driven campaign on Xiaohongshu that addressed this real-life scenario. The campaign generated thousands of new followers and organic demand without relying on hard-selling tactics.

This shift—from product-centric messaging to scenario-based storytelling—is central to effective social commerce on Xiaohongshu.

2. Influencer Marketing in China Is Becoming Full-Funnel

Creators play a central role in Xiaohongshu’s ecosystem. At the WILL Conference, the platform made it clear that creators are no longer just distribution channels—they are long-term growth partners.

To support this evolution, Xiaohongshu upgraded its creator collaboration platform, Pugongying (蒲公英), with features designed to improve targeting, transparency, and performance measurement:

● Creator selection based on audience and interest mapping

● Multi-scenario content formats aligned with user intent

● Advanced analytics linking engagement to conversion

● Closed-loop measurement from discovery to purchase

For brands investing in influencer marketing in China, this infrastructure enables more predictable outcomes and scalable collaboration.

3. Native Marketing IPs: Letting Brands Blend Into Everyday Life

Another major theme was Xiaohongshu’s focus on native marketing IPs—campaigns rooted in real community conversations rather than imposed brand narratives.

What are marketing IPs (营销IP)？

In the Chinese marketing context, “marketing IP” does not refer to intellectual property in the legal sense. Instead, it describes a long-running, platform-native content franchise built around a consistent theme, user participation, and repeatable storytelling.

Unlike one-off campaigns, a marketing IP is designed to grow over time, inviting creators, users, and brands to co-create content rooted in real behavior and cultural moments. On platforms like Xiaohongshu, marketing IPs function as always-on brand programs that build trust, mental availability, and measurable impact across the full customer journey.

Examples of platform-led marketing IPs

These are initiated and amplified by platforms, with brands participating as collaborators.

● Xiaohongshu “老吃家们”

● A food-focused content IP built around real eating experiences, inviting creators and brands to co-create authentic lifestyle narratives.

● Xiaohongshu “交换幸福10秒”

● A community-driven IP centered on short, emotional moments of happiness, rooted in user behavior and everyday life.

Examples of brand-owned marketing IPs

These are long-term brand content systems that evolve across time and channels.

● Nike – Just Do It

● A decades-long brand platform that continuously generates stories, campaigns, and cultural relevance.

● Red Bull – Red Bull Media House

● A content franchise where the brand operates like a media company, producing ongoing sports and culture content.

● Spotify – Wrapped

● An annual, highly participatory content IP that turns user data into shareable cultural moments.

Xiaohongshu identifies organic trends emerging among users and amplifies them through creators, topic hubs, and offline activations. These IP-driven initiatives create high-engagement moments where brands can participate naturally.

Effective platform native IP campaigns help brands:

● Build stronger brand recall through emotional relevance

● Own specific lifestyle and consumption scenarios

● Expand beyond core audiences quickly

● Generate high-quality user-generated content as social proof

● Convert online engagement into offline traffic

Because these campaigns grow out of genuine user behavior, they feel less like advertising and more like participation—an essential dynamic in China’s social commerce environment.

What This Means for Global Brands

The 2026 Xiaohongshu WILL Conference reinforced a clear message: growth on Xiaohongshu comes from understanding people, working closely with creators, and embedding brands into real-life scenarios.

For global companies exploring Xiaohongshu marketing, social commerce in China, or influencer marketing in China, performance today is built on authenticity, not amplification.