BEIJING: TikTok’s Chinese owner ByteDance is looking for its next big hit by wading deeper into the lifestyle field of social media with Kesong, a buying and lifestyle suggestions app similar to marketplace leader Xiaohongshu.
Kesong, launched a week ago, allows users to share photos, videos plus write-ups of style tips and purchasing experiences.
This emulates Xiaohongshu, frequently likened to Meta Platforms Inc’s Instagram and which is broadly considered the agreement of “planting grass” – the notion that will reviews can entice readers or fans to buy a product or service.
Fashion and luxury brands often use Xiaohongshu’s influencers who can reach millions of wealthy users in Cina. Overseas, Xiaohongshu is recognized as Red in countries including Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, Canada and the United States.
Equipment and software manufacturer ByteDance was highly valued at around US$300bil (RM1. 33 trillion) in recent investments and has become called something of an app factory. It has produced a string associated with hits from information aggregator Toutiao to short video app Douyin and its abroad equivalent TikTok, China’s most successful application abroad.
It tried its hand at a “planting grass” app in 2018 with the short-lived Xincao. It tried again in 2020 with Sharee, aimed at overseas markets. Later renamed Lemon8, the application has over a million downloads in Japan and has expanded in to Thailand.
Lemon8 is exploring associated with expanding into Sydney, two people at the organization told Reuters.
The app is certainly overseen by Alex Zhu, senior vice president of item and strategy in ByteDance and previously TikTok head, both people said, decreasing to be identified as these were not authorised to speak with media.
“ByteDance is very decided on crack the ‘high-brow’ market (with Kesong and Lemon8) to obtain a higher ARPU, ” one of the people said, referring to average income per user.
ByteDance did not respond to a request for comment. – Reuters