Social commerce platform Xiaohongshu (which translates to Little Red Book) has begun testing live broadcasts and real-time sales, according to local Chinese media outlet Short Video Workshop.
In this public test, select influencers have been invited to use the new live streaming feature, which lets broadcasters interact and sell promoted products directly to viewers without leaving the app.
From its early days as a place for Chinese tourists to get tips on where to shop overseas, Alibaba-backed Xiaohongshu has evolved into a community-based, lifestyle-oriented app that is part social media, part e-commerce, and fully catered toward fashion and beauty enthusiasts.
At the tail end of May, the company said it passed 250 million users. This was up from its 200 million headcount reported in March, when the platform also revealed that 70% of users were born in the 1990s or after.
This update comes after a notice early this year by Xiaohongshu’s CEO that the company would double down on product improvements for vendors, including greater content creation and community engagement features.