Bytedance Wades Into Lifestyle Sector With Kesong App in China: Details

TikTok’s Chinese proprietor ByteDance is on the lookout for its subsequent large hit by wading deeper into the approach to life sector of social media with Kesong, a procuring and way of life suggestions app much like market chief Xiaohongshu. Kesong, launched final week, permits customers to share images, movies and write-ups of trend suggestions and procuring experiences. It emulates Xiaohongshu, usually likened to Meta Platforms’ Instagram and which is extensively thought of the embodiment of “planting grass” – the notion that opinions can entice readers or followers to purchase a services or products.

Fashion and luxurious manufacturers usually flip to Xiaohongshu’s influencers who can attain tens of millions of prosperous customers in China. Overseas, Xiaohongshu is named Red in international locations together with Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, Canada and the United States.

Hardware and software program maker ByteDance was valued at round $300 billion (roughly Rs. 23,96,200 crore) in latest trades and has grow to be often called one thing of an app manufacturing facility. It has produced a string of hits from information aggregator Toutiao to quick video app Douyin and its abroad equal TikTok, China’s most profitable app overseas.

It tried its hand at a “planting grass” app in 2018 with the short-lived Xincao. It tried once more in 2020 with Sharee, aimed toward abroad markets. Later renamed Lemon8, the app has over one million downloads in Japan and has expanded into Thailand.

Lemon8 is exploring the opportunity of increasing into Australia, two folks on the firm informed Reuters.

The app is overseen by Alex Zhu, senior vp of product and technique at ByteDance and previously TikTok head, the 2 folks mentioned, declining to be recognized as they weren’t authorised to talk with media.

“ByteDance is very determined to crack the ‘high-brow’ market (with Kesong and Lemon8) to achieve a higher ARPU,” one of many folks mentioned, referring to common income per consumer.

ByteDance didn’t reply to a request for remark.

© Thomson Reuters 2022