Live streaming and social commerce have completely reshaped online shopping in China, blending entertainment, product discovery, and instant purchasing into a seamless experience. Traditional eCommerce platforms — with their static product listings — are gradually being overtaken by dynamic, content-driven experiences where consumers discover products through short videos, influencer recommendations, and live product demonstrations.
TMO helps top brands enter the Chinese market with Cross-border eCommerce strategies covering brand website, WeChat, marketplaces, and more.
For overseas brands, this shift is a major opportunity. Platforms like Douyin (China’s TikTok) and Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book) now offer Cross-border eCommerce (CBEC) programs, allowing international brands to sell directly to Chinese consumers without the need for a local entity or physical store in China. These platforms combine social discovery, influencer marketing, and frictionless in-app purchasing, giving brands a direct route into China’s thriving consumer market.
This guide breaks down the store requirements, fees, and operational considerations for opening a CBEC store on Douyin and Xiaohongshu.
1. Douyin's CBEC Model
As China’s largest short video platform with over 600 million daily active users (as of 2024), Douyin has rapidly evolved into a social commerce powerhouse. Its CBEC program allows overseas brands to tap into this massive user base, leveraging viral content, influencer campaigns, and livestream shopping events to drive both product discovery and sales.
Douyin’s content-first approach — where users discover products organically through short videos and livestreams — has proven especially effective for beauty, fashion, food, and lifestyle brands.
1.1 Entry Requirements for Douyin CBEC Stores
To open a Cross-border Store (Haigou Store) on Douyin, brands must meet the following:
- Business Entity: You must have a registered company outside Mainland China (including Hong Kong, Macao, or Taiwan) with valid retail or trade qualifications.
- Mainland Agent: You must designate a mainland China agent who can bear joint liability for your store's operations.
- Bank Account: A public corporate bank account (outside Mainland China or in Hong Kong/Macao/Taiwan) is required.
Preferred Applicants
Priority is given to:
- Well-known overseas brands not yet present in China.
- Established brand owners, agents, or B2C websites.
- Experienced cross-border eCommerce teams.
1.2 Application Process & Entry Methods
Douyin uses a tiered entry system for CBEC stores, depending on your product category and brand status:
- Whitelisted Categories: Some product categories are pre-approved for cross-border sales, allowing faster entry (See table below).
- Limited Access Categories: Certain categories require additional review and pre-approval before a store can open. See the official List of Non-agreed Categories (in Chinese).
- Targeted Invitation Brands: Some high-demand or restricted categories are only open to brands Douyin actively seeks out. See the List of Targeted Investment Brands (in Chinese).
| First level category | |||
| Alcohol | Coffee/cereal/instant drinks | Dietary nutritional supplements | Traditional nutritional supplements |
| Smart devices | Home accessories | Home Fabric | Bedding |
| Pets/Pet Food and Supplies | Audio and video appliances | Personal health care/care appliances | Storage |
| Kitchen appliances | Cleansing agents/sanitary napkins/paper/aromatherapy | Tableware | Home daily use |
| Photography/Video | Household appliances | 3C digital accessories | Kitchen/cooking utensils |
| Household/Personal Cleaning Tools | Tea | Fashion accessories | Snacks/Nuts/Specialties |
| Clothing accessories/belts/hats/scarves | Outdoor/Mountaineering/Camping/Travel Products | Men's Shoes | Men's |
| Underwear and pantyhose | Women's Shoes | Women | Luggage |
| Sports/Yoga/Fitness/Fans Supplies | Sports bags/outdoor bags/accessories | Sportswear/Casual Clothing | Sports shoes and watches |
| Milk powder/supplementary food/nutritional products/snacks | Children's shoes/baby shoes/parent-child shoes | Children's wear/baby wear/parent-child wear | Toys/Baby Carriage/Puzzles/Building Blocks/Models |
| Baby Diapers | Baby Products | Maternity wear/Maternity products/Nutrition | Model toys/animation/peripherals/cos/board games |
| Musical Instruments/Guitar/Piano/Accessories | Beauty and Skin Care | Beauty/Personal Care Equipment | Personal Care |
| Makeup/Perfume/Beauty Tools | Cereals, oils, rice, noodles/dry goods/seasonings | Car supplies/electronics/cleaning/modification | Computer hardware/monitor/computer peripherals |
| Video Games/Accessories/Games/Strategies | Lighter/Swiss Army Knife/Glasses | Laptop | Tablet PC/MID |
| cell phone | Second-hand goods | Office Supplies/Electronic Education | Auto Parts |
| Office equipment/consumables/related services | Beauty and body medical equipment | Family planning products | Medical Devices |
| MP3/MP4/iPod/Recorder | Festive Supplies/Cultural and Creative Products | Books/Magazines/Newspapers | Model toys/animation/peripherals/doll circle/three pits/board games |
How to Register on Douyin
- Register an Account: Visit Douyin Shop (Doudian) Official Website to create a merchant account.
- Submit Required Documentation: In the Cross-border Merchant Settlement Portal, upload relevant materials such as overseas entity information, overseas authorization information, overseas company certification information, domestic entity information, legal representative information, etc.
- Fill in the Store Information: Select the store type (brand flagship store, store-type flagship store, specialty store, franchise store), fill in the store name and other basic information, business category, and upload the brand qualifications.
- Platform Review: Qualification review usually takes 3-5 working days.
- Account Verification: Fill in the company's public bank account information, submit the account information, and wait for the platform to verify the payment.
- Pay Deposit: The deposit of the Global Shopping Merchant is done via bank transfer, for which you can follow the on-page prompts. For details, see Global Shopping: How can merchants pay store deposits? (in Chinese).
1.3 Fee Details
- Security Deposit:
Merchants pay a basic deposit to the platform based on the categories of their store operations. When a store operates in multiple categories, the amount of the basic deposit payable is based on the highest amount of the categories currently operated by the store. For details on the deposit standards required for each category, please refer to Global Shopping: Margin Management Regulations (in Chinese). The deposit for each category ranges from RMB 50,000 to 300,000. For example, the deposit for entering as Brand Flagship Store for Health Food/Dietary Nutritional Supplements is RMB 50,000.
- Platform Technical Service Fee:
The platform technical service fee is charged based on "the actual amount paid by the consumer (including shipping costs) + the amount of the anchor coupon/red envelope + the amount of the platform coupon/red envelope" (the merchant coupon amount is not included in the settlement base) and will be directly deducted from the merchant's payment amount. For details of the technical service fee rate, please see Global Shopping: Technical Service Fee Rate Standards, generally 3% to 6%, (for health food/dietary nutritional supplements it is 4%).
1.4 Logistics & Fulfillment
Douyin offers an integrated cross-border supply chain service, which includes:
- Bonded warehousing (mandatory for certain products).
- Storage fees charged daily per SKU, and settled monthly.
- All fulfillment handled by Douyin’s official logistics partners.
For details, see the Official Service Agreement for Cross-border Bonded Import Supply Chain Management
TMO has 10+ years experience helping brands design and implement fully-compliant China CBEC eCommerce solutions, from entry strategy, to brand website localization, legal compliance, and more.
2. Xiaohongshu's CBEC Model
Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book) is one of China’s most influential social commerce platforms, particularly for beauty, wellness, fashion, and lifestyle products. Its community-driven format — where users share product reviews, personal recommendations, and lifestyle content — makes it a trusted shopping destination, especially for young, urban women with strong purchasing power.
For international brands, Xiaohongshu’s CBEC program allows direct sales to Chinese consumers via either bonded warehouse fulfillment or direct shipping from overseas.
2.1 Application Process & Entry Requirements
Basic Requirements
- Overseas company with valid business registration.
- Trademark certificates for private brands.
- Product documentation, including ingredient lists, labels, and compliance certificates.
- A local partner for customer service and compliance support.
Process Summary
- Enterprise Certification via Xiaohongshu’s platform (annual fee: RMB 600).
- Submit Business & Brand Documentation (overseas subject documents, domestic enterprise commitment letter, customs declaration unit registration certificate/customs import and export goods consignee and consignor registration receipt, domestic entrusted enterprise business license, ID card or other identity documents, etc.). Read the full Materials required for entry.
- Select Store Type: Xiaohongshu stores that cross-border merchants can enter are divided into flagship stores, specialty stores, franchise stores, official flagship stores (invitation), store-type flagship stores, etc. (Read more)
- Platform Review & Contract Signing (1-7 working days).
- Pay Security Deposit, based on product category.
For more details please see Xiaohongshu Store Service Agreement (only applicable to cross-border merchants)
2.2 Fee Details
- Deposit: The deposit for most categories of cross-border stores is US $3,500. See the official Xiaohongshu Category Deposit list.
- Basic Technical Service Fee: The rate is generally between 2% and 5% (see 2024 Xiaohongshu Basic Technology Service Fee Rate Standard). The fee rate for health food/dietary nutritional supplements is 3%.
- Payment channel technical service fee: Xiaohongshu charges cross-border merchants a payment channel technical service fee of 0.7%.
2.3 Logistics & Fulfillment
Bonded stocking mode
- Officially certified bonded warehouse: Sign a contract and settle accounts with an officially certified third-party supplier. The merchant prepares the goods for warehousing, and the service provider completes the packaging, customs clearance, shipment, and other fulfillment services. The order is shipped from the service provider's bonded warehouse to the consumer.
- Xiaohongshu bonded warehouse: Goods are directly prepared and shipped to Xiaohongshu bonded warehouse, and orders are directly shipped from Xiaohongshu bonded warehouse to consumers.
Overseas direct mail model
- Xiaohongshu Direct Mail BC: Xiaohongshu officially provides international logistics transportation, customs clearance and domestic express delivery services. The port customs clearance method is 9610 direct mail.
- Xiaohongshu Post CC: International logistics transportation, customs clearance and domestic express delivery services officially provided by Xiaohongshu. The port customs clearance method is the CC personal express mode.
For details, see Introduction to Xiaohongshu's cross-border logistics
Tapping into the huge potential of China's CBEC Market
Douyin and Xiaohongshu offer two distinct but equally valuable paths for overseas brands entering China’s booming cross-border eCommerce market. Whether you’re targeting viral discovery through short video and livestreaming (Douyin) or building long-term brand equity through social proof and user reviews (Xiaohongshu), success comes down to understanding each platform’s culture, audience, and content ecosystem.
TMO Group specializes in helping international brands navigate China’s CBEC landscape — From establishing a legal presence in China to handling customs pre-filing and product feasibility studies, we offer tailored solutions to ensure your success.
If you are looking for an eCommerce agency to assist you in your China business expansion, or want to explore other alternatives to grow in the market, reach out to us to learn more about our China eCommerce solutions.
