Xiaohongshu pivots: Less search, more soul

What happened On July 8, Xiaohongshu unveiled a brand refresh, swapping its 2022 slogan, “Your Life Guide,” for a new tagline, “Your Community of Life Interests.” It’s not the first time the platform has rebranded. Originally known for cross-border shopping tips, Xiaohongshu has continuously evolved alongside its users. In 2014, it gained traction with the phrase “Find Great Things from Abroad,” later cycling through slogans including “A Better Life Around the World,” and “Mark My Life,” gradually shifting away from a search-centric, recommendation-heavy model. “Whenever a holiday comes around and I’m not sure what to get for my family, I always turn to Xiaohongshu for recommendations,” Evan Xu, a longtime social media user, tells Jing Daily. Indeed, in recent years, turning to Xiaohongshu for inspiration has become a daily ritual for many. The platform’s new slogan signals more than just a strategic refresh — it marks a shift from utility to emotional connection. Compared to the previous tagline, the new phrase, “Your Interest-Based Community,” emphasizes interpersonal interactions and a sense of belonging. Alongside the rebrand, Xiaohongshu also introduced an “Interest Neighborhoods” section, allowing users to explore and engage with content across eight themed zones, ranging from gaming and anime to outdoor sports, fashion, entertainment, travel, and food, further reinforcing its interest-driven community model. The Jing Take On June 5, Bloomberg cited internal documents from GGV Capital indicating that Xiaohongshu’s valuation had surged to $26 billion from $20 billion in January 2025 — making it 11 times the size of Weibo and three times that of Bilibili. Still, behind the soaring numbers lie familiar challenges: slowing user growth and an increasingly saturated content ecosystem. Retaining users and unlocking new growth have become Xiaohongshu’s central challenges. Once treated largely as a search tool for answers and recommendations, the platform’s utility-driven model is now struggling to keep pace with users’ expanding appetite for diverse content. “Xiaohongshu has always been a content community rooted in interest,” says Derek Ding, founder of MCN firm Firefly. “In the early days, it was mostly users sharing shopping experiences, with others bookmarking posts — a largely one-way exchange. But now the platform is pushing deeper into interaction, building communities around shared passions. I’ve found my current content climbing and outdoor groups entirely through Xiaohongshu. It’s a way for the platform to strengthen its own moat.” WeChat has been quietly mirroring Xiaohongshu’s content format. In February 2023, its public accounts introduced a new post-style carousel format for images paired with short captions, which closely resembled Xiaohongshu’s visual interface. Users dubbed it the “Little Green Book,” referencing the English translation of Xiaohongshu, “Little Red Book.” By January this year, the format had become a formal focus area in WeChat’s content strategy. According to Tencent’s Q1 2025 earnings report (released May 14), WeChat now counts 1.402 billion combined monthly active accounts across mainland China and overseas, up 3% YoY and 1% QoQ, reaching a penetration rate of nearly 99.6% in China. That scale gives “Little Green Book” a formidable advantage. Backed by sustained internal support, the format may yet become Xiaohongshu’s most credible threat. Rather than react to imitation, Xiaohongshu appears determined to move first. Its pivot toward an “interest-based community” signals a bid to carve out distinct ground in an increasingly crowded content landscape. As user attention becomes harder to hold, staying relevant will require more than recommendation-driven utility. To protect its moat, Xiaohongshu must evolve into a genuine arena for shared passions, where community and conversation, not just content, are the draw. The Jing Take reports on a piece of the leading news and presents our editorial team’s analysis of the key implications for the luxury industry. In the recurring column, we analyze everything from product drops and mergers to heated debate sprouting on Chinese social media. Read more: Why luxury brands are turning to Xiaohongshu Xiaohongshu links up with JD.com, Tmall Chanel joins Xiaohongshu. Is it too late?

Xiaohongshu pivots: Less search, more soul

On this page

Published July 17, 2025

Sectors

Insights

Company

Xiaohongshu pivots: Less search, more soul