China Digital Digest Weekly: Exploring the Chinese Digital Landscape
- ClickInsights
- 4 days ago
- 4 min read
Hi folks, we are back with our weekly edition of China’s Digital Digest, wherein we bring you weekly updates on China’s digital space. The report takes a quick glance at China’s complex and rapidly evolving social media landscape by providing updates on the latest happenings across the social media industry. Here are the major highlights of the report.
1. TikTok, Online Gaming Ads Boost Australia’s Military Hiring to a 15-Year High
Australia has achieved its highest military recruitment figures in 15 years, with officials crediting targeted ads on TikTok and online games for the boost.
Defence Personnel Minister Matt Keogh told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) that “smarter” digital outreach, including targeted ads on social media platform TikTok and in online games, helped the Australian Defence Force (ADF) achieve its highest recruitment figures in 15 years. Keogh explained that the ads were being placed “where our target age groups are” to showcase the wide range of careers available in the military.
2. ByteDance Finds Median Service Length of Employees at About 3 Years
ByteDance has revealed that the median service length of existing employees was 2.9 years, while their average tenure was three years, the Beijing-based company disclosed at an internal meeting.
According to two sources briefed in a town hall meeting that was led by co-founder, chairman and CEO Liang Rubo, about half of the firm’s 120,000 employees have spent more than three years there. The median service length of former employees was estimated at 2.6 years, while their average tenure was 2.5 years, the sources said.
3. Adidas Originals Brings “Panda Stop” to Chengdu
Adidas Originals has unveiled a creative collaboration with Hong Kong-born, Shenzhen-based artist Dorothy Tang (邓卓越), blending sportswear with cultural storytelling.
Central to the partnership is a large-scale installation titled the “Trefoil Panda Bus Stop” (三叶草熊猫车站), along with a collection that showcases Tang’s signature panda-themed artwork. The debut location for the display is the Adidas flagship store at Taikoo Li Chengdu, situated in Sichuan Province—fittingly recognized as the homeland of pandas in Southwest China.
4. Alibaba Unites Online Shopping, Travel Booking Under New Loyalty Scheme
Alibaba Group Holding is set to launch a new membership programme spanning a range of services from an online marketplace to food delivery and travel booking, according to Chinese media reports, as the tech giant strives to recapture its leading position in China’s competitive e-commerce market.
Alibaba’s e-commerce group, led by Jiang Fan, will provide members of Taobao – China’s largest online marketplace – with subsidised access to various other company services, including the on-demand delivery app Ele.me, online travel agency Fliggy and grocery chain Freshippo, according to Chinese media reports.
5. Hong Kong Customs in Talks With Ecommerce Firms Like Pinduoduo to Control Sales
Hong Kong customs has launched talks with major cross-border e-commerce firms, including Pinduoduo and Taobao, in a bid to block contraband from being sold to buyers in the city, the head of the disciplined service has revealed.
Commissioner of Customs and Excise Chan Tsz-tat said in an exclusive interview that his agency had a robust communication mechanism with e-commerce platforms and had asked Pinduoduo to take down relevant products after a teenage boy was found to have bought smoke grenades online last month. A 13-year-old boy was arrested on July 18 on suspicion of possessing explosives after he allegedly set off three smoke grenades and left them in the corridor outside his home, prompting the evacuation of about 300 residents from the building.
6. Meituan, JD.Com Build Central Kitchens to Ratchet Up China’s Delivery War
Meituan and JD.com are taking China’s delivery war to another level, as the two instant commerce rivals have started building thousands of central kitchens in strategic locations to speed up fulfilment of online food orders.
On-demand local delivery giant Meituan is expected to continue leading the market through its launch of 1,200 so-called Raccoon Restaurants over the next three years, a plan it revealed early last month. JD.com, meanwhile, announced a plan to invest 1 billion yuan (US$139 million) to recruit “cuisine partners”, as part of the firm’s roll-out of 10,000 self-operated 7Fresh kitchens over the next three years.
7. Alibaba, Meituan, JD.Com Commit to Truce After Regulator Calls for ‘Rational’ Competition
China’s top three on-demand delivery service operators – Alibaba Group Holding, Meituan and JD.com – have publicly announced an “anti-involution” commitment, signalling a truce in their brutal price war.
The three companies vowed to engage in “rational” competition and resist offering excessive subsidies, according to separate statements published two weeks after China’s market regulator urged them to stop engaging in excessive competition, known locally as “involution”. Alibaba’s Hong Kong-listed shares gained 1 percent while Meituan gained 0.5 percent, despite a broad decline in the Hang Seng stock index. JD.com was down 0.2 percent
8. Shein’s Revenue Rises to Us$10 Billion in Quarter Before Trump Tariffs
Shein Group’s net income rose to over US$400 million and revenue was almost US$10 billion in the first quarter as consumers snapped up the fast-fashion retailer’s products ahead of US tariffs, according to people familiar with the matter.
The performance helped lift the company’s profit margin to about 5 percent. However, Shein said in an emailed statement that “the data is inaccurate” without elaborating. The company’s path toward an initial public offering has developed into a saga, with an initial plan to list in the US derailed as its supply chain and labour practices were scrutinised. Shein also considered the UK before opting for Hong Kong, where it confidentially filed a draft prospectus, Bloomberg reported in July.
Wrapping Up
The vast and diverse nature of the Chinese Social Media space makes it incredibly challenging to keep a tab on the rapid developments taking place. However, China’s Digital Digest brings you all the latest updates from there to keep you abreast of all the evolving trends.
To delve deeper into the findings of our latest report, click here.