Introduction: Yilin Consulting is an acclaimed boutique consultancy based in Paris, specialising in helping EMEA travel retail brands and retailers engage the new generation of Chinese outbound travellers. Its focus lies in converting independent, experience-driven travellers through targeted omnichannel engagement and frontline cultural training.
Today, as part of our unrivalled coverage of the Chinese travel retail market at home and abroad, The Moodie Davitt Report is proud to introduce a new exclusive column in partnership with Yilin Consulting Founder Yilin Wang – Yilin Watch: The Xiaohongshu Report.
Prologue: Why Xiaohongshu? And why now? Because it’s where the journey of the Chinese outbound traveller begins, writes Yilin Wang.
Originally launched in 2013 as a simple overseas shopping guide, Xiaohongshu (literally means ‘Little Red Book’ or Rednote) has rapidly evolved into China’s most influential lifestyle and social commerce platform.
Its shift from ‘Mark My Life’ in 2018 to ‘Your Life Guide’ in 2022 and most recently ‘Your Interest Community’ in 2025 reflects its transformation from a utility into a vibrant community built on emotional connection, personalised expression and shared passions.
Why does this matter to the travel retail industry? Xiaohongshu is far more than a simple combination of Instagram, Pinterest, and ecommerce features.
It is a vibrant community where millions of China’s most valuable consumers converge to share lifestyles, build connections, and make informed purchasing decisions – forming the core target audience for travel retail.
By 2024, Xiaohongshu boasted over 300 million monthly active users: 72% are female, 79% are under 35, and 43% are aged 18-24 – demographics that are trend-savvy, digital natives and influential in shaping consumption trends.
Over 66% of users reside in China’s Tier 1 and emerging Tier 1 cities, representing the country’s most affluent metropolitan consumers. The platform’s impact on travel is undeniable. With 1.6 billion travel-related searches and more than 13 million new travel notes posted monthly, it’s a vital platform for inspiration, planning, in-destination engagement and post-trip sharing.
Xiaohongshu’s growth in travel industry collaborations – up +325% for overseas destinations, +605% for OTAs and +940% for cruises and airlines – underscores its strategic importance. Ignoring Xiaohongshu means missing the most critical channel through which China’s most valuable and digitally engaged travellers shape their decisions.
Why launch this column? Because Xiaohongshu is transforming from a review or social platform into a vital digital community that deeply influences travellers’ attitudes and choices – making it indispensable for any travel retail strategy targeting Chinese outbound consumers in 2025 and beyond.
About Yilin Wang and Yilin ConsultingYilin Consulting is a boutique consultancy based in Paris, specialising in helping EMEA travel retail brands and retailers engage the new generation of Chinese outbound travellers. Founded by Yilin Wang, an expert with over a decade of experience bridging East-West gaps at L’Oréal Travel Retail, Lagardère Travel Retail and Chanel, we assist clients in navigating the post-pandemic shift in Chinese consumer behaviour – focusing on converting independent, experience-driven travellers through targeted omnichannel engagement and frontline cultural training. Our philosophy, embodied by our brand LINXY™* (Link-See-Engage), is to Link authentically with Chinese customers, See their evolving needs, and Engage them with culturally precise experiences. *© 2025 Yilin Consulting. LINXY™ is a trademark registered with INPI and EUIPO. Registration pending. Contact: yilinwang@yilinconsulting.com |
Yilin Watch will decode successful content strategies of international airports’ Xiaohongshu official account, analyse emerging trends, and translate timely consumer insights into actionable business intelligence.
Our goal: help you connect authentically with China’s confident, content-driven traveller of 2025 – turning knowledge into a competitive advantage in the evolving digital landscape.
Edition 1
In this first edition of Yilin Watch: The Xiaohongshu Report, we dissect the content strategies of three international airports’ Xiaohongshu official accounts over a 30-day period (11 August-9 September) – Singapore Changi, London Heathrow and Paris Charles de Gaulle – to extract actionable intelligence on how to win the hearts of Chinese travellers before they even pack their bags.
Our analytical framework: We will utilise Yilin Consulting’s analytical framework LINXY* ‘Link-See-Engage’ for this analysis.
Title: To emphasise Xiaohongshu’s singularity as an authentic UGC platform, we deliberately retain the original, audience-centric Mandarin title of each featured post – a critical element for click-through rates – providing a direct translation for international readers.
LINK-Star Post Focus: We highlight one top-performing post per airport that most closely connected with Chinese audience over the 30-day period in question. This refers to the post with the highest total engagement (likes, saves, comments, ‘good’ marks, shares) within that period.
It can also be an ‘explosive’ post (‘爆款笔记’), meaning the one generating the most rapid and enthusiastic engagement. Our key KPI will be the average daily engagement of the Star Post compared to other posts from the same account during the 30-day research window.
SEE-Content Strategy & ‘Why It Works’: We will deconstruct the content theme and narrative, analyse its most appealing aspects, and explore the cultural resonance that behind its success.
ENAGE – Audience Engagement Insight: By meticulously analysing the comments, we will uncover what they reveal about traveller intent, key questions or concerns, emotions, and reactions.
The Yilin Takeaway: We will provide our actionable recommendations and strategic insights for travel retail industry stakeholders to leverage these findings effectively.
AIRPORT CASE STUDIES
Conclusion: The gateway to Chinese travellers is digital
This inaugural edition highlights Xiaohongshu’s critical role in engaging a new generation of Chinese outbound travellers.
By leveraging customer-centric content and deep cultural resonance, airports, retailers and destination attractions can significantly boost their visibility and foster emotional connections with this influential demographic. In this context of the digital-first shift, a strengthened collaboration between these parties can only benefit all, transforming travel retail into a touchpoint where unforgettable memories are created for a lifetime. ✈
– The Moodie Davitt Report & Yilin Consulting
[Ready to Translate These Insights into Your Strategy for Chinese travellers? Yilin Consulting provides the expert bridge between Xiaohongshu’s vibrant ecosystem and your commercial goals in travel retail.
Contact us directly at yilinwang@yilinconsulting.com to schedule a post-TFWA World Exhibition consultation. We’ll help you decode your digital potential and build a tailored strategy to Link-See-Engage with the confident Chinese travellers of 2025 and beyond.
Yilin Consulting remains committed to providing actionable insights that empower industry stakeholders to stay ahead in this dynamic landscape.]
*© 2025 Yilin Consulting. LINXY™ is a trademark registered with INPI and EUIPO. Registration pending.
