Xiaohongshu and VOGUE Business Redefine Home Aesthetics During Milan Fashion Week

MILAN, Sept. 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- At the recent Milan Fashion Week, the world's premier fashion showcase, a wave of new trends emerged, notably in the realm of home decor. Here, fashion and home furnishings merged seamlessly, signaling a novel trend. Xiaohongshu, in collaboration with VOGUE Business, hosted the VOGUE Business Milan Digital Summit themed "The Digital Silk Road: Pioneering the Future of Luxury Lifestyles" during the week. Mr. Shawn Li, General Manager of Commercial Durable Goods Business Group at Xiaohongshu, was one of the speakers on the "Tapping Lifestyle Trends: The Micro-Cultures Driving Engagement" panel. The summit, which explored the evolving concept of home living, provided profound insights into the changing lifestyles and preferences of today's youth in China. It introduced innovative ideas and trends that are reshaping how young people envision their living spaces, offering avant-garde perspectives for brands on consumer engagement. The event also sparked a new discourse on aesthetics in home and lifestyle, creating a confluence of fashion, art, and daily living.

Xiaohongshu: A Go-to Social Media Platform for Tens of Millions of Users Finding Home Inspiration

Aligning perfectly with Xiaohongshu's human-centric values, consumers are increasingly seeking harmony between their home environments and personal lifestyles. As a lifestyle community beloved by youth, the social media platform excels in understanding people's needs, gaining insights into emerging consumer scenarios and industry trends in China. According to Xiaohongshu Research, as of Q2 2024, with a monthly active user base of 300 million, nearly 65% of whom are passionate about home life.

The shift has revitalized the home furnishing sector. Data from the Xiaohongshu Research shows a remarkable surge in home decoration and furnishings content over the last three years. Searches have soared by 450% from January to September 2022 to the same period in 2024. According to Nielsen's report released in September 2024, about 89% of users prefer searching on Xiaohongshu for product reviews and user experiences before purchasing home appliances and furnishings. Xiaohongshu Research also indicates that Italian high-end brands like Natuzzi are experiencing significant market potential on the platform, with over 500,000 monthly searches, attracting numerous potential buyers.

During the summit, Shawn Li analyzed the diverse trends in the home furnishing sector from a human-centric perspective. By examining user demographics, preferences, and lifestyles, Shawn Li identified four demographic groups: Nomadic Youth, Nesting Youth, All-Rounders, and Home Curators. Emphasizing the "People - Needs - Scenarios - Trends" framework, Shawn Li highlighted Xiaohongshu's role in helping brands understand their audiences, discover innovative marketing solutions, and outperform competitors.

Xiaohongshu's Role in Shaping Home Furnishing Trends

In recent years, the flow of home furnishing fashion trends has shifted significantly. Previously, trends were dictated top-down, starting with designers and trendsetters, then trickling down to major brands and eventually reaching consumers. Now, this dynamic has reversed, with consumer behavior driving the trends. Xiaohongshu has been instrumental in the shift, creating a platform that encourages shoppers to express their personal styles, preferences, and lifestyles—effectively advocating for their preferred living environments. Each search, share, comment, and collect of posts on Xiaohongshu reflects the genuine needs of Chinese shoppers, fostering new trends in home furnishings in China that lead to industry innovations.

In September, Xiaohongshu unveiled its latest Annual Home Lifestyle Report. This analysis of community content and user search preferences highlighted eight new home ideas popular among Chinese youth. Focused on human-centric themes, the report emphasized vibrant life scenarios, emotional expression, and attitudinal resonance, enriching insights with warmth and energy. It shows that consumers are keen to reshape residential aesthetics with innovative furnishings and redefine family dynamics through thoughtful design, pushing the boundaries of traditional home spaces. Notably, the approach to incorporating hobbies into home design has evolved from merely finding storage solutions to creating spaces specifically designed around those hobbies. Consequently, more Chinese individuals are establishing specialized home studios dedicated to their passions.

Brand Strategy on Xiaohongshu Shifts: Witnessing Renewing Marketing in Home Furnishings

However, in the home furnishing industry, brands have formed unique business models and product structures due to domain and product differences, leading to distinct consumer decision-making processes. Based on Xiaohongshu's research on Chinese consumer and business characteristics, brand marketing should start with the overall product structure, deeply understand consumer needs, and tailor strategies to specific category characteristics. For example, in major appliances, furniture, building materials, and daily home supplies, product structures span multiple related categories. Consequently, Xiaohongshu recommends that brands adopt a matrix-style product selection strategy on the platform, crafting content that aligns with consumer preferences and life scenarios. This approach aims to enhance category penetration and captivate consumer attention.

Data shows that the Gross Merchandise Volume (GMV) growth rate of the top 1,000 Single Product Units (SPUs) gaining traction on Xiaohongshu exceeds the overall market growth rate, highlighting the social platform's refined strategies that can help brands achieve overall success.

The home furnishing industry is on the brink of significant market growth, and Xiaohongshu, the source of lifestyle inspirations in shaping Chinese youth's living spaces, provides an optimal community for brands looking to expand their influence. Looking ahead, the social platform plans to leverage its extensive expertise in user insights and brand management to drive innovative marketing strategies within the home furnishing sector.

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