If you thought TikTok was an only child, get ready to have your mind blown! ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, has a second child and she’s called Lemon8 — think of it as Instagram and Pinterest’s baby.
With features akin to Pinterest, complemented by the likes of Instagram Shop, Lemon8 is slowly becoming the next big thing in e-commerce. This new and exciting social media platform is your one-stop digital shopping app that lets you leave reviews, share content, and shop from luxury brands all through the tap of a screen.
Welcome Lemon8 — The Next Digital Lifestyle App
Lemon8 isn’t exactly new. In fact, it’s ByteDance’s third iteration of a digital lifestyle app. In 2018, ByteDance launched an app called Xincao, a digital shopping app with features similar to its competitor XiaoHongShu. Unfortunately, this first attempt to enter the market was ill-fated and resulted in the end of Xincao.
But that didn’t stop ByteDance! In 2020, they introduced Sharee to the market which was later renamed to Lemon8. The platform is equipped with a user-friendly interface that allows the audience to effortlessly search, post, and interact with content and fellow fashion connoisseurs.
Who Founded Lemon8?
Alex Zhu brought Lemon8 to life in 2020, as part of ByteDance’s expansion plans to crack the high-brow market and increase their average revenue per user. Zhu was the former head of TikTok and now serves as the senior vice president of product and strategy at ByteDance.
How Did Lemon8 Rise To The Top?
Lemon8 has seen significant growth in sign ups and user engagement over the past two years. It has garnered over a million downloads in Japan and has expanded into Thailand, with plans to expand into the Australian market as well.
With the ever-changing social scene and business landscape, Lemon8 is preparing for a tech-driven future that caters to people from all walks of life, regardless of their wealth and social status.
Initially, Lemon8 targeted affluent women in Southeast Asia, particularly those in Japan, Singapore, Thailand, and Malaysia. But surprisingly, teenagers and young adults have taken a liking to the app as it allows them to interact with like-minded fashionistas.
Lemon8’s audience mainly consists of women, of all ages, and those looking for some fashion inspiration. Consequently, Lemon8 also targets those who possess extensive knowledge on all the latest trends, fashion collaborations, and best practices in fashion.
The app provides this audience with the opportunity to share their #OOTDs (outfit of the day), along with fashion tips and tricks that are particularly useful to the younger generation of fashionistas who lack the spending power that women in Gen X and Y possess. Lemon8 users can search, save, share, like, and comment on content put out by other users at any moment in time, paving the way for a new generation of fashion influencers.
Lemon8 vs XiaoHongShu
Lemon8 has been closely compared to its competitor, XiaoHongShu. While both platforms possess a good amount of similarities, there are a couple of things that sets Lemon8 apart. Let’s dive into how these apps are similar, but different:
Similarities
The most noticeable similarity between both apps is that they both emulate Pinterest, with its pinning feature that allows you to save posts to create vision or mood boards. Similarly, both Lemon8 and XIaoHongShu are visually driven. This means that both platforms rely on attractive and engaging visuals to attract and retain their audience.
Differences
So, what makes Lemon8 stand out? It doesn’t drive your audience away. Unlike Pinterest and XiaoHongShu, Lemon8 won’t direct your audience to other social media platforms or e-commerce sites. Consequently, your audience won’t feel the need to leave the app as the content on it is produced by local content creators. Rest assured, the content will speak to your local audience.
A Boon In Business
Business owners should start paying attention to Lemon8 because this could very well be the next big e-commerce platform. How? For starters, the content on Lemon8 is catered to local communities. Through localised content, your brand can cultivate a sense of fellowship with your audience who share the same interests and lead similar lifestyles. This also allows for better targeting as you know which market best suits your products.
Apart from that, the tech landscape is constantly evolving and the newer generations turn to online platforms for inspiration to keep up with trends. But social media sites can also go out of trend. In fact, Facebook saw a decrease of 13% in teenage users in 2019. This proves that businesses need to build an online presence across all social media platforms, like Instagram, TikTok, and Lemon8 to establish a connection between their brand and its younger audience.
Once your business has entered Lemon8, you can engage with influencers from across the globe who have the power to reach millions of affluent users in China, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, and more. By doing so, you can build your brand on a national scale without spending an exorbitant amount on advertising.
Sign up for Lemon8 to get ahead of the competition today!
