Key takeaways:
- Rednote has been leveraging its interest communities since its rebrand with new features and campaigns.
- Goofish, on the other hand, is leveraging hobby-based trading to tap into interest consumption.
- Other platforms, such as Dewu, are also trying to get on the bandwagon as Chinese consumers shift from “rational consumption” to “emotional” and “interest” consumption.
Earlier this month, Rednote (小红书, Xiaohongshu) underwent a major rebrand, changing its slogan from “your lifestyle guide” to “your lifestyle interest community”. Many see this as a significant shift in direction for Rednote, which has long been known for its lifestyle and fashion guides and tips. The addition of “interest” is seen by many as an indication that Rednote is trying to leverage the “interest” consumption that has been booming in China since last year. In fact, Alibaba’s second-hand marketplace platform Goofish (闲鱼, Xianyu) has also been tapping into the strong interest economy in China.
The addition of “interest” is seen as an indication that Rednote is leveraging “interest” consumption
Rednote: from lifestyle guide to interest community
Since 2025, Rednote has been moving beyond “lifestyle” and guides. From the “hanfu” (汉服, traditional Chinese clothing, sometimes with modern twists) to “erciyuan” (二次元, lit. 2-dimensional, meaning anime, comics, games, and light novel culture), users have been sharing and consulting with each other about their hobbies and interests. As the community grew, Rednote took notice, especially of the potential these communities have in the future of e-commerce.
Since its rebrand, Rednote has launched an interest-centric feature called “interest block” (兴趣街区), allowing users to quickly find their community on the platform. There were 8 blocks at the time of launch, each corresponding to an overarching category of interest, including “gaming”, “erciyuan”, outdoor activities, trends, entertainment, travel, home DIY and food. The blocks also include gamified features to win prizes, such as LABUBUs in the trend block or Taylor Swift albums in the entertainment block.
Rednote is also extending its interest features offline. It has announced a “2.5D” “Red Land” immersive “open world” adventure island for gamers and the “erciyuan” crowds. In a space of over 80,000 square metres, users interact with over 20 anime and manga IPs and over 30 gaming IPs, with more than 10 original stalls for users to showcase their creations. An “erciyuan” music festival is also planned for the evening. Meanwhile, Rednote has also completed its ticket sales for its Go Wild Festival for outdoor activity lovers this year.
Goofish: more than a second-hand marketplace
Goofish (闲鱼, Xianyu), the second-hand marketplace from Alibaba, is also rapidly becoming the trading place for interest and hobby items. From Pokémon cards to clothing for LABUBU, Goofish is the go-to place for people to trade their “goods” (谷子, or guzi, usually IP merch).
On one hand, Goofish is a trusted marketplace platform that comes with guarantees; on the other, users are familiar with browsing for funny comments and unusual or “abstract” (抽象, weird and postmodern humour) items. The open environment has enabled people with different interests, such as celebrity merch, toy blind boxes, and gaming, to flock to the platform to both sell and buy. Young people’s monthly “goods” purchase value has increased by 97.2% between Q1 2023 and Q1 2025.
The open environment has enabled people with different interests to both sell and buy on the platform
To utilise this base of interest consumption, Goofish introduced its own interest communities sub-brand, Yuli Yuli (鱼鲤鱼鲤). Yuli Yuli shifts the focus away from transactions toward serving the communities that form around shared interests. From easier searches to authentication, IP-based content topics and social engagements, Yuli Yuli is trying to build Goofish’s own “interest community”, just like Rednote’s consistent efforts in e-commerce.
In fact, prior to both platforms expanding into the internet consumption sphere, it had already been reported that young people were using Rednote as a trading platform for used items. With its huge user base and an algorithm that connects people with similar interests and fewer “lowball” offers than Goofish, many casual sellers started using Rednote to resell their used items. While there are risks in using a content platform for e-commerce, platforms like Goofish clearly took note of the community’s potential in times of interest-driven consumption.
As Rednote and Goofish seemingly meet each other halfway between community and e-commerce, there is another player that is worth mentioning: Dewu (得物), or Poizon. The platform started as a trainer marketplace for sneakerheads with its unique selling proposition in authentication. It has now expanded to luxury and designer toys, looking to Rednote as inspiration for its community building.
Interest consumption is another form of “emotional value” that moves away from the pragmatic “rational consumption” sentiment. It might be a good time to renew your message to one that resonates more deeply, rather than continuing to focus on “value for money”.