Douyin, the original Chinese TikTok, will expand into the Chinese alcoholic drinks e-commerce market via short video clips and live-selling.

As reported by National Business Daily, Douyin’s e-commerce department is forming a self-operated alcoholic beverage team, which will sell wine and spirits products on the shopping platform through short videos and live commerce. The new channel will combine entertainment with instant purchasing.

In fact, on 30 January 2022, ByteDance (the parent company of both Douyin and TikTok) set up a brand new company named Beijing Chaoniang Muyin Trading Co. Ltd that focuses on the sales of alcohol products.

It is thought that the Douyin team has already reached out to local suppliers and hopes to develop new business in the market.

According to Kang Zeyu, president of Douyin e-commerce, the platform is looking for quality Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) via the vision of “Interest in e-commerce” to help young users discover potential hidden needs while supporting sellers by setting better recommendations and product discovery on the platform.

In December 2021, Douyin launched Douyin Box, an independent shopping app, to directly compete with current market giants, namely Alibaba, JD.com and Pinduoduo. When the app was first announced, the shopping platform focused mainly on fashion products for China’s youth market. Douyin has amassed over 600 million active users daily, so its move into the drinks market is likely to make quite a splash.