In China, the term “wanghong economy” refers to influencer marketing and live selling on social commerce platforms.
The firm’s flagship beauty brand Medicube opened its official online mall on Douyin in 2020, and has since been collaborating with “wang hongs” (internet celebrities) to strengthen its presence in the Chinese market.
A report published by Douyin in 2024 stated that sales on its live commerce platform grew by approximately 43% over the past year, with skin care products being particularly popular.
Data from the National Bureau of Statistics of China estimated the country’s influencer economy to reach CNY6.7tn (USD1.035tn) by 2025, a marked increase from CNY1.3 trillion (USD210bn) in 2020.
According to APR, Medicube’s live commerce broadcasts on Douyin that were conducted with influencers in January 2025 alone have “achieved notable results one after another”.
“During the broadcast on January 4, all 12,000 sets [of products] prepared were sold out in just four hours. Even though the broadcast consisted only of cosmetics without any beauty devices, our stocks were wiped out in a short period of time, which confirms the Chinese consumers’ strong interest in K-beauty products,” the firm said.
Additionally, in the live commerce broadcasts held with other online personalities on January 9 and 10, “significant sales” of its beauty devices, AGE-R Booster Pro and High Focus Shot, were generated.
CosmeticsDesign-Asia previously reported that APR has been doubling down on efforts, such as expanding sales channels, to strengthen its footprint in the Chinese-speaking markets including China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.
“We have been able to achieve meaningful sales results in the Chinese market through live commerce broadcasts since the new year. Since China is the world’s second largest economy, we plan to continue pursuing various strategies to conquer the market in the future.”
Popularity in Hong Kong
Last year, APR held three Medicube pop-up stores and one exhibition in Hong Kong, and entered HKTVmall, said to be the country’s largest online shopping mall.
For its most recent pop-up store concluded in December, an average of 1,500 products, including both cosmetics and beauty devices, were sold daily over a 13-day period.
These efforts are believed to have contributed to its 93.2% year-on-year sales growth in Hong Kong in the third quarter of 2024.
At the same time, the company’s mobile app AGE-R, which is used together with Medicube’s beauty devices, has maintained its top position under the Health and Fitness category in Hong Kong’s Apple App Store since the first week of November 2024.
The app offers customised functions, such as usage history management and LED colour change, when the device is synced with it.
“The app’s top ranking can be interpreted as Hong Kong consumers using our beauty devices more actively. Based on our performance in Hong Kong last year, we plan to further raise brand awareness and sales globally, including in nearby South East Asian markets, through active marketing activities and product development.”
