Douyin (the Chinese version of TikTok) has expanded its Xiaoshida（“小时达”）Instant Delivery Service to all e-commerce influencers, allowing them to sell products with one-hour local delivery directly through short videos and live streams. By enabling widespread influencer access to quick commerce, Douyin is blurring the line between entertainment and instant retail, a shift that could reshape consumer habits in China’s booming instant retail market.
What is Douyin Xiaoshida?
Xiaoshida is Douyin’s one-hour delivery service, designed to connect consumers with local stores for near-instant order fulfillment. Unlike traditional e-commerce models, which rely on centralized warehouses and longer shipping times, Xiaoshida leverages a network of local merchants and courier services to ensure rapid delivery.
For now, Douyin does not operate its own delivery fleet but instead relies on third-party logistics providers to fulfill Xiaoshida orders. These include established courier networks such as Dada, SF Express, and Shansong.
Xiaoshida supports a wide range of categories, including supermarket groceries, fruits and vegetables, electronics, flowers, and beauty products. Users can access the section via the Douyin app (for example, by searching “Xiaoshida” or through the Douyin Mall interface ) and browse local goods marked “fastest 1-hour delivery.”
How Influencers Use It
With quick commerce now open to influencers, they are integrating the one-hour delivery feature into their content to drive local sales. Influencers can attach Xiaoshida products in short videos, posts, or live streams, allowing viewers to purchase featured items and receive them within the hour.
This has given rise to new content strategies on Douyin. For example, a food vlogger might film a short clip about a popular snack and include a Xiaoshida product link – interested viewers nearby can order it instantly and taste it for themselves before the video even finishes.
In live streaming, the integration is even more seamless: many hosts now broadcast from physical stores or with store inventory on hand, showcasing items that viewers can buy in real-time.
In one case, a Douyin streamer went live from inside a local Seven Fresh supermarket, enthusiastically sampling grapes and urging the audience to “order now and enjoy Sunshine Rose grapes delivered in 60 minutes!” . The product link was embedded on-screen, and local viewers could tap to purchase while watching the stream.
By turning their videos into interactive shopping experiences, it lets influencers tap into impulse buying – viewers can discover a product through entertaining content and almost instantly gratify that desire via Xiaoshida.
Comparison with Competitors
Internationally, TikTok (Douyin’s global counterpart) has been developing TikTok Shop, but its model still relies mostly on standard e-commerce logistics rather than one-hour local delivery. TikTok Shop is rolling out in markets like Southeast Asia, the UK, and the US with in-app shopping and even fulfillment centers to speed up shipping.
However, it has not yet implemented a broad on-demand delivery service. This makes Douyin’s approach somewhat ahead in terms of integrating instant retail into a social app. TikTok users might wait days for a package, whereas Douyin users in China can watch a video and receive the item almost immediately.
Within China, Douyin Xiaoshida is entering a competitive arena dominated by specialized delivery platforms like Meituan. Meituan Instashopping, for instance, also offers delivery of groceries in as fast as 30 minutes. However, Meituan’s approach is more traditional – users open the Meituan app, pick from local stores, and get items delivered via Meituan’s extensive courier network.
The latest Momentum Works Food Delivery In Southeast Asia Report also highlights the ongoing battle between Douyin and Meituan in the local delivery market.
Douyin’s competitive edge lies in its content-driven commerce model. The platform has a younger, entertainment-focused user base, leveraging influencers and interactive content to drive demand.
Douyin’s strength is its social commerce loop: users discover products through short videos and live content, then purchase via Xiaoshida, completing a full journey from impulse to purchase on one platform (without jumping to a third party link or payment interface).
Unlike Douyin, Meituan does not have a social content feed – its strength lies in a mature logistics system and a dense merchant network built over years. While Douyin lacks its own delivery infrastructure and relies on third-party logistics providers, Meituan benefits from an extensive in-house fulfillment system. This gives Meituan an operational advantage, ensuring faster and more reliable deliveries, especially in lower-tier cities.
However, in early 2024, rumors circulated that Douyin was considering acquiring Ele.me, Alibaba’s food delivery service, which could significantly strengthen its logistics capabilities and further disrupt the market dynamics. Although these rumors did not materialize into a finalized deal, they somewhat revealed Douyin’s desire to make inroads into the quick commerce market and vie for Meituan’s market share.
Conclusion
By empowering many creators to sell local products for instant delivery, Douyin is trying to turn every neighborhood into a potential shopping channel on its app. A small boutique or a neighborhood store can now collaborate with Douyin personalities to attract more localized buyers.
While this model enhances engagement, its long-term success will depend on overcoming logistical challenges, expanding merchant participation, and adapting to consumer habits. As Douyin refines Xiaoshida, its impact on the quick commerce sector will become clearer, shaping how content and retail intersect in the future.
