Why Brands Are Leaving Tmall for Douyin: China Platform Migration in 2026

Over the past 18 months, I have watched more than 10 foreign brands quietly scale back their Tmall presence and move budget to Douyin Shop. Some closed their flagship stores entirely. Others kept a minimal Tmall presence while putting their main energy into Douyin live commerce. This is a real shift, and it is accelerating in 2026.

This is not the death of Tmall. It is a rebalancing. The brands that understand why this is happening are making smarter decisions. The ones that do not are wasting money on a platform that no longer fits their stage of growth.

Tmall Is Still Relevant. But It Is Getting Much Harder.

Tmall remains the reference point for brand credibility in China. If you sell luxury goods, large FMCG, or products that Chinese consumers already know and search for, Tmall is still the right place. A Tmall flagship store signals legitimacy in a way that Douyin Shop does not yet match.

But the cost of operating on Tmall has gone up sharply. Entry fees for foreign brands now run between RMB 100,000 and RMB 300,000 depending on the category. The deposit requirements have risen. And once you are on the platform, you quickly realize that organic traffic is nearly gone.

Today, almost all Tmall traffic is paid. Brands buy it through Alimama, Alibaba’s advertising platform. During peak periods like 11.11 or Super Brand Day, the cost per click in competitive categories like skincare or food supplements reaches levels that make profitability very difficult for mid-tier brands. Domestic Chinese brands, which have lower cost structures and stronger local data, outbid foreign brands on almost every keyword.

I have seen brands spend RMB 500,000 on a Super Brand Day campaign and walk away with a return on ad spend below 1.5x. That is not sustainable. It is the main reason brands are looking elsewhere.

Learn more about how Alibaba’s e-commerce ecosystem works in our China e-commerce guide.

What Douyin Shop Offers That Tmall Does Not

Douyin Shop is built on a different logic. On Tmall, users come with intent. They search for a product, compare prices, and buy. On Douyin, users are watching content. The purchase happens inside the content experience.

This changes everything for brand discovery. A brand that is unknown in China can reach millions of potential buyers through a single live commerce session or a well-produced short video. The organic reach on Douyin is still real, which is not something you can say about Tmall today.

The path from awareness to purchase is much shorter on Douyin. A user sees a KOL demonstrate a product, clicks the product card in the video, and buys in two taps. The entire journey happens inside one app. This reduces friction and increases impulse purchase rates, especially for categories under RMB 300.

The barrier to entry is also lower. You do not need a RMB 200,000 deposit to open a Douyin Shop. You need a China business entity (or a partner), a product that photographs and films well, and a content strategy. For mid-tier brands that are still building their China presence, this matters.

Read our full Douyin marketing guide to understand how the platform works in practice.

Which Brands Made the Switch (and Which Did Not)

Based on what I have seen in the past 18 months, the pattern is clear.

The brands that migrated to Douyin or made it their primary channel fall into specific categories: mid-tier cosmetics and skincare (especially European niche brands), food and beverage (healthy snacks, specialty coffee, imported sauces), accessories and lifestyle products (jewelry under RMB 500, home goods), and fitness and wellness brands.

These categories share one thing: the product needs to be explained or demonstrated. A video of someone applying a face mask and showing results in real time sells the product better than a static Tmall product page. Douyin is built for this.

The brands that stayed on Tmall, or kept it as their primary channel, are in different categories: luxury and premium fashion, large international FMCG with established China brand recognition, infant formula and other high-trust regulated categories, and electronics. For these brands, Chinese consumers search by brand name. They want the official store. Tmall gives them that confidence. Douyin does not replace that need.

Tmall vs Douyin Shop: A Direct Comparison

How to Decide: A Simple Framework

I use a two-question test with every brand I advise.

First question: Do Chinese consumers already search for your brand by name? If yes, Tmall is worth the investment. You have existing demand and you need to capture it. If no, paying for Tmall traffic to build brand awareness from scratch is very expensive.

Second question: Does your product benefit from being shown in action? If a 60-second video or a live demo makes your product more appealing than a product photo, Douyin is your primary channel. If your product sells on specifications and brand reputation alone, Tmall remains relevant.

• Product needs explanation or demonstration: Douyin first
• Product already has China brand search volume: Tmall first
• Budget under RMB 500,000 per year for China e-commerce: Douyin first
• Category is luxury or regulated (infant, pharma): Tmall required
• Product price point under RMB 300: Douyin has strong conversion
• Product price point above RMB 1,000: Tmall trust matters more

See our China e-commerce strategy guide for a deeper breakdown of how to structure your platform approach by category and budget.

The Hybrid Strategy: Running Both Platforms Without Breaking the Team

Some brands do not need to choose. The most effective approach I have seen is a split SKU strategy: use Tmall for your core, established SKUs where you have brand recognition and can justify the traffic cost, and use Douyin for new launches, hero products, and content-driven categories.

This works because Douyin live commerce can drive traffic back to Tmall. A KOL session on Douyin generates brand searches on Taobao and Tmall. The platforms feed each other when the strategy is coordinated.

The mistake I see brands make is treating both platforms as identical channels and trying to run the same campaigns on both. They are not the same. Tmall needs a strong search and paid traffic team. Douyin needs a content and live commerce team. The skills are different.

For brands with limited resources, I recommend starting with Douyin to build brand presence and generate initial sales data, then using that traction to justify a Tmall investment once the brand has proven China market fit. This reduces risk significantly compared to launching on Tmall cold.

FAQ: What Changed in 2026?

🏬 Is Tmall dead for foreign brands?

No. Tmall is still the most trusted e-commerce destination in China for established brands. But it is no longer the default first step for a foreign brand entering the China market. The cost of building traffic from zero on Tmall is too high for most mid-tier brands. Tmall works best when you already have brand recognition and search volume. For brands starting from scratch in China, Douyin now offers a more accessible and faster path to first sales.

⏱️ How long does it take to build a profitable Douyin shop from scratch?

Based on what I have seen with brands I work with, a realistic timeline is 3 to 6 months to reach consistent monthly sales above RMB 100,000, assuming a proper content strategy and at least 2 to 3 live commerce sessions per week. Month 1 and 2 are typically unprofitable as you test content formats and build the channel. By month 3 or 4, brands with a strong product and a good content team start to see repeatable results. Profitability depends heavily on margin and whether the brand manages its own live commerce or works through a third-party MCN.

👥 Can a brand run Tmall and Douyin simultaneously without doubling the team?

Yes, but only with a clear division of tasks. Tmall operations (store management, Alimama campaigns, customer service) can be handled by one person or a small agency. Douyin requires a separate content and live commerce function. The overlap between the two is minimal. Many brands work with two different service providers: one for Tmall operations and one for Douyin content and live commerce. This is more efficient than trying to find a single agency that does both well, because the skill sets are genuinely different.

At GMA, we manage Douyin e-commerce for foreign brands across multiple categories. We handle content strategy, KOL sourcing, live commerce setup, and Douyin Shop operations. If you want to understand what a Douyin e-commerce launch looks like for your brand, see our China e-commerce services.

Philip Chen has also written about achieving positive ROI on Douyin e-commerce: read the full article on LinkedIn. For further context on the platform migration trend, see this report from 36Kr: platform migration data 2025-2026 (Chinese). Community discussion: r/Marketing_China.