01
Positioning & claims
What earns trust — and what raises doubts?
Understand the language, expectations and objections around a proposition before you take it to market.
Launch planning · Brand strategy
China consumer research
Local conversations.
Clearer decisions.
Understand how people discuss your category on Xiaohongshu. We turn targeted public content into English research briefs for international brands and agencies.
Translated context. Source-linked findings. Analyst review.
WHATSON.RED / RESEARCHEN
A focused question
What shapes trust in a sensitive-skin sunscreen?
Illustrative research question
01
Consumer themesWhat appears in the content reviewed
02
Source & translationOriginal context, linked to the finding
03
Implications & limitsWhat this may mean for your decision
Analyst-reviewed English brief
Built for teams making
their next China decision.
01 / The questions we help answer
Start with the decision
in front of you.
A launch. A positioning question. A client brief. We help you explore the consumer conversations that can give your team a better starting point.
02
Category & competitors
What does the comparison look like locally?
Explore how people compare alternatives, describe product experiences and explain the trade-offs that matter to them.
Category research · Competitor context
03
Creative & local language
How do people talk about the problem?
Bring Chinese-language context into an English creative or strategy brief, with the original sources close at hand.
Agency planning · Creative development
02 / The deliverable
Follow a finding
back to its source.
An English brief your team can read, question and put to work.
Explore the brief formatThe context behind the words
Translated source context helps you understand the language, category references and nuances behind a theme.
A visible research trail
Source-linked findings connect the interpretation to the public content reviewed for your question.
Judgement with clear boundaries
Analyst review, uncertainties and research limitations help you assess what the evidence can support.
03 / How we work
A focused process.
An open research trail.
We agree the question and scope before the research begins. The brief makes the relationship between the sources and the interpretation visible.
- 01
Frame the decision
Agree the question, category, comparison set and boundaries of the research.
- 02
Investigate in context
Develop Chinese search terms and review relevant public posts and available source context.
- 03
Build the evidence trail
Connect themes to source references, translated wording and the limits of the material.
- 04
Review the English brief
Bring findings, interpretation and open questions together for analyst review.
Know the limits
Targeted public Xiaohongshu content provides qualitative context. It is not a representative survey of Chinese consumers, a market-size estimate or exhaustive platform coverage.
China Like
a Local↗
a Local↗
Local knowledge.
Useful in English.
GuidesCity mapsApp
04 / An owned product
Local context,
made useful in English.
We also build China Like a Local: English guides, city maps and an app for discovering places in China.
It shows how we organise local information for an English-speaking audience — from the detail in a café guide to a place you can find on a map.
Explore the workA Whatson.red product. Consumer guides and product work, presented separately from commissioned research.
05 / Ways to work together
A clear scope.
A considered starting point.
Start with a focused pilot, commission a broader study or bring us into recurring agency work. We agree the scope, price and delivery schedule together.
A focused first project
Pilot brief
US$750–1,250per project
Start with one focused question.
- An agreed research question
- Targeted public-content research
- English brief with source context
- Analyst review and limitations
A wider research question
Custom study
US$2,500–7,500per project
Explore a wider category or comparison.
- Scope built around your decision
- Multiple themes or competitor angles
- Connected evidence and interpretation
- Private report delivery available
Ongoing collaboration
Agency partnership
US$999–1,500per month
Support recurring client questions.
- Recurring, bounded research briefs
- Separate client report access
- Output for strategy and planning
- Volume and cadence agreed together
Indicative ranges in USD. Final cost, deliverables and timing depend on the agreed scope. Agency volume and cadence are agreed individually.
From the insights desk
A closer look at China.
Insight
What a Xiaohongshu Research Report Should Contain
Evaluate a Xiaohongshu research report by its decision, sources, method, evidence limits and next steps—not by the number of screenshots it contains.
Read the insightInsight
Xiaohongshu Competitor Analysis: Understand the Alternatives Customers Compare
Use Xiaohongshu competitor analysis to map customer alternatives, comparison criteria and unanswered questions without mistaking engagement for market share.
Read the insightInsight
Xiaohongshu Market Research: A Practical Guide for Brands
Learn how to scope, sample, review and interpret Xiaohongshu evidence without mistaking selected posts for the whole Chinese market.
Read the insightBefore we begin
Good questions
to ask us.
What can this research tell us?
It can reveal how people describe a category, compare brands, question claims and discuss experiences in the public Xiaohongshu content we review. It provides qualitative context for a decision. It does not establish population-level demand, market share or the prevalence of an opinion across China.
How much of Xiaohongshu do you cover?
We review targeted public content for an agreed question and period. The brief states the search approach, evidence base and coverage limitations. Source availability, search results and promotional content can affect what is visible; this is not exhaustive platform monitoring.
What does analyst review involve?
The brief is reviewed for the relationship between the source material, its translated context and the interpretation. Findings are presented with supporting references, uncertainties and research limitations so your team can assess the reasoning.
Can a commissioned brief stay private?
A commissioned brief can be delivered through a private report with access limited to approved participants. We agree the research scope and handling expectations before starting.
How do we agree cost and timing?
Send us the decision, category and any deadline you are working towards. We will discuss fit and propose a scope, price and delivery schedule. Work begins after these are agreed. The ranges on this page are indicative and depend on the scope.
Let’s talk research
What do you
need to understand?
Tell us the decision you are working towards, the category and any deadline. We will come back with a view on fit and a proposed next step.
What happens next
hi@whatson.red A conversation about your question.
An agreed scope, price and schedule.
Then the research begins.
Your research question
A little context helps us propose the right scope.