In China, Kim Kardashian West is late to the influencer party | Social Media

Americans who have heard of influencer marketing usually associate the term with Kim Kardashian West. For better or worse, her name is synonymous with the paying of Instagram celebrities to post content about products.

Kardashian West recently strode into the Chinese influencer market by joining a local social media platform called Xiaohongshu, or Little Red Book. The app is used by more than 100 million Chinese beauty fans to discover international cosmetic brands and purchase their products. Analysts suspect she joined because she plans to sell her KKW Beauty line direct to Chinese consumers using the app’s native e-commerce functionality.

Kardashian West may have been an early mover in the influencer space in the U.S., but we highly doubt her success there will translate to sales in China. Here’s why: