Double 11 Shopping Festival: Brewing Tea & Coffee Growth on Xiaohongshu
The Double 11 Shopping Festival is just around the corner — and for the China tea market and China coffee market, the competition is already heating up. As consumers prepare for the biggest e-commerce event of the year, beverage brands are racing to stand out with creativity, storytelling, and data-driven marketing.
To help you stay ahead of the trend, OctoPlus Media has compiled key insights from Rednote (Xiaohongshu) on how tea and coffee brands can capture attention and drive conversions this Double 11. From emotional consumption patterns to efficient seeding strategies, this report reveals how China’s “new beverage economy” continues to evolve — and what your brand can do to brew growth during the festival rush.
1.0 Tea & Coffee Trends: Riding the Rednote (Xiaohongshu) Wave
In recent years, Rednote (Xiaohongshu) has evolved into a powerhouse for consumer discovery within China’s beverage industry. From trend forecasting to premium product selection, it has become the go-to content platform for consumers seeking inspiration, lifestyle aesthetics, and brand trust.
According to the 2025 Rednote x Nielsen report, 29% of beverage consumers rely on Rednote to explore new drink trends, outpacing other platforms by 8%. Whether it’s tea-based innovations, functional coffee, or seasonal limited editions, Rednote is where discussions ignite and viral products are born.
For brands, this means Rednote is not just a content hub—it’s the starting point of every Double 11 sales wave.
- It’s where “trend hunters”discover emerging beverage styles.
- It’s where “brand lovers”engage with hot topics and new launches.
- It’s where “early adopters”spot the latest teas, coffees, and hybrid drinks.
- And it’s where “premium seekers”choose products that align with lifestyle and taste aspirations.
As Double 11 approaches, successful beverage brands will treat Rednote as both a trend incubator and a conversion engine—combining storytelling, influencer seeding, and data-driven creativity to dominate the “new beverage economy.”
1.1 Tea & Coffee Dominate Beverage Discovery Ahead of Double 11
Tea and coffee remain two of the most influential categories driving consumer decisions on Rednote (Xiaohongshu). According to Rednote’s 2024 Double 11 data, tea-based beverages, including loose tea leaves and wellness teas, accounted for 32% of total DGMV, while coffee products contributed another 21%, surpassing traditional soft drinks and functional beverages.
This strong category performance is backed by an expanding base of enthusiasts:
- Over 170 million tea loversare actively engaging with tea-related content.
- More than 130 million coffee fansare exploring, comparing, and sharing their beverage preferences online.
As China’s beverage culture continues to blend wellness and indulgence, tea and coffee brands stand at the crossroads of health, lifestyle, and social identity—making them prime candidates for Double 11 seeding campaigns and conversion-focused storytelling.
2.0 2025 Category Forecast: Emotion-Driven Tea & Coffee Choices
As health consciousness evolves, Chinese consumers are no longer just drinking for function — they’re drinking for emotion, ritual, and self-expression. In 2025, tea and coffee are expected to continue leading the beverage category during Double 11, driven by personalization, aesthetic presentation, and wellness narratives.
☕ Coffee trends focus on personalization and energy rituals:
- “Work Survival Drinks” (#水牛上班法)
- “DIY Latte Creations” (#自制抹茶拿铁)
- “Unique Blends” (#姜黄咖啡 #西梅咖啡)
🍵 Tea trends emphasize emotional wellness and aesthetics:
- “Aromatic Wellness Teas” (#桂花乌龙 #红枣姜茶)
- “Cultural Collaborations” (#桂山海联名 #限量版茶盒)
In short, consumers are redefining their drink choices through self-expression, creativity, and wellbeing — signaling a continued rise of lifestyle-driven beverage marketing during Double 11.
2.1 2025 Forecast: Tea & Coffee on the Rise
Data from Rednote (Xiaohongshu) indicates that both tea and coffee categories will continue gaining momentum through 2025, driven by diverse consumption scenes and emotional resonance with consumers.
Coffee Category Insights
- Instant and freeze-dried coffee lead growth for convenience-driven consumers.
- Rising interest in drip bags and coffee beans shows premium potential.
- Customizable and on-the-go formats drive young professional demand.
Tea Category Insights
- Tea leaves and wellness tea bags remain top choices.
- Boiled and herbal teas gain traction for health and comfort.
- Ritual-plus-function positioning strengthens emotional engagement.
3.0 The Power of Efficient “Seeding” (Content & KOL Strategy)
During the Double 11 season, search intent for tea and coffee products surged significantly, reflecting consumers’ growing appetite for authentic recommendations. On Xiaohongshu, content such as product reviews, buying guides, and wishlist posts saw strong engagement, proving the platform’s dominance in driving purchase decisions.
Collaborations with KOLs and KOCs remain essential, combining trust and relatability to turn interest into conversion. Brands that invest in early seeding and sustained promotion throughout the campaign period achieve stronger visibility and long-tail impact.
3.1 Content Deployment: From Awareness to Conversion
Phase 1: Pre-Launch – Building Awareness
Focus on seeding hero products and lifestyle scenarios to establish early exposure and credibility. Content featuring trending products, health benefits, and everyday usage scenes (like “office survival drinks”) effectively drives awareness and interest before Double 11.
Phase 2: Campaign Peak – Driving Conversion
During the promotional window, content shifts to high-impact pieces such as shopping guides, top-seller lists, and discount or gifting posts. These formats perform strongly, achieving CTRs above 10% and directly motivating purchase decisions.
Phase 3: Post-Event – Sustaining Engagement
After the sale, brands maintain momentum through unboxing, user sharing, and review content. These authentic experiences help reinforce brand trust, encourage word-of-mouth, and extend campaign visibility beyond the promotional period.
3.2 Optimizing Seeding Efficiency
To maximize Double 11 impact, brands must focus on data-driven seeding optimization — aligning performance metrics with audience intent and platform behavior. A strong “good strategy” framework hinges on three key indicators:
- CTR (Click-Through Rate):Measures content’s ability to attract and engage target audiences.
- On-platform Engagement Rate:Tracks how effectively posts spark interactions and brand affinity.
- Conversion Rate:Evaluates how well seeding drives actual purchase intent and action.
Defining a High-Performance Strategy:
For food and beverage brands, top-performing seeding content achieves CTRs above 11%, user conversion above 2.5%, and off-platform conversion above 3% — benchmarks that signal strong alignment between content, audience, and purchase triggers.
4.0 Driving Interest and Conversion Through Smart Seeding
Effective content production is the cornerstone of successful Double 11 seeding. High-performing brands leverage structured storytelling and audience-driven optimization to engage users within seconds and guide them toward purchase.
Key Formula for Impactful Content
- Hook Within 5 Seconds:Maintain a video completion rate above 50% by capturing attention instantly with strong visuals, relatable pain points, or trending topics.
- Optimal Length:Keep seeding videos concise—between 40–80 seconds—to balance storytelling and retention.
- Clear Product Direction:Avoid overly soft, vague narratives; every piece should lead users toward product understanding or action.
Content Flow: From Interest to Conversion
- Generate Interest:
Use popular trends, humor, or real-life scenarios to humanize the brand. Build relevance around lifestyle and emotional cues that resonate with target audiences. - Inform and Reinforce:
Deliver clear product benefits, professional guidance, or influencer testimonials to strengthen trust and perceived value. - Convert Engagement to Action:
Drive urgency through limited-time offers, user interactions, and memorable branding to secure conversions and repeat engagement.
Conclusion: Winning the Double 11 Beverage Race
As Double 11 approaches, the China tea and coffee market is set to experience another surge of innovation, creativity, and competition. From emotional storytelling to data-driven seeding, brands that master content timing, influencer strategy, and audience targeting will be the ones to stand out in this crowded digital landscape.
At OctoPlus Media, we’ve helped leading brands across Hong Kong, Singapore, and Mainland China build and manage their Xiaohongshu (Rednote) presence — from account setup and content strategy to KOL collaborations and paid promotion. If your brand is ready to tap into China’s fast-growing beverage market this Double 11, our team can help you turn awareness into action and engagement into lasting brand growth.
👉 Connect with OctoPlus Media today to unlock your Xiaohongshu marketing potential and make your next Double 11 campaign a success.
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