ByteDance’s Douyin makes instant refunds mandatory, following PDD, Taobao and JD.com amid fierce e-commerce competition

Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok that is betting big on e-commerce, has made its “express refund” policy mandatory, forcing merchants to immediately return money to consumers upon request to compete with similar offerings on Taobao and Pinduoduo. The platform operated by Beijing-based ByteDance, which added a shopping channel in 2019, allows users to get … Read more

China’s online censors target short videos, artificial intelligence and ‘pessimism’ in latest crackdown

The country’s top censorship body has been running an annual online crackdown known as Qing Lang, which means clear and bright, since 2020. It said this year’s crackdown would benefit people’s mental health and create a healthy space for competition that would help the short video industry develop. The country’s best known short video platform … Read more