(Source: https://pltfrm.com.cn)
Introduction
In 2025, customer acquisition costs on Chinese platforms continue rising 20-30% YoY, yet a select group of international companies are reducing CAC while scaling spend profitably. Their secret: replacing traditional broad-reach advertising with hyper-precise, data-powered acquisition systems. Here are the exact frameworks delivering the lowest CAC and highest ROAS for international companies right now.
- DMP & CDP-Powered Audience Precision
1.1 Building First-Party Data Assets International companies now integrate Tencent Ads, ByteDance Giant Engine, and Alibaba Uni Desk data into unified CDPs. This creates audience pools of 10-50 million high-intent users with 90%+ accuracy. Brands using lookalike seeding from WeChat private domain achieve 40-60% lower CPMs.
1.2 Cross-Platform Retargeting Sequences Sequential retargeting (Douyin → WeChat → Tmall) lifts conversion rates by 250% compared to single-touch campaigns. Advanced setups use dynamic creative optimization to serve personalized ads based on browsing behavior. - Interest-to-Purchase Content Funnels on Xiaohongshu & Douyin
2.1 Xiaohongshu Seeding + Harvesting Model Top international companies seed 1,000+ KOC notes monthly, then harvest traffic via precisely targeted information flow ads. This approach delivers CAC 50-70% lower than direct e-commerce advertising.
2.2 Douyin Search + Feed Dual Engine Dominating brand keywords on Douyin Search while running feed ads creates an unbreakable acquisition moat. Companies owning both channels see 5-8X higher market share in their categories. - Membership Pre-Sale Acquisition Model
3.1 WeChat Video Accounts + Mini-Program Loop Drive traffic from video accounts to Mini-Program pre-sale pages, converting cold audiences at 15-25% rates. International companies using this closed loop routinely achieve positive ROAS on day one.
3.2 Super Membership Recruitment Campaigns Offering high-value membership benefits (points, exclusive products) in exchange for registration drops acquisition costs dramatically. LTV-focused companies recover CAC within 45-60 days using this model. - Attribution & Incrementality Testing Framework
4.1 Geo-Lift & PSA Testing International companies run geo-holdout and public service announcement tests to measure true incrementality. This prevents over-attribution to brand search and focuses budget on genuinely profitable channels.
4.2 Marketing Mix Modeling 2.0 Advanced MMM integrating online + offline signals reveals that many companies waste 40% of budget on non-incremental activity. Correcting this single-handedly funds massive scaling.
Case Study: SHEIN’s Unbeatable Acquisition Machine
While often seen as Chinese, SHEIN operates as an international company targeting China with reverse strategy. By building the world’s most sophisticated CDP across ByteDance and Tencent ecosystems and running hyper-granular lookalike + retargeting campaigns, SHEIN achieved the lowest fashion CAC in China during 2024-2025, fueling their continued global dominance from a rock-solid China base.
Conclusion
The era of “spray and pray” acquisition in China is over. International companies winning today invest heavily in data infrastructure, closed-loop funnels, and rigorous incrementality measurement—these are the new table stakes for profitable scaling.
PLTFRM is an international brand consulting agency that works with companies such as Red, TikTok, Tmall, Baidu, and other well-known Chinese internet e-commerce platforms. We have been working with Chile Cherries for many years, reaching Chinese consumers in depth through different platforms and realizing that Chile Cherries’ exports in China account for 97% of the total exports in Asia. Contact us, and we will help you find the best China e-commerce platform for you. Search PLTFRM for a free consultation!
