When AI Meets Beauty: What Brands Should Learn from Doubao’s Shopping Link Strategy

In China’s rapidly evolving AI-commerce ecosystem, one recent move has caught the attention of beauty brands everywhere. The AI platform Doubao (豆包), developed by ByteDance, has begun seamlessly connecting user queries with direct shopping links on its parent short-video platform Douyin (抖音, the Chinese Tik Tok), delivering a new model for beauty-commerce integration.

Doubao’s Shopping Link Strategy and Beauty Discovery

Doubao is not just another chatbot. Launched by ByteDance in 2023, it has rapidly become one of China’s most popular AI assistants, thanks to its deep integration with the Douyin ecosystem, a user-friendly avatar design, and scenario-based guidance for mass users.

Doubao AI Bot (Source: Doubao)

Recently, beauty marketers noticed a significant innovation: within Doubao’s Q&A interface, users can ask conversational, scene-based questions such as “Which lipstick suits my lab coat for a work meeting?” or “What face creams should I use in winter if I have oily combination skin?” Doubao then recommends suitable products, shows relevant short-video creator reviews, and provides a blue-text link that directly opens Douyin’s shopping marketplace.

A screenshot of Doubao's answers recommending products with a direct purchase link (Source: Double V Consulting)

For beauty brands, this represents a milestone: the AI tool is no longer merely a discovery engine; it becomes a purchase pathway. Instead of relying solely on case-by-case influencer placement or keyword bidding, brands now must consider how they will appear in AI-driven responses and linked commerce flows.

From SEO to “GEO”: Beyond Keywords to Scene-Based Recommendation

Traditionally, digital marketing in China has revolved around search engine optimisation (SEO) and keyword advertising within platforms. But when an AI assistant like Doubao becomes the interface, brand exposure requires new tactics:

● Scene-based queries: Users often pose natural language, usage-scenario questions (“My skin gets dry in cabin air during flights, what should I do?”). Brands must hence craft content and metadata that align with user intent and contextual language, not just product features.

● Cross-channel visibility: Because Doubao may scan across Douyin videos, external e-commerce listings and brand-owned content, brands must ensure consistent storytelling and product information across all social media platforms and all formats of contents.

● Direct-link readiness: The presence of a clickable link means brands must ensure their Douyin or marketplace listing is optimized, not just for impression, but for immediate conversion once users click from AI answer to shop.

● GEO positioning: Here “GEO” is shorthand for “Generated Engine Optimisation”. Brands should think about how AI recommendations trigger at different usage moments, e.g., “night skincare for red-eye flights”, “first-date makeup for Tinder pics”, etc.

In short, the conversion funnel is being reshaped: intent → AI query → short-video review → linked purchase. Brands that live only in “ranked keyword” zones may miss this flow.

Implications: What Beauty & Consumer Goods Brands Should Do Now

For beauty and broader consumer-goods brands looking to leverage China’s AI-commerce frontier, several strategic implications emerge:

● Prepare for AI discovery, not just paid ads: Instead of allocating the paid search within platforms, brands should invest in scenario-based content creation, structured Q&A style, which AI assistants like Doubao will surface.

● Align content across formats: Since Doubao draws from text, image, and video sources, your brand’s visuals, script, and metadata must align. A video review, a long-form blog article, and a quick chat answer may all surface for a single query.

● Track AI system metrics, not just channel metrics: Beyond click-through rate or engagement, brands will need to measure AI answer share, link-click conversion from AI answer, and brand recall uplift via AI prompts.

Looking Forward

AI-driven shopping is not a distant future. Beauty brands that understand this shift from keyword exposure to intent-based AI recommendation will gain a competitive edge. The task ahead is to map out how your products appear in natural-language queries, build connected content across formats, and secure strong conversion paths once a user clicks.