Promoting businesses on Dianping is becoming increasingly important in an era where over 150 million Chinese tourists travel worldwide annually. Online reviews have become a crucial factor in shaping consumer behavior when choosing places to eat, drink, stay, and shop. One of the most influential social media platforms in China is Dianping.大众点评China's number one review website, with over 400 million monthly users, is a popular restaurant review app in China. Therefore, understanding and leveraging this platform is key for Thai businesses looking to sustainably penetrate the Chinese tourist market.
NativeX website Dianping is described as a large review platform comparable to China's "Yelp," compiling information on restaurants, cafes, hotels, and travel services across China. Its strength lies in its connection to the search behavior and decision-making processes of Chinese consumers, who often use reviews as a deciding factor before choosing a service.
The importance of Dianping to the shop-searching behavior of Chinese tourists.
The importance of Dianping reviews in the marketing of Thai restaurants is increasing. Before Chinese tourists travel, most will open the Dianping app to search for restaurants, cafes, and tourist attractions in their destination country. The Dianping system is not just a review platform; it also compiles in-depth information such as menus, prices, photos, maps, table reservations, and average customer ratings, building credibility for restaurants in the eyes of Chinese consumers. Having your restaurant listed on this platform is therefore like having a pass to directly access the Chinese tourist marketing market.
Many Thai restaurants in Bangkok, such as "Somtam House" and "Curry Love Bangkok," started by promoting themselves on Dianping and found that they received over 60% more bookings from Chinese customers within three months. This illustrates how being on a Chinese review platform directly influences the purchasing decisions of this customer segment.
If you would like to learn more about the importance of and necessity for restaurants that want to keep up with the modern marketing world to do reviews, you can find more information here. From food reviews to lifestyle: Dianping, a hub for modern marketing in China.
Why Thai businesses should start promoting their stores on Dianping.
When Thai restaurants, hotels, or cafes promote their establishments on Dianping, it's not just about posting information; it's about creating a "digital presence" in the Chinese market. This differs completely from typical domestic marketing because Dianping's system integrates with other Meituan apps, such as food ordering services via Alipay and payment systems on WeChat, allowing your business's information to appear to Chinese tourists across multiple channels simultaneously.
If your store has good reviews, a high average rating, and responds to customers professionally, it will rank higher on Dianping search results—the position that over 80% Chinese tourists click on first. If you are interested in creating professional reviews but don't know where to start, you can check out the Chinese marketing services offered by Hello Ads Co., Ltd., a specialist in comprehensive Chinese marketing. Chinese Digital Marketing
Marketing to Chinese tourists: The power of genuine reviews.
Marketing in China isn't driven solely by advertising, but also by the trust of real users. This is why marketing to Chinese tourists relies more on reviews from platforms they trust, such as Dianping, than on platforms like Facebook, Google, or TripAdvisor, which are used less or not at all by Chinese users.
When tourists see restaurants with many reviews and photos from real Chinese customers, they tend to feel more confident and make decisions more easily. This is why many businesses are starting to strategize to encourage Chinese customers to leave reviews after using their services, such as offering small discounts or reward programs for sharing reviews, which helps to continuously drive reviews.
Investing in promoting your restaurant on Dianping is not just about promoting Thai restaurants to Chinese people through Dianping, but about building a community of trust between Chinese customers and your restaurant. It's also a strategy to increase reviews and ratings on Dianping, attracting Chinese tourists to become your customers.
Techniques to stand out when promoting your store on Dianping.
- The information is complete and always up-to-date
Please provide complete details such as the restaurant name in Chinese, signature dishes, prices, opening and closing times, and its location on a Chinese map (Gaode or Baidu Map), as the Dianping system gives higher scores to restaurants with complete information.
- High-quality images and videos
This is a marketing technique for restaurants using Dianping targeting Chinese tourists, as Chinese customers place great importance on food images and atmosphere. Appetizing photos with natural lighting increase appeal and encourage clicks to the profile.
- Respond to reviews professionally
Responding to every review, whether positive or negative, helps build trust and reflects the store's attentiveness, which the system will consider to have a high "Activity Score."
- Launching a campaign in collaboration with Chinese reviewer (KOL/Daren).
Collaborating with Chinese bloggers who have a large following on Weibo or Xiaohongshu is a key to increasing Chinese customers through the Dianping app. Because it will help increase the visibility of your shop among tourists planning to travel to Thailand.
- Use Chinese correctly and naturally.
Menu names and descriptions should be translated using easily understandable Mandarin Chinese, as Chinese customers perceive this as thoughtful and user-friendly.
Many of you may have questions such as: What strategies should shops using to promote on Dianping effectively? The answer is that you should use Chinese-language image and video content, create special promotions for Chinese tourists, and respond to reviews consistently to build a positive image, which will make the store appear "active" in the Dianping system.
Promote your store on Dianping and see business results.
Data from Hicom Asia indicates that restaurants with an average of 4 stars or higher receive twice as many page views as restaurants with no reviews, and experience a 58% increase in table reservations within six months. Therefore, promoting a restaurant on [platform name] is not just about image, but also has a significant impact on actual sales.
Additionally, stores that consistently respond to reviews and regularly update promotions will be categorized as "Active," automatically receiving a higher SEO rating from the system, resulting in the store appearing more frequently in search results.
Marketing to Chinese tourists in an era where reviews are more important than billboards.
Nowadays, Chinese tourists value "authentic experiences" more than misleading advertising. Having genuine reviews and feedback on Dianping is key to building long-term relationships with this customer segment.
Businesses that are successful in marketing to Chinese tourists often share a common characteristic: they don't view reviews as mere promotional material, but as a source of "feedback" used to continuously improve their services. This includes adjusting food flavors to suit Chinese customer preferences or adding popular menu items frequently mentioned in reviews.
The next steps for Thai businesses in the Chinese market.
In the future, Dianping will play an increasingly important role as it connects with a comprehensive system for booking tours, restaurants, and making payments. By starting to promote their businesses on Dianping now, Thai businesses are paving the way for their brands to reach a large Chinese customer base in the long term.
If you own a restaurant looking to market Chinese restaurant reviews, a cafe, or a hotel targeting the Chinese market, understanding this platform and taking serious action is the starting point for success in an era where reviews are the power of decision-making.
summarize
Dianping is a key to penetrating the Chinese tourist market because it's a platform that combines information, opinions, and real experiences from users. Promoting your business on Dianping is like opening the door to welcome Chinese tourists in a language they understand and trust. Businesses that adapt quickly, understand Chinese review culture, and are ready to respond to customers sincerely will be able to grow steadily in the Chinese market and differentiate themselves from competitors.
If you own a restaurant, cafe, or tourism business looking to reach more Chinese customers, promoting your business on Dianping is the 2025 strategy to attract Chinese customers. Contact Hello Ads (HelloAds), experts in Dianping and Chinese marketing, at Facebook Page: HelloAds or Website: https://helloads.net/contact-us/
🇨🇳 Chinese tourists search for restaurants using Dianping.
If your shop isn't listed there, it's essentially invisible to this group. Shop management services on Dianping for Chinese tourists.
