WalktheChat

What WalktheChat does

WalktheChat is a Beijing-based, AI-enabled marketing agency that helps international brands enter and scale within the Chinese consumer market. Founded in 2013/2014, the company serves primarily luxury and premium international brands, delivering end-to-end services across the major Chinese digital platforms — WeChat, Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book), Douyin, and Tmall — including account setup and verification, social media management, advertising (Moments, KOL, banner), KOL/influencer campaigns, and e-commerce operations. Named enterprise clients include Louis Vuitton, Marimekko, PDPAOLA, and Le Creuset, with documented case-study outcomes such as 18 million RMB in Tmall sales for PDPAOLA and 140% annual follower growth for Marimekko.

The company's core technology is Doris, a proprietary in-house AI social listening tool that uses large language models (LLMs) to perform text analysis, image recognition, and generative AI (video and image creation) tailored to Chinese consumer preferences. Doris is reported to analyze 120,000+ comments per brand and 80,000+ influencer profiles, and was used to analyze over 1 million articles in a Louis Vuitton media intelligence engagement. The firm supplements its AI stack with human strategy, copywriting, and design teams, and operates a sales-led, direct-engagement go-to-market targeting enterprise brand clients globally.

WalktheChat generates revenue primarily through professional services — agency retainers, campaign management fees, and platform-specific advertising facilitation. Pricing is largely quote-based, with some disclosed transactional services (e.g., $1,000 USD for foreign-business WeChat Official Account creation, $500 annual re-verification). The company also operates an offline distribution network of showrooms serving 600+ distributor accounts and claims partnerships with 15+ Chinese marketplaces. With 11-50 employees, no disclosed funding, and founder Thomas Graziani among the named leadership, WalktheChat is positioned as a focused, founder-led boutique in the China-inbound marketing category rather than a scaled platform.

Name

WalktheChat

Legal name

WalktheChat

Website

https://walkthechat.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

WalktheChat is a Beijing-based, AI-enabled marketing agency that helps international luxury and premium brands enter and scale in China through end-to-end services on WeChat, Xiaohongshu, Douyin, and Tmall, powered by its proprietary AI social listening tool Doris.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Beijing

HQ country

China

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Marketing Agency Services: Full-service China marketing agency providing strategy, content creation, social media management, and advertising services to international brands. Services include WeChat account setup for foreign businesses (offered at $1,000 USD for account creation and first-year verification, $500 USD re-verification fee), social media operations, KOL campaigns, and e-commerce support across Xiaohongshu, Douyin, WeChat, and Tmall platforms.
2. WeChat Advertising Management: Agency manages WeChat advertising campaigns for clients, including Moments advertising (minimum 50k RMB per campaign for Chinese companies, $1,500-$8,000 USD for foreign companies), banner advertising, and KOL advertising. Agency facilitates foreign company applications for WeChat ad programs.
3. WeChat Official Account Creation Services: WalktheChat assists foreign companies in creating WeChat Official Accounts using overseas business licenses, charging $1,000 USD for account creation and first-year verification, with $500 USD re-verification fees for subsequent years.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

WalktheChat is an AI-powered China marketing agency that helps international brands enter and grow in the Chinese market through WeChat, Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book), Douyin, and Tmall. Services span end-to-end campaign execution — strategy, copywriting, design, content creation, social media management, advertising, influencer/KOL marketing, and e-commerce operations — supported by its proprietary in-house AI social listening tool, Doris.

Product overview

WalktheChat is an AI-powered China marketing agency offering a comprehensive suite of services across major Chinese social media and e-commerce platforms. The core portfolio includes Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book) Marketing, Douyin (TikTok) Operations, WeChat Store services, Tmall Operations, and 360 China Marketing. These are supported by proprietary AI technology (Doris Social Listening Tool) for data-driven insights and content generation. Additional services include WeChat Official Account management, various advertising formats (Moments, KOL, Banner), offline distribution networks with 600+ distributors, and AI-powered content creation. The company operates across more than 15 Chinese marketplaces and serves 200+ clients worldwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book) Marketing Marketing services on Xiaohongshu (also known as REDNote or Little Red Book), including content strategy, influencer partnerships, and store management for international brands entering the Chinese market.
• Douyin (TikTok) Operations Full-service Douyin (Chinese TikTok) marketing including advertising, brand account management, store operations, and live-streaming commerce for international brands.
• WeChat Cross-Border Store Services WeChat cross-border store setup and management services for selling to Chinese consumers through WeChat's e-commerce ecosystem.
• Tmall Operations Tmall partner services including store setup, operations, advertising, and management for international brands entering the Chinese e-commerce market.
• 360 China Marketing Comprehensive China marketing services covering WeChat, Douyin, Xiaohongshu, and other major Chinese platforms for brand growth.
• Doris (AI Social Listening Tool) WalktheChat's proprietary in-house AI Social Listening tool that analyzes social media comments, influencer profiles, and generates actionable marketing insights using large language models, image recognition, and generative AI.
• WeChat Official Account Services Services for creating and managing WeChat Official Accounts for foreign businesses, including account creation, verification, and setup with foreign business licenses; $1,000 USD for account creation and first-year verification, $500 USD re-verification fee.
• WeChat Moments Advertising Advertising on WeChat Moments timeline with targeting by location, demographics, interests, and behavior for brand awareness and conversion, managed by WalktheChat for foreign and domestic companies.
• WeChat KOL Advertising Key Opinion Leader marketing campaigns on WeChat, collaborating with influencers for brand promotion through push messages and sponsored content.
• Offline Distribution Network Partnership with showrooms serving 600+ distributor accounts to make products available to China market while controlling investment.
• AI-Powered Content Creation Generative AI services creating videos and images tailored to Chinese preferences for marketing campaigns, powered by Large Language Models.

Quantifiable outcome

• Generated 18 million RMB sales on Tmall within first year for PDPAOLA, achieving No. 2 brand on Tmall Global jewelry category in 6 months
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability9 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Tmall (Alibaba)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWalktheChat operates as a Tmall Partner providing Tmall operations services. They manage Tmall Global stores for international brands and have co-hosted webinars with Tmall (e.g., 'Decoding 2026 Skincare for Success in China' webinar). The partnership enables international brands to launch and operate on Tmall marketplace.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• China Skinny: China Skinny is a China-focused digital marketing research and consulting firm that advises international brands on China market entry and consumer trends, with social media and content services. A smaller, emerging peer in the international-brand-China-marketing niche.

Direct peers

• BlueFocus Communication Group: BlueFocus is one of China's largest independent digital marketing and communications groups, providing brand management, digital advertising, and cross-border marketing services to global and domestic clients. A scaled domestic peer competing for the same international brand China marketing mandates.
• Dragon Trail Interactive: Dragon Trail Interactive is a digital marketing agency specializing in helping international brands market in China across social media, e-commerce, and KOL platforms. It is a direct competitor to WalktheChat, offering similar WeChat, Douyin, Xiaohongshu, and Tmall services for foreign brand entry and growth.
• Azoya International: Azoya provides cross-border e-commerce solutions and digital marketing services for international brands entering China, including store setup, marketing, and localized operations on Tmall and other Chinese platforms. Directly comparable to WalktheChat's cross-border agency offering.
• iClick Interactive: iClick Interactive is a China-based marketing technology and services company offering programmatic advertising, cross-border marketing solutions, and data analytics to brands targeting Chinese consumers. Comparable in target customer (international brands in China) and service mix (digital marketing + analytics).

Broad incumbents

• Dentsu China: Dentsu operates multiple creative, media, and digital agencies in China (Dentsu Creative, Merkle, Carat) serving global brands. A broad incumbent in the same China marketing services category, though with a much larger global footprint.
• Publicis Groupe China: Publicis operates creative, media, and digital agencies in China (Publicis, Leo Burnett, Saatchi & Saatchi, Digitas) serving global luxury and consumer brands. A broad incumbent offering full-service China marketing capabilities overlapping with WalktheChat's portfolio.
• GroupM (WPP): GroupM is WPP's media investment group, operating agencies (Mindshare, MediaCom, Wavemaker) that provide media planning, buying, and digital marketing services in China for global brands. A broad incumbent that competes with WalktheChat on enterprise China mandates, though typically at much larger scale.
• Wunderman Thompson China: Wunderman Thompson (now VML) provides digital, creative, and commerce marketing services in China, including Tmall, WeChat, and social commerce operations for global brands. Overlaps with WalktheChat's service portfolio but at greater scale and with broader geographic reach.

Regional players

• Pico Group: Pico is a China-headquartered experiential marketing and brand activation agency serving international brands in China through events, digital, and integrated campaigns. A peer in the China-focused international brand services market, with complementary (experiential) rather than identical capabilities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/WalktheChat
• Facebookfacebook.com/walkthechat
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/3965356

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about WalktheChat