SmartShanghai.com
SmartShanghai.com is an English-language online city guide and magazine serving Shanghai's expat community, offering editorial coverage, event ticketing, directory listings, jobs and housing boards across web, mobile, WeChat and social platforms reaching 140,000+ unique monthly users since 2003.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2003
- HeadquartersShanghai, China
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What SmartShanghai.com does
SmartShanghai.com, founded in 2003 and operated by Shanghai Huangfei Business Consulting Co., Ltd. (上海煌飞商务咨询有限公司), is an English-language online magazine and city guide serving Shanghai's English-speaking residents and visitors. The platform spans a website (118K+ monthly users), iOS/Android mobile app (47K+ MAU), WeChat Official Account (18K+ MAU) and Mini Program (19K+ users per month), Instagram (27K+ followers), Facebook (10K+ followers) and a Monday newsletter reaching 75,000+ subscribers, aggregating to 140,000+ unique users per month. Editorial coverage spans dining, nightlife, events, culture, family, health, housing, jobs and education, supported by a small in-house editorial team of named contributors. Verticals include a comprehensive venue and services directory, a dedicated housing listings module, a jobs board, an events calendar, and sub-brands SmartTicket (event ticketing) and SMASH (Shanghai-themed merchandise gift shop).
The business is monetized through a sales-led go-to-market via a sales team (Kate Zhang), offering a MediaKit of advertising products (Brand Story branded content from 22,000 RMB; Content & Banner Bundle from 8,000 RMB; Wallpaper site takeover at 2,800 RMB/day; Top-Banner from 6,000 RMB/week; Big Box display at 7,000 RMB/month), recurring directory listings for venues, services, jobs, housing and education, transaction fees from SmartTicket, and SMASH e-commerce. Pricing includes a transparent volume-discount ladder from 10% above 20,000 RMB to 25% at or above 80,000 RMB. Customers are predominantly SMB and mid-market advertisers across education, healthcare, hospitality, and professional services, reaching an audience that is 50% expats, 45% English-speaking locals and 5% other, with a 58%/42% female/male split.
SmartShanghai.com firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- SmartShanghai.com
- Legal name
- Shanghai Huangfei Business Consulting Co., Ltd. (上海煌飞商务咨询有限公司)
- Website
- https://smartshanghai.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2003
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- SmartShanghai.com is an English-language online city guide and magazine serving Shanghai's expat community, offering editorial coverage, event ticketing, directory listings, jobs and housing boards across web, mobile, WeChat and social platforms reaching 140,000+ unique monthly users since 2003.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
SmartShanghai.com industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Online City Guide & Advertising Platform
- NAICS
- Web Search Portals and All Other Information Services (519290), Indoor and Outdoor Display Advertising (54185)
- SIC
- Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Local Tours, Activities & Attractions Metasearch (THALAEAI)
Keywords
Where SmartShanghai.com is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Shanghai
- HQ country
- China
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices1 record
Markets served
SmartShanghai.com business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Advertising Products: Primary revenue stream from advertising products including Brand Story branded content (from 22,000 RMB), Content & Banner Bundle (from 8,000 RMB), Wallpaper ads (2,800 RMB/day), Top-Banner (from 6,000 RMB/week), and Big Box (7,000 RMB/month). Also directory listings and premium venue placements.
- Ticketing Services: SmartTicket ticketing service enabling ticket sales for events and experiences with secure booking through their platform.
- Directory Listings: Premium venue listings, service listings, jobs listings, housing packages, and education directory - offering businesses visibility in Shanghai's English-speaking community.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Brand Story - Branded content studio |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Content & Banner Bundle - Newsletter content |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Wallpaper - High impact site takeover |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Top-Banner - Standard banner placement |
| Subscription | Monthly | Big Box - Long-term display banner |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
SmartShanghai.com product offering
Product offeringCore offering
SmartShanghai.com is an English-language online city guide and magazine for Shanghai operating a multi-module platform covering dining, nightlife, events, culture, housing, jobs, and education. It monetizes through advertising products, premium directory listings, and the SmartTicket event ticketing service, reaching over 140,000 unique users per month across web, mobile app, WeChat, and social media channels.
Product overview
SmartShanghai.com is a comprehensive English-language city guide and online magazine for Shanghai, operating as a multi-module platform with a core city guide serving as the primary offering, complemented by SmartTicket for event ticketing, a MediaKit advertising platform for business listings and promotions, dedicated Housing and Jobs directories, a SMASH gift shop for branded merchandise, and an Events calendar. The platform reaches over 140,000 monthly users across web, mobile app, and WeChat channels, offering listings, ticketing, and advertising services to connect English-speaking residents and visitors with Shanghai's dining, nightlife, culture, housing, and employment opportunities.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- SmartTicket: Ticketing service for events and experiences on SmartShanghai
- Smash
Products and services
- SmartShanghai City Guide English-language online magazine and city guide covering Shanghai's dining, nightlife, events, culture, housing, jobs, and education, attracting over 140,000 unique users per month.
- SmartTicket Event ticketing service that allows users to purchase tickets for concerts, theater, exhibitions, and other events in Shanghai directly through the platform, with integration to the WeChat Mini Program.
- MediaKit Advertising Platform Advertising and marketing platform offering directory listings, banner ads, content and banner bundles, brand stories, and ticketing services for businesses to reach SmartShanghai's audience of over 140,000 monthly users.
- Housing Listings Apartment and housing rental listings directory with features for searching and filtering available properties in Shanghai for the international community.
- Jobs Board English-language job listings platform connecting employers with expats and English-speaking professionals in Shanghai.
- SMASH Gift Shop Souvenir gift shop offering Shanghai-themed merchandise including apparel, accessories, books, and local art items.
- Venue & Services Directory Comprehensive business directory covering restaurants, bars, health services, education, and other service providers in Shanghai with user reviews and contact information.
Companies that use SmartShanghai.com
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
SmartShanghai.com technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
Feature2 records
SmartShanghai.com partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators11 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
SmartShanghai.com competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- ShanghaiExpat.com: English-language community portal for Shanghai expats focused on housing, jobs, classifieds, and forum-driven lifestyle content. Overlaps with SmartShanghai's housing listings, jobs board, and venue directory products.
- That's Shanghai (that'smags.com / That’s PRD): Direct English-language city magazine and online guide covering Shanghai and other Chinese cities with the same editorial-led, advertising-supported model as SmartShanghai. Operates a comparable mix of listings, events coverage, and advertising products targeting the same expat audience.
- Time Out Shanghai: Local edition of the global Time Out brand covering Shanghai's dining, nightlife, culture, and events with editorial picks and ticketing integration. Directly comparable audience (English-speaking consumers) and revenue model (advertising + ticketing + listings).
- The Beijinger: Closely analogous English-language city guide serving Beijing's expat community with dining, events, listings, and advertising products. Same independent editorial, sales-led monetization, and audience profile as SmartShanghai, providing a template for cross-city expansion.
- City Weekend Shanghai: Long-running English-language events and lifestyle publication in Shanghai covering dining, nightlife, and cultural events with print and online distribution. Competes head-to-head with SmartShanghai for the same advertiser base and audience.
Broad incumbents
- Trip.com Group (Ctrip): Dominant Chinese online travel agency with broad event ticketing, attractions, and local activity offerings that compete for both users and venue/promoter partnerships with SmartTicket. A scale incumbent in adjacent categories (events, local attractions) but without the editorial/lifestyle lens.
- Dianping / Meituan: Dominant Chinese local services platform for restaurant reviews, venue discovery, and group-buy ticketing. Competes with SmartShanghai's venue directory for user attention and with SmartTicket for event/deal discovery, particularly among the 45% Chinese-speaking local audience.
- Damai (Alibaba Events): Alibaba-owned ticketing platform for concerts, theater, sports, and exhibitions in China. Direct competitor in the events ticketing space that SmartTicket operates in, with substantially greater scale and promoter relationships.
Emerging players
- Xiaohongshu (RED): China's leading lifestyle UGC platform covering dining, travel, events, and shopping with integrated advertising. Captures share of the same advertiser wallet SmartShanghai sells into, though focused on Chinese-language, mobile-first discovery versus SmartShanghai's editorial English-language niche.
- Jing Daily: English-language digital media platform covering luxury, lifestyle, and consumer trends in China. Comparable in serving English-speaking premium advertisers with branded content and storytelling products, although more niche in luxury focus.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
SmartShanghai.com social profiles
Digital presenceSmartShanghai.com financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
SmartShanghai.com leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
SmartShanghai.com subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
SmartShanghai.com funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
SmartShanghai.com M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about SmartShanghai.com
What does SmartShanghai.com do?
SmartShanghai.com is an English-language online city guide and magazine for Shanghai operating a multi-module platform covering dining, nightlife, events, culture, housing, jobs, and education. It monetizes through advertising products, premium directory listings, and the SmartTicket event ticketing service, reaching over 140,000 unique users per month across web, mobile app, WeChat, and social media channels.
Is SmartShanghai.com a public or private company?
SmartShanghai.com is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was SmartShanghai.com founded?
SmartShanghai.com was founded in 2003. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is SmartShanghai.com based?
SmartShanghai.com is headquartered in Shanghai, China, in the Asia region.
How does SmartShanghai.com make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Advertising Products are the primary driver. The others are ticketing Services and directory Listings.
Who are SmartShanghai.com's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are ShanghaiExpat.com, That's Shanghai (that'smags.com / That’s PRD), Time Out Shanghai, The Beijinger and City Weekend Shanghai. Broad incumbents are Trip.com Group (Ctrip), Dianping / Meituan and Damai (Alibaba Events). Emerging players are Xiaohongshu (RED) and Jing Daily.
Does SmartShanghai.com have an API?
No public API is recorded for SmartShanghai.com.
What industry is SmartShanghai.com in?
SmartShanghai.com's product category is Online City Guide & Advertising Platform. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THALAEAI, Local Tours, Activities & Attractions Metasearch. Its NAICS code is 519290 and its SIC code is 7990.