A new platform in the social media arena will always cause a stir in the marketing world, and Lemon8 is no exception. TikTok’s younger sibling is already climbing charts and attracting users across multiple industries. Could Lemon8 be the zesty new ingredient for marketing innovation?
What is Lemon8?
Lemon8 is a photo- and video-sharing platform combining the visual elements of Pinterest with the interaction possibilities of TikTok. Creators can share multiple photos and longer-form written content, then interact with commenters.
A brief history of Lemon8
Lemon8 is owned by TikTok's parent company ByteDance. While it’s been available in Japan since 2020, it was only launched in the United States and the United Kingdom in February 2023.
#Lemon8 has been a massively trending hashtag on TikTok and posts about Lemon8 garnered 2.4 billion views by April 2023. Clearly, the app is gaining some traction and attention, which could make it the social media opportunity of choice for organizations wanting a new platform to expand their social commerce reach.
The new platform uses algorithms similar to TikTok's, making it a viable alternative for creators who want to reach different audience segments.
In March/April 2023, it became the second most downloaded lifestyle app in the United States and accumulated over 17 million global downloads. There are at least 4.25 million users in the U.S. as of April 2023.
Could Lemon8 be a distraction technique? Some think so. TikTok is under threat in the U.S. as Washington insists ByteDance, a Chinese company, divests its shares. The party line is that TikTok could pose a national security risk. ByteDance’s decision to shift its focus to another type of social media app could simply be a savvy way to expand into other segments of the market. However, it could also be a fallback strategy in case TikTok does suffer losses due to the potential ban.
Features and Benefits of Lemon8
Lemon8’s layout is very similar to Pinterest, already a popular platform for both B2C and B2B organizations. With Lemon8 creators can:
Share photos
Share short-form and long-form content
Share short-form videos
Link out to other sites
Edit photos and include graphic design elements
Reshare content e.g. TikTok videos
There’s not much here that’s truly new or unique, but combining these features could prove appealing to users who like everything under one roof.
Here at Fifth & Cor, we’re intrigued to see how Lemon8 will compete with Pinterest for high-lead generation and engagement.
Lemon8 and Social Commerce
Lemon8 has no item-tagging system and no dedicated e-commerce features to attract influencers wanting to profit from the app’s popularity. However, creators can share existing content and potentially increase brand awareness by sending users to their TikTok accounts or other social media/e-commerce platforms to boost sales.
We feel that it’s too early to make predictions about potential marketing and growth benefits for this new platform, although paid content is already appearing. Expect a detailed case study from Fifth & Cor in the near future, when we can test Lemon8 thoroughly.
How People Are Using the Platform
Like most social media platforms, it takes less than five minutes to set up an account. This makes it simple for users across all categories and industries to take advantage of the features on offer.
Currently, creators can share content in lifestyle, fashion, beauty, wellness, travel and home decor/organization categories. Will this entice any of TikTok’s demographics, such as those who come for #AdviceTok and #BookTok to join? That remains to be seen.
Lemon8 and the Future: What’s Next?
Could Lemon8 be the new platform for social commerce? We’ll be keeping an eye out to see if Lemon8 can ever step out of its elder sibling’s shadow.
Fifth & Cor harnesses the best tools and explores the newest platforms to support brands and their communities of consumers. Reach out to Fifth & Cor if you're wondering how to take the next step in your marketing innovation journey.