ByteDance’s Doubao channel has officially launched commission collection, charging an 8% platform commission for users accessing the same hotel and room via Douyin’s feed, versus a 12% platform commission for users redirected from the Doubao dialog box, a 4 percentage point difference driven solely by AI conversation traffic. Liu Xing, Doubao’s head of public relations, responded on Weibo: "There is no paid promotion, no advertising fees charged, and only channel service fees are paid after the order is successfully completed." The 12% rate marks the first explicit price tag for AI entrance, contrasting with in-house Douyin local life service software fees ranging from 2.5% to 8%, a rise in the accommodation category from 4.5% to 8% in 2024, and JD Travel’s zero commission. ByteDance’s strategy relies on the Ctrip ecosystem accounting for roughly 70% of accommodation booking GMV with commissions from 12% to 20%, making merchant exit costly. Additionally, a policy announced on July 27 sets the billing base for software service fees as "the actual amount paid by users + the amount of subsidies provided by entities other than merchants," meaning merchants may pay commissions on platform-issued coupons, passing part of marketing costs onto merchants.