A few months after Alibaba Taobao Live launched in 2016, China Post contacted husband and wife Mark Yuan and Zoe Zhang – the trade giant to test the new live streaming platform
Zhang, who was once a fashion designer, had built a large following in the fashion industry through her personal blog, while Yuan, the production manager, was already blogging about the lifestyle she had amassed more than a quarter of a million followers across platforms. Social media, and Alibaba was looking for influencers with a global reach
The Chinese couple, who live in New York City, were asked to demonstrate via Taobao Live a $ 43 million cottage on the Upper East Side They had over 110,000 people set their first live event as they walked through the multi-level building and pointed out To the main features and amenities then tested, they received 43 inquiries from Chinese consumers who were interested in learning more about the home
After a few weeks, a designer brand that was relocating their headquarters to the couple reached out to help sell the excess stock. The brand had about 700 pairs of shoes it wanted to unload within three hours. During a live broadcast on Taobao, Yuan and Zhang sold all Merchandise
“That was the moment when we realized that live broadcast would change everything,” Yuan said, “We were literally dealing with hundreds of clients, only three of us, dealing with each customer’s concerns and questions about volume.”
Today, the couple run their New York-based live broadcasting advisory group, And Luxe, and have grown to be among the biggest names in Chinese live broadcasting. Yuan and Zhang has a client list that includes fashion brands Alexander Wang, Ba&Sh, DVF, and Kim Kardahsian KKW perfume line.
The couple said they hope Luxe will help US companies learn the power of live streaming and get brands in the trend before it’s too late.
With live broadcast taking center stage at the Singles’ Day shopping event on Alibaba on Wednesday, this type of marketing will be fully on display. Key opinion leaders will attempt to spark consumer interest and drive a large portion of e-commerce sales
This year marks the eleventh edition of the annual Singles’ Day event, which is also called the Double 11 Shopping Festival because it falls on November 11, but some UX companies will debut and use live broadcasts to market their merchandise
“In five years in America, if you don’t go live, your company will be lagging behind,” said Yuan. “Now, if you have a business, you have a website in the future, if you are in retail, it will You are broadcasting live «
Brands looking to grow in China already see the value in live broadcasts, and the boost it can bring to business Two-thirds of Chinese consumers have said they have purchased products via livestream in the past 12 months, according to AlixPartners’ survey of 2,029 adults conducted in September October 30, 6
Only 19% of survey respondents said they do not plan to shop via livestream during Wednesday’s event. High-income consumers said they expect a greater proportion of their purchases to be completed via live broadcast this year
Big discounts and « instant info » were some of the biggest factors people mentioned going live-stream during the event
Michigan cleaning product company Grand Rapids made its debut in Double 11 last year. The family-run company will do a « 24/7 » Taobao Live live broadcast this year, with the goal of quadrupling sales from 2019 and launching a new product in China, exclusively on Alibaba Tmall, to spark interest in the event
“Social media is popular everywhere,” Bissell said, “But in China, they discovered how to generate income much faster. Maybe this is the difference between Facebook and Instagram, versus some Chinese platforms. China is definitely in the lead.”
Coresight Research estimates that live broadcasts in China will generate about $ 125 billion in sales this year, up from $ 63 billion in 2019.The staggering gains have been driven this year by Chinese consumers turning to their smartphones to shop during the pandemic shutdowns Yus estimates the market value At just $ 5 billion, according to Coresight
« Shopping is a sport in China », Coresight CEO Deborah Winswig said, « This is a consumer that prides itself on researching before they buy something »
The desire for good advice drives Chinese consumers to turn to experts. « Even farmers have become influential people, » said Winswig in China. « People will buy their groceries from farms via a live broadcast. »
There’s no real equivalent to Taobao Live in America, so UX is still playing catch-up
« The Chinese consumer is embracing the technology a lot faster, unfortunately, than the Western world, » said Bruno Xiaafi, co-founder of Uncle Bud’s, which makes hemp and CBD “I think influencers in China are really real influencers. Chinese consumers really trust these people, and it’s just a way of life in China now”
Uncle Bud’s is participating in Singles’ Day for the first time this year. It joined Alibaba’s Tmall platform two months ago in a hurry to meet clients globally when international travel nearly halted during the pandemic
The CBD brand will hold several live broadcasts on Wednesday. It has already hired its brand ambassador, retired NBA star Magic Johnson, to host a 20-minute live broadcast for Chinese consumers on Saturday, which airs from Los Angeles
“Instant feedback is what I love,” said Chiafi, “We can spend more time interacting with our clients, and we love it.”
Time will tell. Last year, Amazon launched Amazon Live, which has QVC-like programming, but never launched. The service promoted products in categories like food, health, beauty, fitness, and children but couldn’t boast of Taobao’s popularity.
Brandon Cruz, co-founder of the retail technology platform CommentSold, tries to help smaller US retailers gain access to live broadcasts. The company provides the technology retailers need to host live broadcasts from their websites, social media accounts, and mobile apps.
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Yus Cruz said that the retail sales growth rates from live broadcasting are four to five years behind China.
According to Alibaba, up to 400 company executives and 300 celebrities are hosting a live broadcast during this year’s Singles Day. Pop singer Taylor Swift joined Chinese live broadcast star Huang Wei on a live broadcast last weekend before Singles Day
Earlier this year, Wei, better known as Viya, used Taobao to sell a commercial rocket for 40 million yuan, or $ 5 6 million, the hashtag #WeiYaSellsARocket spread on the Chinese social media platform Weibo after the amazing achievement
Public spending during Singles’ Day is expected to exceed previous records as Chinese consumers recover from coronavirus pandemic closures In 2019, the event attracted  more than $ 38 billion in sales.
More than 250,000 brands, including hundreds in the United States, such as sneaker maker Allbirds and Supergoop sunscreen company, are expected to participate Alibaba said its logistics arm, Cainiao, will lease at least 700 flights. To meet Double 11’s supply chain requirements
“Traditional e-commerce will end up looking like a really flat picture,” Luxe Yuan said of the global growth of live broadcasting “These 2D images are getting more and more boring”
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Singles ‘Day, Alibaba Group, China
World News – CA – Singles’ Day sales are making a huge improvement from live broadcast events, such as U Q retailers play catch-up
