Livestream eCommerce has become the “new norm” in China. According to a report published by Taobao Livestream and iResearch, more than 464 million users are used to buying products through Live Streams, which accounts for 44.9% of Chinese Netizens.
In this article, we will look at:
- Overview of Livestream eCommerce in 2021
- Taobao Livestream overview, top performing categories, audience insights, etc
- Douyin Livestream overview, audience insight, and Douyin eCommerce
Overview of China Livestream eCommerce in 2021
- 930 million Chinese people watch short videos, expanding with an annual growth rate of 7.0%
- 840 million Chinese consumers purchase online, growing by 7.6% compared to last year
- 700 million Chinese users watch live streams (68.2% of total Chinese Netizens), with a 14.0% annual growth rate
- Among the 700 million live stream viewers, 460 million have purchased through live streams (44.9% of Chinese Netizens).
- Livestream eCommerce audiences have grown by 75.70 million, with a 19.5% growth compared to 2020 December.
Watching Livestreams has become a habit for many Chinese people: some follow fitness trainer’s livestreams to work out daily; some listen to live streams to release stress and aid sleep…
Live stream contents are not always about sales. Actually, non-sales-oriented sessions can also drive solid sales conversion, as long as the influencers have helped cater to their audience’s needs and problems or provided emotional value to their followers. After building trust and authentic relationships, sales will follow.
Insights about Taobao Livestream eCommerce
Taobao Livestream Overview
As the biggest eCommerce marketplace, Taobao and Tmall have existing advantages over their competitors.
Taobao Livestream has accumulated over 50 billion views, making it the TOP1 platform for live stream eCommerce aiming at sales conversions.
In 2021, the average viewing time of Taobao Livestream increased by 25.8%. Watching Livestream e-commerce is becoming a part of everyday life for Chinese consumers.
Taobao Livestream TOP10 Verticals in terms of Revenue
In terms of Livestream revenue, the TOP10 verticals have significant similarities with Taobao and Tmall’s existing strong verticals:
- Women Fashion
- Beauty
- Jewelry
- Consumer Electronics
- Food
- Mom & Kids
- Household Appliances
- Home Renovation & Decor
- Bags & Accessories
- Footwear
Taobao Livestream Audience Preferences
- Gender: females and males have clearly different preferences in the types of Livestreams they watch. Females enjoy watching live streams regarding fashion, bags and accessories, shoes, beauty, and life. Males are more fond of livestream about cars, home renovation, consumer electronics, outdoor sports, and education.
- Age: Gen-Z (people born in the decades of the 1990s and 2000s) love watching Livestreams of beauty and fashion products. Chinese young people pursue individuality, so trendy items in fashion&beauty capture their attention. People born in the 1980s are more practical: live streams about education, mom&kids, cars, and lives look more interesting to them.
Insights about Douyin Livestream eCommerce
Douyin Livestream Overview
As the creator of the global short video trend, Douyin is naturally strong in video content and KOLs.
Douyin Livestream seems to have more diverse categories than Taobao Livestream, ranging from food, traveling, and workouts to traditional culture, music festivals, online courses, fashion shows, etc.
Douyin Livestream Audience Insights
People come to Douyin looking for entertainment. It’s also reflected in the popular Livestream categories. According to the 2021 Douyin Live Stream Ecological Report (CN), here are the most popular Livestream categories that people love to watch on Douyin:
- Gen-Z and Millenials love watching content about anime, gaming, reality shows, sports, dancing, travel, technology, etc.
- Elder generations have different types of interests and entertainment. Content about parenthood, education, politics, popular science, culture, etc captures their attention better.
Douyin eCommerce
Although Douyin content seems to have a stronger entertainment label, the platform has also shown a strong capacity to drive sales conversion. Thanks to Douyin Livestream and Douyin Store, the short video leader has created a closed loop for In-App conversion, from discovery, interest, to purchase.
According to the 2022 H1 Douyin eCommerce Industry Report (CN), Douyin eCommerce revenue has grown by 150% compared to last year. In addition, more than 300k brands have created Douyin Stores and are selling through Douyin eCommerce. Douyin eCommerce can be an efficient way to move sales, especially for cheaper products, typically less than 200 CNY (~30 USD).
Are you wondering how to leverage Chinese Livestream eCommerce and which platform to choose?
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