Shopping's live - and lively

Live shows intend to stoke a desire to shop, but are not linked directly to shopping channels

A large number of e-commerce platforms, including the major players, are testing the water in live and recorded netcast services in China.

Taobao, the online marketplace, has a stream that shows recorded video clips featuring online celebrities.

Cosmetics e-tailer Jumei rolled out a channel in November that beams four live shows a day. These include user-generated content, as well as promotions and advice about its skincare and cosmetics products.

These live shows intend to stoke a desire to shop, but they are not linked directly to shopping channels.

Amazon, the multinational e-commerce company, entered the netcast segment in the United States with Style Code Live in March. Lasting 30 minutes, the show sees three hosts discuss the latest in fashion.

Cross-border e-commerce platform Bolome, which is based in Shanghai, was the first to introduce live, interactive video streams on its platform, starting last July 1, after receiving funding from angel investors, including Shanghai's Chengwei Capital, Vickers Capital of Singapore, and South Korea's LB Investment.

So far, the company has received $43 million in investment, while its estimated value is $200 million.

The idea of launching a live, interactive stream came from a news story about a Tokyo trader who sold fish using an iPad, says Lei Tingting, one of the founders of Bolome. The vendor, she explains, connected consumers in the Japanese capital to a fish stall in Hokkaido via a video call, allowing them to check out the fresh seafood.

"The purpose (of live streaming) is to solve the problem of consumers not being adequately informed before they buy. Technology is here to address this problem," Lei says. "With videos, users are put in a situation that simulates shopping at an overseas store. Only, they can't try out the products themselves.

"Users can enjoy the fun of shopping, sending their opinions in real time, and even participating in lucky draws."

It usually takes at least eight people to do a traditional live show, but Bolome's online stream requires just three, including the host. Lei says the company's back-end teams can support various live shows simultaneously.

Bolome's prime-time stream attracts more than 60,000 viewers, and more than 20 percent buy the products on display, she adds.

Not only are new products rolled out live, but executives also appear in the studio to share additional information, while viewers can get a virtual tour of the company's offices, laboratories, factories and stores.

"We've been thinking every day how to make the user experience at Bolome more fluent and fun," Lei says. "We're not afraid of competition. If the online live show is a revolution, we need more competitors to push the trend."

shijing@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily European Weekly 05/13/2016 page9)