Drama sparks online sales boom

A megahit South Korean drama is inspiring Chinese video-steaming website iQiyi.com to explore e-commerce as a new way to grow revenue.

The popularity of Descendants of the Sun, which has been viewed a combined 1.92 billion times online in China, shows how companies can benefit from consumers who want to mimic styles of celebrities.

IQiyi, the official streaming site of the 16-episode drama in China, is seeing skyrocketing sales of items used by actress Song Hye-gyo, whose character is a doctor in the series.