Taobao Live Rethinks the Future of Stores

“A major trend going forward will be elevated livestream experiences,” said Alibaba Group Vice President Yu Feng, who oversees content e-commerce at Taobao. “More and more consumers have adopted livestreaming as a way to shop. It has become an irreversible trend and, at the same time, an increasingly competitive space.”

In fashion livestreams, viewers can use chat to ask influencers questions about sizing, request close-ups of fabrics, or discuss what accessories would look good with each outfit. Platforms can further enhances this experience by adding features such as bulletins announcing product lotteries when the stream reaches a certain number of likes, or an ... See more

Platforms like Taobao, owned by Alibaba, and WeChat function as both hybrids of social media and eCommerce platforms, essentially offering users a plethora of services from microblogging, messaging and online shopping, all in one experience. This interconnected economy of services means that live stream shopping is simply an extension of the existi... See more

Livestreaming as a medium is a conflation of a product as well as as a distribution channel. It exists on a spectrum of being pure entertainment on one-side and a new go-to-market strategies on the other, with different kinds of monetisation models for each side. While western startups have centred around the 'livestreaming as product' theme, China... See more

Douyin Livestream Emerges As The New Capital For DTC Brands. Inside Douyin livestreaming: The difference between social commerce and traditional e-commerce is that social commerce is largely developed around social content, instead of the product. Douyin boasts 600 million daily active users with strong purchasing power. Douyin livestream e-commerc... See more

'Livestreaming as a distribution channel' monetisation strategies  This is what an e-commerce livestream looks like on Taobao:  The livestream host is showing off the new skirt while reading comments from viewers about how the clothes will fit on different frames. Clicking on the basket sign takes me to a check-out while the stream is sti... See more