Sam Blumenthal

The backdrop for Tophatter’s new approach is gaming’s overall rise in the U.S., which has pushed retailers and brands to experiment with gaming-adjacent platforms like Twitch. (Twitch has nearly tripled the number of monthly broadcasts it has hosted since 2019, bringing it up to 9.7 million monthly streams today.) In-game transactions, called... See more

Still, many creators may look elsewhere to monetize their content through memberships, one-time payments, or merch sales. Some say services like Patreon or Cameo give creators more control and independence. “I’m always wary of putting all your eggs in one basket,” says Weinstein of Underscore Talent.

“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.”

“The Chinese consumer embraces technology a lot quicker, unfortunately, than the Western world,” said Bruno Schiavi, co-founder of Uncle Bud’s, which makes hemp and CBD topicals and lotions. “And I think the influencers in China really are true influencers. ... The Chinese consumers really trust these people, and it’s just the way of life in China... See more

The daily check-in is a simple yet brilliant feature that encourages users to engage with Pinduoduo on a daily basis. While each check-in does not generate revenue for Pinduoduo, the product experience eventually ties back to commerce if/when users redeem their vouchers. This theoretically should yield a higher customer lifetime value for... See more