With social media becoming so important in our daily lives, it has become a big market for advertisers. The occasional ad for some clothing brand as you scroll through your feed in Instagram or a sponsor for a youtube video. Without a doubt, ads are everywhere. And in China, marketers have found a new and unique way of selling their products.
You may have heard of Taobao before. If you haven’t, it’s a giant e-commerce business under Alibaba. They have created this live streaming platform in which people can sell products through … well, live streaming. Live streaming has blown up in China. Those who become popular make millions per year.
The seller live streams anywhere from 2-6 hours a day constantly, as they showcase clothes, shoes, jewelry, etc. Sellers can also link the item in a small corner of the screen, so you can purchase the item without even leaving the live! To encourage more people to buy their products, there can be a huge discount for only a limited amount of time or supply. Merchants and brands will also partner with these sellers to further advertise their items.
Okay, so this all sounds great. Where do I sign up and how do I start?
All you need are some products to sell, a camera, and a bubbly personality.
But all things have cons:
- You stand and talk cheerfully for hours a day. You cannot leave the live so this means you cannot eat or go to the bathroom at all.
- If you don’t become famous, you would be earning very little money. Only the top 1% make millions, just like many other industries.
- Chinese citizens have very high standards. As a female, you must be pale, tall(ish), extremely petite, have a small face, and large eyes. As a male, you must be tall, have a small face, be athletic, and look very handsome. If you don’t reach these standards, unfortunately, you probably won’t succeed.
- You need to be extremely preppy and happy throughout the whole live. And you need to do this every day. This might be mentally exhausting because no one is happy every day for that long.
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Cool article! With technology becoming more and more advanced, it seems as if services are just becoming more and more creative with their ideas. Who knew you could shop, not only online, but live streamed? This is so convenient because now you can buy with sellers explaining the product live without having to leave your home. It’s interesting that there still are cons though, as you can’t leave during the live stream which can be draining to a certain extent. Nevertheless, I might try it soon!
This reminds me of my childhood. When I was young, I often saw my mom watching live stream showcases and buying products from it. I remember buying a refrigerator and a TV–the quality of them were actually good! I think this is a very convenient way to shop because you don’t have to go out to buy things or make yourself do work to find something you like. Just watch the sellers advertising their products and if something interests you, you can buy it immediately. This shows how much technology has improved and how much more it can improve. Interesting article!
Nice article. Technology is the limit and this article really illustrates how companies use technology to their advantage could be their sales pitch. Who came up with the ingenious idea of shopping through live streaming? It is crazy from a convenience standpoint that you can ask them questions about the product which is more difficult with a website like Amazon. I think it’s fair that you can’t just waste their time by saying you want to live stream and then you just leave. I’m curious what major impacts in the future there will be of this.
I like that marketers have discovered a new way to sell their product. I’ve never heard of Taobao before. It was great to learn about it from this article. I can’t believe that live streams can run from two to six hours per day. It’s also smart that they offer discounts to cause people to buy product. That must be exhausting for the sellers!
This is such a great article. I think we can go so many places with technology and this is just one of them. Having live stream shopping gives customers an opportunity to see the products they are buying from miles away. I think that is a huge advantage. I wonder who came up with this incredible idea. Overall, very interesting article!
Cool article! I never thought that certain people can live stream their products to advertise them. I can’t imagine myself doing this every day. Personally, this seems a lot like a combination of live streaming and Amazon combined. I find this service creative, convenient, and cool. This really shows how technology has grown so significantly. Thanks for the article!
This is a very interesting article! Technology has such a crazy impact on so many things. I love this idea because customers can see products they are buying. It is insane how some popular one’s make millions! I would like to try this one time. Thanks for sharing!
This is a great article. This really shows the marketing strategies in China that are different from us. We have ads and they have live streaming, Some American clothing brands should really look at these ideas and use them. These would have an impact in our country and maybe we can even inhabit more marketing strategies from China in the future.
Very interesting! I never knew there was such a thing as selling products through live streaming. It must be really hard for the sellers since they have to live stream every day for 2-6 hours. The standards for the looks of these sellers are also very demanding such as being pale, extremely petite, have a small face, and large eyes as a female, and being tall, have a small face, be athletic, and look very handsome as a male. I think having this job will be very difficult because only the top 1% gets high pay otherwise, you’ll be getting very little pay. I still find it cool that people are taking it online on a live stream to sell their products now!
What an interesting article! It’s crazy how much technology is affecting consumers. I could never imagine someone doing this. I sell some stuff myself online, but I don’t think I would be able to talk and try to sell for that long. I wonder if the US is going to have this trend soon. Thanks for sharing!
Nice article! I’ve never heard of this type of livestream before. As the years go on, it seems like advertisers and live streamers are coming up with more and more ideas to advertise products and make tons of money at the same time. My parents often watch live streams on the Chinese version of Tik Tok and most of them are just talking to viewers, it’s interesting how people came up with another creative way to make money. Great article!
Very interesting! I never knew there was such a thing as selling products through live streaming. Technology is the limit and this article really illustrates how companies use technology to their advantage could be their sales pitch. I remember buying a refrigerator and a TV–the quality of them were actually good! This really shows how technology has grown so significantly. Thanks for the article!
This is fascinating! I’ve never heard of live stream shopping. It would be so cool to see this in America as well. It must be so tiring being a live stream seller because you have to maintain a positive image for hours without rest. This job seems risky since very few people become famous sellers and make tons of money. This article shows that technology can lead to many new things in different industries. Thanks for sharing!
this is such a creative topic to write about! i often go shopping on taobao, but ive never seen any lives. however, i have seen a lot of asian based fashion businesses start lives on instagram to sell their clothes and accesories. i think this is a really innovative way of selling clothes because the customer gets to see the piece in all angles and get to hear the seller give information about it. keep up the great work!
Nice article! I’ve never heard of this type of livestream before. As the years go on, it seems like advertisers and live streamers are coming up with more and more ideas to advertise products and make tons of money at the same time. This job seems risky since very few people become famous sellers and make tons of money. This article shows that technology can lead to many new things in different industries. These would have an impact in our country and maybe we can even inhabit more marketing strategies from China in the future.I find this service creative, convenient, and cool. This really shows how technology has grown so significantly. Thanks for the article!
I knew that streaming was going to blow up around the world even before the large influx of people started coming in. It’s cool how people are taking advantage of this idea to make a living. I’ve never heard of people of selling items though a live stream and it’s interesting how hard their job could actually be. I bet there are people who could do this job very easily but I think personally, I wouldn’t be able to stay happy for that long. Thanks for the interesting article! Keep up the good work.
Wow, i didn’t know such a form of shopping existed. I had always known that Chinese shopping sites are very versatile and creative. However, this live dtreaming shopping is on a differnet level. its amazing that you were able to educate the public on this modern part of chinese culture. Overall great article. Keep up the good work.
This is a very interesting article. It’s pretty amazing that the internet has progressed this far. I didn’t know that this existed until now. Modern Chinese industries are very diverse, however this applies the use of the internet and is a great innovation. Great article!
Nice article Joey! I never heard about live stream shopping and I can’t believe how much money you can make if you’re successful. Just streaming every day for 2-6 hours can make someone millions of dollars in one year seems crazy to me. However, it is understandable how you have to have specific qualities when you’re doing live stream shopping. I believe that Chinese cultures are too strict and they require too much of people. For instance, one of the key characteristics of being famous in live stream shopping is to have big eyes. That’s something that everyone doesn’t have; you either have it from genetics or you get surgery for it and to me, that’s absurd. Either way, that’s how shopping has involved and it does seem like a very lucrative career if everything is done right. Thanks for sharing your article, Joey!
This was such an interesting article. I think this is a great idea because it saves time for customers commuting there. It seems very easy to purchase and shops make a lot of money. A big problem is they are streaming for so long and have to act all happy. That must be so difficult for the sellers. Awesome job, Joey!
Very interesting article! I’m aware of the massive effect that social media has on today’s population. The fact that social media can actually be used as a way to sell certain products is amazing. It’s also impressive that someone without any educational background can make millions per year, just by downloading this app and using it on a daily basis. However, the fact that Chinese citizens have very high standards is somewhat disheartening and emphasizes today’s generation focusing on appearance. Thanks again for sharing this interesting article Joey!
Cool article! This seems like a very tiresome job. Pretending all day to be happy. I imagine even the top 1% get sick of their job; even if they’re making millions they don’t feel well. I also feel like the job requirements are too constraining. These body types that they require might make people feel bad. But for the people who fit those requirements, this is the right job. Great job!
Thank you for another informative article, and before reading your article I never knew that there was such thing as live stream shopping. It is an interesting situation where a person sells you items, and I feel like it must be a very hard job to be a seller. Many people do not fit all the requirements, and I feel they are a bit too harsh. I feel that it could be a valuable opportunity to gain money without a great wealth of knowledge. I feel that live stream shopping can rise in popularity in America. It’s very amazing how technology has risen so high that we can just shop online without getting out of our seat. Great article and keep up the good work!
Nice article. Technology is the limit and this article really illustrates how companies use technology to their advantage could be their sales pitch. I’m aware of the massive effect that social media has on today’s population. The fact that social media can actually be used as a way to sell certain products is amazing. It’s also impressive that someone without any educational background can make millions per year, just by downloading this app and using it on a daily basis. I feel that it could be a valuable opportunity to gain money without a great wealth of knowledge. I feel that live stream shopping can rise in popularity in America. Thanks again for sharing this interesting article Joey!
Such a cool article-I had no idea about the cutthroat world of live streaming selling! Not being able to eat or go to the bathroom for hours at a time sounds dangerous. Also, it must be so exhausting to have to sell for 6 hours a straight 5 days a week. This seems a lot like the Chinese version of something like the Home Shopping Network except more technologically advanced. I find it so interesting how there are even standards of beauty necessary to be able to products on live streaming apps. The world certainly is changing-I remember the days when we used to have to go to the store to find a salesperson. Keep up the great work.
I had no idea there was such thing as “live streaming shopping.” I know that I love shopping myself, but now I don’t even have to leave the comforts of my home to shop. That sounds great! But what’s the different between “live streaming shopping” and just shopping online? Is there any more advantages to streaming online than just online shopping? It’s so interesting thought because these people get paid MILLIONS per year. It just shows how the industry is using the advanced technology today to their advantage and market.
Wow, what an interesting and informative article! I had no idea about the existence of live stream shopping before reading this article. The existence of live stream shopping really shows how technology can influence new developments in many industries, in this case, shopping. This occupation is definitely much harder than it appears, as standing for 2-6 hours a day constantly while maintaining a cheerful attitude without anytime for food or bathroom breaks are extremely harsh and unhealthy conditions. Moreover, the demand for good looking sellers is extremely high, which is somewhat surprising, as the looks of the seller are not even related to the product itself. Overall, my outtake on this, is that the the life of a seller in live stream shopping is harsh, but definitely opens some opportunities to make some large sums of money.
I have heard of Taobao, but I’ve been told it’s an incredibly competitive market. Alibaba is a convenient shopping place for my mother.However, I didn’t know that sellers could live stream their products! That’s very interesting. Great article, thanks for sharing!
I have heard of Taobao, but I’ve been told it’s an incredibly competitive market. Alibaba is a convenient shopping place for my mother.However, I didn’t know that sellers could live stream their products! That’s very interesting. Great article, thanks for sharing!
Wow this is so interesting. I had never even heard of this until today. It’s crazy to see what companies are willing to do to sell to us. I can’t believe that they actually pay people to live stream shop. Thank you for sharing.
This is an interesting article. I would’ve never thought of this kind of shopping. This sort of thing really emphasizes the role technology is playing in today’s society. I personally wouldn’t shop this way but it’s cool to see that it’s even possible or that people would use this method to shop.
Interesting article! I’ve heard of live stream shopping before, but I never knew how it worked. I’ve seen my cousin watching the live streams before and she buys clothes off of them once in a while. It’s crazy how shopping has evolved! Clothes used to be only bought in stores, but now you can even buy it through a live stream. Thank you for sharing!