Live Streaming has become an amazing ecommerce business model. Retailers, KOLs, and celebrities sell products and services through streaming online where the presenter demonstrates the product and answers audience questions in real-time. The session can take place on any platform with live streaming support. Most of the Chinese e-commerce incorporated live-streaming features including Taobao, Kuaishou and more. WeChat is also rapidly developing its live streaming offering.
Livestream ecommerce has been surging dramatically, especially in China. According to Forbes, the industry is estimated to earn a little over $60 billion annually. In 2019, livestream purchases were made by about 37% of the online shoppers in China (265 million people), making it a highly sought out strategy for connecting with your audience. But since everything is done in real-time, there can be no post-editing as with any video. So obviously, there are some things brands and streamers should keep in mind.
Here are some of the dos and don’ts of live streaming in China:
Dos
Prepare Well
Check your camera/phone, phone sets, products, events preview, discount coupon and most important, NETWORK SPEED. Understand what time suits your target audience and last your live stream at least 2 hours. The longer the better.
Offer Special Discounts
This pushes your audience to purchase during the live streaming.
Presentation Is Key
Providing useful information in a proper, simple and engaging way is always recommended. Introduce products with a connection to the brand story. This brings forth a truly personal experience for the people.
Communicate
Always read the message from your audience and reply in time to make a good communication. Respect and protect yours and your audience’s private information.
Don’ts
Don’t Push Sell
When streamers are only talking about the products instead of the benefits it has on the user, audiences can get turned off.
Don’t Spam Respond
Immediate response to every audience member will make your streams disorganised and terrible for people who want to watch it again. One best time to reply would be the breaks between different presentations.
Don’t Talk About Controversial Subjects
Never talk about illegal content (pornography, gambling, drug abuse etc.). If someone else brings it up, guide them towards a better and more trustworthy source of information.