Livestreaming gives boost to retail sales

potential, the report said.

Among those followers, 19.9 percent are from first-tier cities — Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Guangzhou — followed by secondtier cities at 22.3 percent, third-tier cities at 22.6 percent, and fourth-tier cities and rural areas at 31.1 percent.

Sun Jia, a livestreaming fan from Hangzhou, said she does almost all her online shopping via livestreaming.

“Watching live broadcasts is just like going to a shopping mall,” said Sun. “The way customers change channels is very similar to browsing through different stores in the mall.”

Each year, Sun spends more than 100,000 yuan buying products through livestreaming.

“Online influencers serve as the shopping guide, model and aftersales customer service agent, which makes consumers like me feel more connected,” said Sun. She added that the discounts offered by the online broadcasters also attract her to buy more.

Marketing techniques, including flash discounts and premium sales, are often used in livestreaming to encourage customers to spend more, said Mei Jie, who owns a clothing store in Sijiqing market.

As the influence of livestreaming grows, the industry has also become diversified and specialized.

Evergreen Info Tech Co Ltd is the local human resources company that recommended Yang to shop owners like Chen. Since March, the company has signed contracts with 12 livestreamers.

“Yang is a hot pick as she can help bring in around 2 million yuan in revenue each month,” said Shen Wei, an Evergreen executive.

But Yang was not satisfied with the results in Chen’s store on that day. “We only had around 30,000 viewers,” Yang said. “At peak times, the number can reach 90,000.”