INTIME Trains Sales Associates to Become Taobao Live Streamers
For many sale associates in China, famous Taobao live streamers Austin (李佳琦) and Viya (薇娅) are their idols. These two former sales associates have shown what is possible, using their sales skills to become nationally recognized figures, a path that many sales associates dream of following.
In April, Chinese department store INTIME began giving their sales associates a chance to make their dreams come true, collaborating with Alibaba to launch the “淘柜姐” or “Tao Saleswoman” plan, in which Intime sales associates are invited to be live streamers on Taobao. INTIME shared that they started this program 1. To boost sales and 2. To give their sales associates an opportunity to boost their incomes. It appears to be working. 100 INTIME saleswomen live streamed during the recent 618 shopping holiday, resulting in a 133% increase in sales YOY.
Due to their skills, knowledge, and experience dealing with customers, sales associates are the perfect e-commerce live streamers and naturally have a leg up over those without a sales associate background.
While I previously haven’t heard much about INTIME, from what I read it seems like an innovative retailer that is really looking towards the future. It is the first department store in China to have its own technology team, with over 200 people, a size equal to a mid-sized Internet company. It has its own app called Miaojie (喵街) which allows users not only to view product information, but to also see how many parking spaces are available at a store.
INTIME equips its sales associates with data analytics tools reminding them when to stock up on certain items and predicting what products are likely to be in high demand based on hot topics, weather, holidays and other statistics.
Read more: 商场导购转型“淘柜姐”？银泰百货要孵化自有带货网红
Will Selling Second-hand Items Become Celebrities’ Subsidiary Business?
Move over Douyin and Xiaohongshu, second-hand e-commerce platform Xianyu (咸鱼) has become the hot new place for celebrities to interaction with their fans. According to Xianyu, there are 56 celebrities actively selling on the platform. Customers buy these items either because they are discounted luxury products or because the celebrity has worn or used it before (明星同款).
The Top 5 items sold by celebrities are: skirts, shoes, bags, sweaters and gowns. According to the celebrities, most of the items come from cross-border online shopping, Daigou or are presents given to them by brands. Similar to ordinary users, they have been worn or used. Other than these items, celebrities sometimes sell lesser-known items. For example, Zhang Yuqi (张雨绮) once sold a candle fire extinguisher. Some celebrities even start selling used items from their own brands. Though they are sold at a steep discount, it appears to be a good way to promote their brands.
Among top-tier celebrities, Shen Mengchen (沈梦辰) has earned the most selling second-hand items. According to the platform she has earned around 450k RMB. Among the top 10 celebrities on the platform, several of them are C list celebs whose ability to earn is less based on their celebrity status and more on the orginal value of the item being sold, for example a Hermes bag.
But not all celebrities are in it for profit. Celebrity Jing Tian (景甜) donates all proceeds from Xianyu and regularly posts the amount which has drawn a lot of positive attention.
The Xianyu platform gives fans the opportunity to own a piece of their favorite celebrities and, as seen by Jing Tian, can also be used to build a positive public image. But if it is used improperly, it could also provoke controversy as anything to do with money is sensitive. I think this is also an interesting opportunity for brands.
Read more: 明星为什么都爱在咸鱼上卖二手？
What type of Travel Content is best for which Chinese Social Media Platform?
The tourism industry continues to boom as Chinese peoples’ incomes are increasing. Young consumers are leading this trend with 70% of travellers 35 years old or younger. Many of these consumers are getting inspiration and travel info from travel influencers and this article shares some typical characteristics of travel content on several major Chinese social media platforms.
Douyin: To date there are only 3 travel influencers on Douyin that have more than 5 million followers. Though vertical videos typically do best on Douyin, a lot of travel content is horizontal. Many travel influencers on Douyin tend to post travel vlogs. Quality travel content is still in the early stages on Douyin but with its geotagging features the platform holds a ton of opportunity for the travel industry.
Kuaishou: Again, travel videos tend to be vlog style. Influencers are mostly hiking and travel guides recording their lives abroad.
Bilibili: Travel influencers on this platform typically live in a big city or another country, they understand its culture well, and share their experience to audience. They are also more like vlogs.
Xiaohongshu: Posts tend to be travel guides referred to as gonglue(攻略).
Read more: 旅游短视频的钱景在哪？
China Influencer Marketing Podcast: Easternization & Understanding Young Chinese Consumers with Zak Dychtwald, Author of “Young China”
In this episode, we hear from Zak Dychtwald, author of the book “Young China” and Founder of the think tank Young China Group.
He and I dive deep, trying to understand young Chinese people and what they are all about. Zak shares some of the defining characteristics of the post 80s, post 90s and post 00s consumers, how they differ from older generations, as well as common misperceptions international companies have about this highly sought-after consumer group.
If you’re working for an international brand in the China market or one that’s looking to enter the China market, I highly suggest you listen to this episode and check out some of the videos of Zak’s speeches that I have linked below.
Listen online here, on iTunes here, and on Ximalaya FM here.
Influencer Spotlight:
Farfetch and Tmall are Taking Influencer Collaborations to the Next Level
While e-commerce platforms collaborating with influencers to drive sales is nothing new, e-commerce platforms in China appear to be taking influencer partnerships to the next level. Recently, Farfetch joined forces with renowned WeChat influencer Mr. Bags to launch a co-branded Mini Program store, while top e-commerce live streaming beauty blogger Austin Li became the first KOL to launch a Tmall Global Influencer Store.
