(Photo provided to Xinhua Daily)
In the first half of the year, Jiangsu recorded over 3.08 million livestreaming e-commerce sessions, generating 730 million online orders and retail sales of 71.04 billion yuan.
Among these events was the Jiangsu E-commerce Livestreaming Festival 2023 held on August 22 in Xuzhou City. In one session, as customers waited to taste meat mooncakes at a stall, Xiang Qiuling used her smartphone to conduct a livestream broadcast that allowed viewers to watch and shop at the same time.
Xiang explained while pork-filling mooncakes are the norm, her company provides an upgraded Suzhou-style mooncake with beef sourced from pastures in Northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. “Crafted by master chef in Suzhou, the beef-filled mooncakes boast a crispy, fresh and tender texture,” said Xiang.
Despite its popularity and success, live e-commerce faces challenges like broadcaster cost. However, artificial intelligence may revolutionize the sector, according to Zhou Tao, a manager of Nanjing-based Silicon Intelligence. Zhou said human hosts can work up to 4 to 6 hours at a stretch, but AI digital humans, computer-generated avatar with a human face, can operate 24/7 and more effectively.
Zhou’s perspective aligns with the emerging trends in livestreaming e-commerce, which increasingly relies on brand recognition, the host’s knowledge, technological innovation, and personalized services.
Data showed Jiangsu was home to 2.21 million online retail stores and 34,000 broadcasters engaged in live commerce by the end of June.
Chen Tao, director of the provincial Department of Commerce, said localities are encouraged to carry out unique livestreaming activities, nurture new consumption patterns, and enrich shopping experiences. The department also focuses on local talent development, quality products promotion, and support for innovation and entrepreneurship.
To bolster livestreaming e-commerce, cities like Suzhou have introduced 17 new measures in August, including subsidies up to one million yuan for emerging brands, service providers and talent training. Suqian has also made strides in live e-commerce, with 6.6 billion yuan in online retail sales in the first half of the year and more than 5,900 broadcasters.
