China's live-streaming attracts young hopefuls as competition grows

SHANGHAI – Only a few months after beginning her career as a live-streaming sales host in January, Ms Zhang Jinyu, 28, a former model and blogger with a master’s degree in fashion management, had clocked hundreds of hours of broadcasting time working with brands such as YSL Beauty.

A day in the life of a live-streaming host may include more than six hours of talking almost non-stop to a camera as well as time spent on hair, make-up and post-broadcast debriefs.

Despite the demanding schedule, Ms Zhang is one of millions of young Chinese – who are facing record youth unemployment of more than 21 per cent – attempting to forge live-streaming sales success stories on platforms such as Alibaba’s Tmall and Taobao, and Bytedance’s Douyin, TikTok’s Chinese sister site.

“For live-streaming, the threshold to enter the industry is very low. I can pick up my phone, and I am live-streaming,” Ms Zhang said.

“How to stand out is difficult. This industry is highly competitive, but if you can persevere, you can get better and better. I think whether I can stand out is only a matter of my mentality and my ability.”

She is not alone in her determination to make live-streaming hosting a career. A survey of more than 10,000 young people on social media platform Sina Weibo in July found that more than 60 per cent said they would be interested in working as Internet influencers or live-streaming hosts.

The live-streaming industry employed 1.23 million hosts as at 2020, according to iResearch, and a Covid-19 pandemic-era boom in live-streaming sales helped the industry to generate US$480 billion (S$651 billion) in business in China last year.

To facilitate an increasingly professional and competitive live-streaming landscape, agencies have sprung up to train hosts and connect suitable ones with brands.

Ms Zhang works with Shanghai-based agency Romomo, an arm of brand partner Buy Quickly, which helps link companies such as Lancome and Under Armour with its 150 full-time hosts.

“Today, live streaming is one of the most important methods of communication for the international brands we work with,” said Romomo vice-president Shining Li. “It doesn’t just increase sales, but also helps brands to promote their brand values and products in a very efficient way.”

Indeed, the way brands approach live streaming in China has also evolved quickly. From an initial focus on massive sales via deep discounts, storytelling and longer-term consumer engagement have increasingly become the goal.

For live-streaming host Shi Jianing, 28, building a relationship with the consumers she communicates with during broadcast sessions for brands such as Hugo Boss is key to sales success.

“We are like friends with the consumers,” she said. “If you can communicate with some personal affinity, that builds a kind of trust, and that relationship makes the consumer want to carry out the sale.” REUTERS