A look at livestream shopping in China, where an estimated $500B in goods were sold on apps like Douyin in 2022, an 8x jump since 2019, amid regulatory scrutiny
Star sellers can amass huge followings and eye-popping fortunes, through a format that mixes consumerism and entertainment. Tweets: @andreasharsono , @david_mulroney , and @alexludoboyd Tweets: Andreas Harsono / @andreasharsono : China's story of livestreaming e-commerce is not only about the rise of a new form of shopping. It is a window into the opportunities and perils of doing business in China, as Beijing seeks greater control of private enterprise https://www.nytimes.com/... https://twitter.com/... David Mulroney / @david_mulroney : The Shining Promise and Dashed Dreams of China's Live Shopping Craze https://www.nytimes.com/... “Over time, Taiping — who at first had kept a Mandarin dictionary just offscreen — became confident and unflappable. He heartily gnawed his jerky on camera” Alexander Boyd / @alexludoboyd : Viewers frequently ask him to speak in Mongolian, and he used to readily comply. But then the streaming platforms started issuing automated warnings for speaking in languages other than Mandarin. (The government has made Mandarin usage... https://www.nytimes.com/...