Last month, China concluded its mid-year e-commerce shopping festival known as ‘618’, the second-largest e-commerce shopping festival in China (the top shopping festival being ‘Single's Day’ on November 11th each year). 

Over this shopping festival, Tmall, one of China’s e-commerce giants under Alibaba, made a breakthrough by introducing ‘customized live streaming’ of product sales. The general public was invited to vote on which hands-on activities and talent show they wanted to see in a live streaming brand session for the first time. 

(‘618 Star Collaboration Night poster’)

（Clarins and Honor [smartphone brand] launch polls on the content of live sessions）

The live streaming campaign was named ‘618 Star Collaboration Night’, with participants from several market leaders across different industries including L’Oréal, P&G, Unilever, and other domestic brands. Over 50 Chinese celebrities engaged for their Tmall’s official live streaming sessions, performing talent and product promotion for brands.

In the past, audiences could only passively watch live content when they clicked into the live session. However, during this year’s 618 Star Collaboration Night, the audience were able to be content makers during the live sessions, allowing them to be more involved. This involvement helped to drive up the viewership of live streaming brand sessions effectively, and it is reported that the campaign hashtag #618StarCollaborationNight has garnered over 5 billion views across different Chinese online platforms, with more than 40 relevant topics appearing in the hot searches on platforms like Weibo, China’s biggest social media platform. 

Moreover, the propelling of user-generated content further mobilizes the public's passion for shopping. It also betters the shopping experience for consumers, allowing brands to unleash more consumer potential in their 618 e-commerce battle. Chando (a domestic beauty brand) reports a 10-fold increase in viewership, hitting 2.06 million views during the live session. Some brands even reported a conversion rate growth of 1000% during the 618 festival.

(Discussion in the Weibo comments over the given options and the performance)

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