AliExpress, the Chinese marketplace platform owned by Alibaba, invites UK influencers to try livestreaming e-commerce. The new livestream service, which will operate through a partnership with Vogue Business, allows shoppers to interact with local models, actors, and TV personalities. Former Love Island contestants Olivia Attwood and Kady McDermott are part of the ‘It Girls’ mini shop programme.
These influencers host livestreaming videos, selling various products and earning commissions on sales made via their streams. Additionally, they have the opportunity to develop their own fashion collections through a competition later in the year.
“Livestreaming is a fast-growing trend that has completely blurred the line between entertainment and shopping, created a new phenomenon known as ‘shoppertainment.’ Tapping into shoppers’ thirst for digital content and online interactions, it is quickly becoming one of the most effective ways for businesses to…
sell to and engage customers. As one of the pioneers of this trend, we hope to roll this business model out across our key markets to help both content creators and our sellers to take advantage of this exciting new trend,” said Wang Mingqiang, the General Manager of AliExpress.
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kady McDermott (@kadymcdermott) Livestream shopping is not entirely new to the UK market, but previous attempts, such as TikTok’s live shopping trial, faced challenges and did not meet targets, leading to a shift in focus towards the Southeast Asian market.
However, AliExpress’s entry into the UK market could signal a turning point, especially considering the growing trend of online shopping in the region. Statistics show that in 2022, UK online sales saw their highest annual growth since 2007, with a 36% increase.
Online sales constituted 26.5 percent of overall retail sales in the country, more than double the amount from a decade prior. With nearly 60 million e-commerce users expected in 2023, the UK is a ripe market for the livestream shopping model that has seen immense success in China…
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