Personal shoppers at your fingertips

PHOEBE YEN explores the human touch aspect of live stream retail which has taken the online e-commerce community by storm.

Lee Bee Yee juggling between three devices when hosting a live stream. Photo courtesy of Bee Yee.

While many of us are unwilling to travel because of COVID-19, Lee Bee Yee, 48, Director of Premiummall has flown off to Italy under the Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) scheme to shop on behalf of her live stream viewers.

In Milan, Ms Lee, made her way to luxury brand outlet stores and scouts “the best deals” for her followers. After deciding on the catalogue for that day, she set up the live streams for Facebook, Instagram and Telegram. Once her live stream began “about 200-300 people will join immediately and the number can grow up to 500 to 1000,” said Ms Lee. “The live streams are always very hectic and it can drag out to be around 4 hours long. Sometimes I don’t even get a chance to drink water!”

However, not all live stream sellers live such glamourous lifestyles: travelling from one country to the next.

Many small business owners host live streams from the comfort of their own homes. Crystal Soh, 24, is the owner of @sprinklescrystal, an Instagram crystal shop that does weekly live stream selling events. She says, “I use to be a customer and watched other people’s live streams, that is where I got the idea to start doing live streams to sell my crystals.” Adopting live streaming as a way of selling has proven effective in boosting @sprinklescrystal revenue, she says “with live streaming my profit margin is definitely much higher”.

Crystal setting up for her next live stream. Photo courtesy of Crystal.

TODAY ONLINE reports that “live streams and gamification of the online shopping experience in Singapore has increased by 1,890 per cent … since March 2020.” So, why people are so drawn to shopping on live streams?

Tricia Chua, 47, a frequent customer on Facebook live streams, says, “I will tune into the live streams after work, to get good deals and pass time.” To Ms Chua, live stream shopping has become more than just a way to purchase items online, but it has also become a part of her community. Tricia says the live stream host often teases her by calling her ‘Aunty Tricia’ - an endearing nickname to describe her excitement for discounts.

Moreover, for luxury bag seller, Ms Lee, this social aspect of live stream retail is usually the make-or-break factor in closing a sale. Bee Yee’s viewers see her as their personal advisor and trust in her expertise, she says, “I don’t think there is any doubt in my customers’ minds. They know that I only sell authentic products.” By nurturing these personal relationships with their customers, Premiummall has seen much success - selling an average of 60 to 70 luxury items per live show.

“[Live streaming] is a way to replicate elements of physical shopping that have been lost with e-commerce such as personal advice, live entertainment and exclusive real-time offers,” David Morales, 37, Ex-Lazada Chief of Staff and Head of Corporate Strategy, said. By humanising the e-commerce experience, Mr Morales who is now the Group Chief Operating Officer for Achilles Group says live streaming could “become a complementary channel to traditional and e-commerce sales”.

Mr Morales cited a report from iKala, an artificial intelligence solutions firm, that Singapore’s live stream commerce has risen by 29 in the first half of 2021, compared to the same period a year ago.

This surge in live stream retail is just the beginning of changing the retail landscapes worldwide. “I foresee Livestream becoming a mega force and an integral part of the digital retail economy across ASEAN,” says Mr Morales.