Despite this, it is still uncertain whether livestream e-commerce will become popular outside of China. While AI can help Chinese companies expand globally, the technology still has limitations, such as not being able to test products in real time in response to audience questions. However, the rapid advancement of synthetic media technology suggests that it may only be a matter of time before Chinese e-commerce companies can fully capitalize on it.
Key takeaways:
- Livestream e-commerce is extremely popular in China, with over 500 million people regularly watching and contributing to $4.6 trillion in sales last year. However, this trend has not caught on in the West.
- AI tools are now enabling brands to create deepfake streamers for e-commerce platforms in China. These AI-generated avatars can speak and act like real humans and have been used in thousands of shopping livestreams.
- One of the biggest obstacles to bringing Chinese-style livestream shopping abroad is the lack of foreign talent who understand how it works. AI streamers can overcome this barrier as they can speak multiple languages.
- Chinese AI companies Xiaoice and Quantum Planet have used AI streamers to sell products in different languages. In March, they used a Thai-speaking AI streamer to sell furniture for a Chinese company, selling $2,000 worth of products in an hour.