Since 2009 Double Eleven has been the world's biggest shopping festival. The festival falls on every Nov 11; on and around that day people rush to buy goods mainly online due to the large discounts.

With the rapid development of social media and the digital economy, different purchase modes contribute to the prosperity of Double Eleven. And livestream e-commerce has become a new trend that occupies a big share. Statistics show that the livestream e-commerce turnover of Double Eleven in 2022 reached 181 billion yuan ($25.54 billion), going up 146.1 percent year-on-year. The main contributors are platforms like Douyin, Diantao, and Kuaishou.

According to Douyin, China's mainstream short video and livestream platform, 7,667 livestream retailers in Douyin created revenue of over 1 million yuan from Oct 31 to Nov 11. Repeat retailers participating in Double Eleven increase 86 percent year-on-year.

Livestream e-commerce boosts auto sales

Apart from traditional commodities, more livestream e-commerce platforms expanded their business to the auto industry. Bolaa Network, a company located in Chongqing Liangjiang New Area, assisted auto brands like Changan Auto, Changan Mazda, Changan Ford to join a livestream on Double Eleven. Besides the shopping festival, Bolaa cooperates with Changan Auto to develop online stores, a VR auto exhibition system and a smart livestream platform, bringing more consumers closer to the cars without having to leave their residences. It also helps the auto enterprises form their own livestream strategic matrixes through integrating with dealers and salesmen, significantly accelerating the O2O marketing layout.

Livestream of Changan Mazda during Double Eleven. [Photo provided to english.liangjiang.gov.cn]

By means of establishing the livestream platform and utilizing thousands of dealer resources, Bolaa has established brand new online customer channels which can achieve over 10,000 sales leads for auto enterprises.

The year 2022 has proved a boom period for auto livestream e-commerce. Based on the prosperity of short video and livestream e-commerce, the auto enterprises are embracing the new opportunities and establishing their own digital marketing strategies.

More job opportunities created

While providing digital technology and new media services to the real economy, livestream e-commerce platforms, responding to the national strategy of rural revitalization, also bring more job opportunities to the public.

"9.9 yuan a kilo, welcome to order!" the short-video blogger Da Lin is livestreaming in a video room of Bolaa. Da Lin is a fruit farmer living in Chongqing Wanzhou. Through  livestream training, now he has over 10,000 followers in his livestream room. "The video base made me learn new skills and brought me a way to earn more money," said Da Lin.

"While digital rural construction is one of the main directions for rural revitalization, we aim to lead farmers to use their phones and start livestreaming," said Cao Jing, vice president of Bolaa Network.

Bolaa Network has built the largest video base in Southwest China. [Photo/Zhang Kunkun]