Social commerce in China: teleshopping redux

The 90s are back. The wave of nostalgia has finally rolled into a new decade, dredging up ripped jeans, doc martens and bucket hats.

Arguably the most surprising reanimation, however, has been teleshopping. That most quintessential of daytime TV fillers has been resuscitated in the form of livestreaming. China is the epicentre of this consumer behavioural evolution.  The events of 2020 have accelerated e-commerce penetration on a global scale. In China, the latest data points suggest online sales accounted for 30% of the total in the first half of the year, up four points over 2019, and are set to reach 39% in 2026 (CLSA estimates). This compares to 11% in the US and 19% in the UK respectively last year.  Will the ...