Across China: Foreign businesspeople trained in livestreaming e-commerce in "world's supermarket"

What kind of livestreaming sessions will attract more viewers? How to introduce a product so that viewers will not leave the livestreaming room?

At a livestreaming e-commerce training class, 55-year-old Iranian businessman Gholam Hossein Dehghani kept asking questions about the burgeoning sector in China.

Like Dehghani, nearly 30 foreign businesspeople and students from 17 countries and regions participated in the training organized during the 2020 China International E-commerce Expo in the eastern Chinese city of Yiwu, known as the "world's supermarket."

The participants learned skills for attracting fans, product selection, live scene creation, interaction with fans and marketing, video shooting and editing, and other know-how related to livestreaming e-commerce.

Mexican businesswoman Veronica Larraury came to Yiwu to do business in 2017. Her business was badly hit by the COVID-19 epidemic.

"But I am confident my business will pick up gradually," she said. "I have seen the strong potential of livestreaming in expanding the e-commerce market. Many Chinese businessmen rely on it to sell goods, especially amid the epidemic."

"Via livestreaming sessions, I can introduce products to both my Chinese and Mexican customers, although the epidemic affects face-to-face communication," Larraury said.

The booming livestreaming industry also attracted Dehghani, who came to Yiwu to do business in 2003.

Over the past years, Dehghani has set up branch offices in Chinese cities of Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou to export silk scarves, clothing, and sanitary ware to cities in Asia, Europe and North America.

"During the epidemic, livestreaming e-commerce played a unique role in promoting businesses. We hope we can jump on the bandwagon," he said.

He Shaoqing, vice president of Yiwu Industrial and Commercial College, one of the training organizers, said the livestreaming training was aimed at helping foreign businessmen in Yiwu expand their business channels.

"They have not tried livestreaming e-commerce before," said He. "I hope after this training class, they can master the new skill and develop their e-commerce businesses better."

Exhibitors promoting their products through livestream during the 2020 China International E-commerce Expo, Yiwu, June 21, 2020. (VCG)