Livestream shows in factories boost sales, facilitate recruitment in China

Instead of simply introducing products in front of a background plate, more and more livestream hosts in China are providing viewers with comprehensive and detailed information about products by showing them the production lines and processes in factories, and even recruiting employees this way.

The new way of live streaming has not only promoted sales, but increased customer loyalty.

Shanxi Tianqingcheng e-commerce Co., Ltd., a company based in Taiyuan city, north China's Shanxi Province, has achieved great results in promoting sales through livestream shows in factories.

A livestream host introduces Morchella esculenta products to consumers during a livestream in an agricultural products deep processing workshop in Ningde city, southeast China's Fujian Province. (Xinhua/Lin Shanchuan)

During a livestream show for vinegar products of Yiyuanqing, a time-honored brand of vinegar in Taiyuan, the company's livestream host showed viewers big vats where vinegar is made, and featured the packing workshop and other facilities of the factory where vinegar products are made.

"It's certainly more effective to show the production techniques on site than simply telling viewers how the products are made. Livestream shows in factories can help consumers better understand the products and increase customer stickiness. They also attract new customers for us," said Guo Li, an executive in charge of livestream shows at the company.

The company also livestreams the real-life scenarios of workers packing and loading vinegar products onto express delivery vehicles, Guo said.

"The scene of rows of express delivery vehicles parked outside our warehouse amazes viewers. Many of them make comments when they see such a scene, which can also improve the popularity of our livestream shows," Guo said.

According to Guo, the company holds livestream shows in factories during each of the major online shopping sprees in China, such as the Singles' Day shopping festival on Nov. 11, and the "618" shopping festival on June 18.

Livestream shows in factories during such events can lead to an increase of about 40 percent in the average number of viewers and yield great fruits, Guo noted.

Besides vinegar products in Taiyuan, Shanxi, beef balls from the Chaoshan region in south China's Guangdong Province have also captured the taste buds of more consumers because of livestream shows that vividly display the production process of the signature food of the Chaoshan region.

After joining e-commerce platforms and promoting sales through livestreams, Shantou Chaoting Foods Co., Ltd., a company specializing in beef balls, has seen its beef balls become a very popular type of precooked food.

The company, which is based in Shantou city, Guangdong Province, started to sell beef balls on China's e-commerce platform Pingduoduo at the end of July 2022. After joining a 10 billion yuan ($1.39 billion) subsidy campaign launched by the platform, it's monthly sales exceeded 1.5 million yuan, and its target of 100,000 yuan daily sales was also attained during a major online promotion event.

The company began to hold livestream shows in the factory since it set up an e-commerce department, according to Chen Jiayu, general manager of the company, who disclosed that the number of members of the company's e-commerce team has increased from four to more than 70 in recent years.

Through the livestream shows held by the company, netizens can see how beef balls are produced step by step.

Livestream shows from the factory have many benefits, Chen pointed out. On the one hand, such shows can introduce products and services to consumers in an all-round manner, which helps bring consumers and enterprises closer to each other and enhance consumers' trust in enterprises; on the other hand, they facilitate the interaction between consumers and enterprises, thus increasing customer loyalty to relevant businesses, he explained.

Thanks to its endeavors to employ e-commerce and livestreams, the company has increased its annual sales from around 7 million yuan to more than 55 million yuan in three years.

Many other products are embracing broader opportunities brought about by livestream shows in factories.

A machinery company in Jinan city, east China's Shandong Province, recently sold an industrial laser machine worth 200,000 yuan to a foreign buyer during a livestream show.

"We didn’t expect to sell a machine so easily during a livestream show. This is like taking part in an offline exhibition overseas, when we can directly communicate with the buyers and show them the functions and performance of the products. But the livestream show is much cheaper, as we don't have to bear the costs of taking part in exhibitions overseas," said Zhang Jie, general manager of the company.

In addition to promoting products, livestream shows in factories have also proven effective in helping with recruitment.

While watching livestream shows for recruitment, many viewers ask such questions as "Can you show us the factory premises?" "What is the monthly salary for operators?" and "Are there any educational prerequisites for mechanics?"

Livestream hosts can quickly answer these questions and directly respond to their requests while hosting livestream shows in factories. After a virtual tour of such facilities as workshops, canteens, and dormitories, job seekers can have a better understanding of the companies and duties of the jobs they intend to apply for.

"We have taken part in livestream shows in studios for recruitment before. But I think the ones that introduce companies directly from inside the companies are more effective, since they can help job seekers get a more comprehensive understanding of the companies," said Lu Fang, head of the human resources department of a company headquartered in Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, central China's Hubei Province.

Recruitment-themed livestream shows in factories can brief job seekers better before they submit their resumes, and enable employers to recruit more talent, Lu noted.

Such shows are well-received by job seekers, as they effectively reduce the cost of job hunts by offering immersive virtual tours of the workplaces.

"I used to spend a lot of money during job hunts in the past, only to find it all in vain. In addition to the expenses for transportation, food, and accommodations, the trips themselves were often time-consuming. The results were not always favorable and it was difficult to know the actual conditions of the employers," a job seeker told People's Daily Overseas Edition.

"Livestream shows in factories for recruitment help us get a preliminary understanding of the factories by showing the workplaces and the duties of the jobs, which enables us to make informed decisions," the job seeker added.