If you haven’t started live stream (网络直播) commerce on social media, maybe you should. 【小题1】It is growing in popularity, accounting for $200 billion in sales in China and $11 billion in the United States in 2020. Those numbers are only expected to climb.

“Livestream commerce is fast becoming a medium of choice,” said Thomas S. Robertson, a marketing professor. In an article he wrote for Harvard Business Review, he examines the rise of livestream commerce and offers guidance for companies that want to jump on the trend.

【小题2】We have to look at the evolution of online. It started with text, and over time that became rather boring. Text then became accompanied by imagery, and that was a step forward in building audience engagement. The next step was video, which turns out to be more powerful than imagery in building engagement. After that came livestream. 【小题3】That’s where we’ve arrived in terms of the evolution of online. It’s become an important means of going to market and selling with certain audiences and under certain conditions.

What should brands be thinking about as they jump into livestream commerce? 【小题4】For example, brands have to choose the right plat form and influence. Is it someone with followings, or a more specialized influence who knows more about a specific category, such as cosmetics or a technology product? Brands have to measure success against goals. 【小题5】It’s not just about making immediate sales. Their objective is to reach new markets, introduce new products，or create a buzz (轰动效应) for the brand. Given their expectations, they are going to track sales outcomes, social media mentions, likes and dislikes.