(Yicai Global) March 29 -- Chinese apparel and accessories merchants are shifting away from online stores to livestreaming as live sales prove to have greater pulling power, an executive at short video platform Kuaishou said.

Livestreaming is outperforming traditional e-commerce in the duration of users’ stay, the number of followers and the conversion rate, Chen Shuyin, head of women’s wear strategy at Kuaishou, told Yicai Global.

Visitors to Beijing-based Kuaishou and Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, generally spend 100 minutes a day on the platforms, unlike the four minutes a day that ordinary online shops get, Chen said. Consumers visit e-stores only when they have something they want to buy, whereas they will have extensive direct and indirect contact with livestreaming platforms throughout the day.

“90 percent of my firm’s sales revenue came from e-commerce in 2018 and 10 percent from livestreaming,” vendor Zhong Xueliang told Yicai Global. “Now, 60 percent is from livestreaming and 40 percent from online sales. This has to do with the company’s change in business focus and also the great impact that live sales has had on traditional e-commerce,” he added.

Zhong’s firm is flogging over CNY100 million (USD15.7 million) worth of goods on Douyin and sales can reach CNY200 million during peak periods, he said. He is also selling his wares on Kuaishou and e-commerce sites Taobao Live and Vipshop.

People like to watch videos, such as on how to match clothes, before they buy anything. Now sites like Douyin and Kuaishou integrate videos with online shopping, Zhang Ting, a clothing industry veteran, told Yicai Global.

“Many consumers who used to shop on e-commerce sites are turning to livestreaming rooms,” Zhong said. "Almost all e-commerce sites are now engaged in live sales, which is a tool that can attract customers and help sell products,” he added.

Editor: Kim Taylor