Ninja Van Malaysia, a tech-enabled logistics company, has released its first-ever white paper on Live Selling in Southeast Asia. The white paper introduces Live Selling as one of the up-and-coming Southeast Asia’s e-commerce trends and shares Live Selling insights collected from over 1,000 Ninja Van’s e-commerce sellers across Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, The Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam.
While Live Selling is still a nascent industry in most Southeast Asian countries, the increase in the number of Live Selling solutions shows that the new retail trend shaping the future of e-commerce is here to stay – and sellers are taking note.
In Malaysia alone, 40% of live sellers conduct their sessions daily, ranking higher than its regional neighbours Singapore (17%), Indonesia (23%), and Vietnam (27%). Additionally, 47% of live sellers in Malaysia conduct each session for up to 2 hours.
“Live Selling is an interesting marketing tactic for e-commerce sellers,” says Winston Seow, chief marketing and enablement officer, Ninja Van Group. “It’s the only tactic that can fast-track shoppers’ purchase journeys from awareness straight to conversion. Live Selling also gives e-commerce sellers the ability to build relationships at scale with their shoppers, both new and existing.”
One in three of the surveyed Southeast Asian e-commerce sellers is now doing Live Selling, spending up to six hours weekly conducting Live Selling sessions. Most of the early adopters of Live Selling are from low-involvement product categories such as fashion, beauty & personal care, food and beverages, as well as home & living.
While Shopee (27.0%), Facebook (25.5%), and TikTok (22.5%) are ranked as the top three Live Selling channels, the close margins signal that the champion has yet to emerge in Southeast Asia. This could be explained by the fact that on average, the surveyed e-commerce sellers use two channels for Live Selling, presumably to maximise their outreach to shoppers.
Live Selling also offers e-commerce sellers a new way to better connect with customers. “Since we started Live Selling, we’ve seen an increase in our sales and have built a stronger relationship with our customers.
“We sell over 1,600 household products made from different materials and through our live sessions, we’re able to engage directly with our customers and answer any questions they may have about our products. I believe this makes for a more positive shopping experience for our customers, allowing them to make informed decisions about their purchases,” says Tan Jie Xian, Digital E-commerce marketing executive at Elianware.
The white paper also explores the challenges of Live Selling, such as keeping Live Shoppers engaged, preparing on-set logistical requirements, as well as sales and post-sales arrangements. Recommended solutions are included too.