I have one B2C “super chart”. It’s a bit ridiculous but stick with me. I think it is actually a good prediction of the future of B2C. The basic idea is that ecommerce is combining with entertainment. We see that in Taobao Live and TikTok already. And this is also being combined with social media […]
Category Archives: Influencers and KOLs
Don’t Overvalue Cool China Tactics: Community Group Buying, Blind Boxes and Influencer Marketing. (Tech Strategy – Podcast 77)
In this podcast, Jeffrey Towson discusses the short-term tactics that are popular in China, such as community group buying, blind boxes and influencer marketing. He argues that investors should not overvalue these tactics, as they are not sustainable in the long term.
Joy Spreader and How to Think About KOL / Influencer Marketing (Tech Strategy – Daily Article)
At the suggestion of a subscriber, I looked at Joy Spreader Interactive Technologies. It is a digital marketing company that rose on the back of China’s recent KOL / influencer frenzy. Joy Spreader itself is not that interesting of a company. And, to be blunt, there is very little I like about it from a […]
Ruhnn Holding’s 3 Strategy Lessons for Digital Asia (Jeff’s Asia Tech Class – Daily Update)
Ruhnn Holding is a Chinese company that not many people follow. Based in Hangzhou, tied with Alibaba and vaguely described as a talent agency and/or social commerce company, it’s a strange animal. And it is currently being taken private and off the US exchanges (maybe). But the company is fascinating and has some really important […]
Chinese Ecommerce Is Quietly Going Global (Jeff’s Asia Tech Class – Daily Lesson / Update)
China’s cross-border ecommerce business doesn’t get a lot of attention. It seems peripheral to China ecommerce. There are a lot of logistics, taxes and customs requirements. There are tons of regulations. And it’s just not sexy. But it is also non-political. It doesn’t have any of the national security concerns of telecommunication (i.e., Huawei and […]
Covid-19 Drives Live Streaming. But Private Traffic Pools Are the Solution. (Daily Lesson – Jeff’s Asia Tech Class)
Much of our discussion about digital platforms (Alibaba, Tencent, etc.) has been about their business models. And all their strengths, which are formidable. But I haven’t talked much about the experiences of the user groups on these platforms. What does this mean for merchants and brands selling on Alibaba? For restaurants on Meituan? For content […]
Why the #1 Business Solution to Coronavirus in China Is Live Streaming, Especially Taobao Live (Pt 1 of 2)
Three big things are happening in digital China right now. The coronavirus is radically altering the behavior of hundreds of millions of consumers (and businesses), resulting in what is being called the quarantine economy. Everyone is trying to move from in-person to digital interactions. This shift to digital interactions is supercharging and rapidly evolving China’s […]
The Coronavirus Quarantine Economy Supercharged Taobao Live and the China Digital Consumer Network (Tech Strategy – Podcast 19)
The coronavirus quarantine economy has supercharged the growth of live-streaming and KOLs (key opinion leaders) in China. Taobao Live, a live-streaming platform owned by Alibaba, has seen its user base and sales grow significantly in recent months. This trend is likely to continue as the Chinese economy reopens and consumers increasingly turn to digital channels for shopping and entertainment.