Online influencers boost overseas products

Internet celebrities wield tremendous impact over consumer decisions through engagement with followers

Selling 300,000 yuan ($42,300) worth of durian products in 10 minutes was once beyond the wildest dreams of Leron Yee Poh Soon, co-founder of Malaysian durian producer DKing. But the dream became reality in September thanks to Chinese internet celebrities.

As marketing via livestreams becomes the new normal in China's e-commerce playing field, influencers, also known as key opinion leaders, are extending their reach to promoting overseas merchandise through heartfelt engagement with social media followers.

"They (KOLs) are professional and ... have such trustworthy appearances that you are willing to allow them to promote products on your behalf," said Yee, who exports A-level Musang King durians to China. "Such staggering speed is only possible in China."

Data from Alibaba Group Holding Ltd, owner of the nation's top online shopping sites, echoed Yee's sentiment. During a weeklong campaign promoting Malaysian local produce in September, eight top-tier influencers, who regularly host livestreaming shows via Alibaba's Taobao platform, facilitated the sales of merchandise worth 1 million yuan in just three seconds and helped one merchant sell 80,000 bottles of bird's nest in five minutes, among other incredible feats.

As consumers continue to gravitate toward social media platforms to consume news and personal updates, it's no wonder it has also become an ideal place for product recommendations and a new kind of word-of-mouth marketing, said Lambert Bu, a partner of global consultancy McKinsey.

"The mature digital ecosystem has made online shopping essentially a social affair, boosted by the fact that you can seamlessly ask for advice, get people on board for group purchase discounts and pay for your desired items all on a mobile device," Bu said.

Boosted by online word-of-mouth, Chinese shoppers bought 30 times as many Malaysian cookies, white coffee, durian fruits and snacks, and tehtarik, a local beverage, during the week compared with usual levels, Alibaba said. Meanwhile, procurement from Chinese businesses in the week jumped by 11 times compared to conventional periods, though no details were disclosed.

Darell Leiking, minister of international trade and industry of Malaysia, said the Malaysia Week had ridden on the global marketing wave of influencers and e-commerce, SMEs and the tourism industry have reaped the benefits of this novel promotional approach, which yielded amazing results.

"I would like to extend my particular gratitude to the team at ... Taobao Livestream," Leiking said. "These KOLs are able to inform our consumers about the products sold during Malaysia Week 2019 ... This approach proves to be beneficial to the consumers."

The campaign is the result of an initiative proposed by Alibaba called Electronic World Trade Platform. It sank its first roots in Malaysia, where a string of commercial facilities, from e-commerce infrastructure, logistics, financial technology to cloud computing, are being upgraded and even revolutionized.

"Livestreaming is a medium that puts fans and products directly in touch, making for more genuine experiences," said an online Taobao hostess under the avatar Viya, who has garnered an astonishing 6 million followers and is among the topnotch internet influencers in the lifestyle cycle.

"I myself and my team normally spend at least one month carefully sorting and doing research on the products to promote to my followers," she said.

Viya attributed her success to a combination of factors, including the authenticity of the experience, the trust she has built up through her dedicated and professional work, and the urge for instant gratification among younger consumers.