In China, social media means shopping

Chinese smartphone users on the subway. Photo credit: Pedro Serapio.

When a Chinese fashion blogger who calls himself Mr. Bags last week sold US$174,000 worth of designer handbags in just 12 minutes, he showed that social media in China is as much about shopping as sharing.

Using WeChat, China’s most popular messaging app with over 800 million active users, the blogger – real name Tao Liang – partnered with Givenchy for a flash sale of 80 limited edition pink handbags each costing just over US$2,000.

The eager buyers paid Mr. Bags through WeChat, using the social network’s built-in payments function. The Givenchy bag, while pricey, was within a user’s US$7,270 daily payment limit on WeChat.

Comedian laughs all the way to the bank

Across China’s social media landscape, ker-chings mix with the chatter, ‘likes’, news articles, videos, and emo stickers on virtually all the country’s top apps.

Over on Youku, the Alibaba-owned site that’s China’s equivalent to YouTube, a squeaky-voiced star named Papi Jiang is selling products within her comedic skits.

Papi Jiang in action in one of her fast-paced routines. GIF by Tech in Asia.

Papi, a 30-year-old drama student turned comedian, is believed to be the first viral star in the country to receive funding from tech investors, securing US$1.9 million in early 2016. While her content is funny, the institutional investors are no joke – Zhen Fund, Lighthouse Capital, and Xingtu Capital. Zhen Fund is one of China’s most prestigious investors with over 300 startup investments in its portfolio. One of its biggest investments is Chinese drone maker Ehang.

Live streaming is now continuing China’s vanguard melding of social media and ecommerce.

Her rise to fame was fast – appearing out of nowhere and accumulating millions of fans across social media in just a few months. On Youku she now has 2.9 million subscribers, and her skits have been collectively watched 240 million times.

Papi’s videos – usually no more than three minutes long – are a draw for her fast-paced and high-pitched voice, which sounds like something out of Alvin and the Chipmunks. Her videos are self-contained skits, usually featuring the funnywoman in a dialogue with herself in quick-moving video edits. She talks about stuff millennials in China care about – like all the embarrassing questions older family members ask when you go back to your hometown for Chinese New Year. She does all the performances, the scripts, and the editing.

Shortly after pocketing the VC cash, which effectively turned her into a media startup, Jiang started selling ad space in her videos. Her first deal with a cosmetics company was worth US$3.3 million. And after that she started selling products – her first being T-shirts with three unique artworks inspired by the popular Warcraft game.

Like with Mr. Bags’ flash sale, Jiang’s T-shirts were limited-edition designs. All three versions sold out on Alibaba’s Taobao marketplace in 36 minutes.

Doing it live

Strong personalities