The emergence of live-streamers with significant promotional budgets and strong sales abilities has altered the e-commerce landscape in Vietnam.

These influential figures, which include singers, actors, beauty queens, and even doctors, are competing to drive online sales for their projects through engaging live streams.

Investing billions

One of these so-called 'live-streaming superstars' is Vo Ha Linh, a social media influencer who typically sees anywhere from 200,000 to 400,000 of her 6.7 million followers tune into her live streams.

To promote her personal brand, Linh often publishes promo videos, most advertising upcoming live streams.

One of these promo videos showed her visiting factories in China in a bid to prove that the products she sells were indeed sourced from there.

But Linh is not the only live-streaming superstar.

In fact, competition for live-stream shoppers has gotten so big that there has been a surge in the number of Key Opinion Consumers (KOCs) spending billions of Vietnamese dong per month renting large LED billboards featuring their likeness. (VND1 billion = US$40,708)

Professional retailers are not the only ones pushing sales on platforms such as TikTok Shop.

Doctors, beauty queens, singers, and actors are all looking for their piece of the pie. 

Dr. Tran Duc Cung, for example, frequently hosts a live stream where he promotes dietary supplements.

Other notable streamers include showbiz stars Le Duong Bao Lam, Diep Lam Anh, and Ho Ngoc Ha, as well as pageant queens Thuy Tien, Khanh Van, and Ngoc Chau.

According to Le Hoang Phuong, Miss Grand International 2023, live-streaming provides a solid supplemental income and allows those who are already well known to connect with a larger audience. 

Actor Hung Thuan, famous for his role An in the popular film 'Dat Phuong Nam' (Southern Land), echoed Phuong, sharing that the money he makes from selling kitchenware, men's clothing, and cosmetics on social media provides solid supplementation to his acting remuneration.

Unlikely 'superstars'

Despite many actors and singers having launched live streams, some of the most successful social media sellers are KOCs with no showbiz background, including Hang Du Muc, Quang Linh Vlogs, Quyen Leo Daily, and Diep Le.

These sellers generate anywhere from hundreds of millions to billions of Vietnamese dong in revenue per session, with commissions ranging from two percent to 25 percent.

For their part, major brands are split on their feelings regarding these streamers.

Dyson, Samsung, SH, and VinFast have all embraced social media sales.

Apple, on the other hand, recently asked its authorized dealers in Vietnam to refrain from selling iPhones and Macbooks during TikTok Shop live streams.

According to some experts, Apple's request is understandable, as selling though live streams relies on deep discount vouchers, which can create unrealistic price comparisons and affect the company's direct sales.

Risks and controversies

While many have hit it big as live streams, not everyone is doing it in the most scrupulous way, with some deliberately pushing discredited, counterfeit, and substandard goods.

Le Minh Trang, senior manager at Nielsen, conducted a survey and discovered that about 50 percent of the respondents said that influential salespeople had an impact on their purchasing decisions. 

One of these 'influential people' is N.D., a streamer with nearly three million followers who was recently accused of selling fake cosmetics.

Other controversies are not so clear cut. Quang Linh Vlogs came under fire during this year's Mid-Autumn Festival for failing to meet his customers’ demand for mooncakes when it exceeded the 11,000 he had preapred.

Hang Du Muc (real name Nguyen Thi Thai Hang), a rising star in online sales, has consistently broken records by selling hundreds of tons of Xinjiang Red Apples, along with cosmetics and household items from China.

However, videos posted by fans about her personal life have become just as popular as her live streams.

To prepare for a high-profile live stream, sellers need 10-50 support staff members and 1-2 months to prepare. This includes working with brands, producing promotional videos, and building a set.

Even with thorough preparations, mistakes, such as incorrect price displays, power outages, and fewer-than-promised promo codes, still happen.

Vo Ha Linh recently shared during a live stream about a power failure incident where, despite having prepared two generators, the electrical load was too great to manage.

Streamers not only face pressure from meeting sales targets but also from public scrutiny.

H.L., a young streamer from Ho Chi Minh City, has openly discussed the depression she experienced due to negative comments on her live streams.

Despite these challenges, many live-streaming stars believe the financial rewards outweigh the drawbacks and have no plans to quit anytime soon.

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