KUALA LUMPUR: Livestreaming and affiliate commerce have driven greater marketplace inclusion for local sellers and talents across Shopee's platform in 2023.
Shopee observed that Malaysians watched over 34 million hours of livestreams on Shopee Live and engaged with local influencer hosts 3.5 billion times.
Livestream orders represented between 10 and 40 per cent of total platform orders for sellers who earned over RM500,000 in sales.
Compared to last year, Shopee saw affiliate-driven orders increase by 420 per cent, with the inclusion of more than 20,000 new affiliates in its ecosystem.
Shopee Malaysia's head of marketing Kenneth Soh said: "This marks a significant milestone in Malaysia's digital transformation journey.
"These trends have revolutionised the way Malaysians shop, learn and engage with brands, creating a dynamic and interactive online landscape.
"It is also a demonstration of just how hyper-localised e-commerce has become; Malaysians on our platform are favouring local livestreamers and affiliates, whereas our homegrown sellers are upskilling to be more relatable to digitally-savvy audiences."
Shoppable livestreaming is a seamless integration of e-commerce into livestreaming sessions.
It has captivated Malaysians of all ages with engaging shopping experiences, be it shopping for motorcycles, keropok lekor, chocolates, jewellery or household groceries.
This year, 60 per cent of Shopee Live fans shopped for beauty and fashion, while 20 per cent bought groceries and baby products and 10 per cent sought home appliances and electronics.
The remainder shopped for automotive as well as sports and outdoor gear.
The expansion of Shopee Live into new verticals has given rise to opportunities for local sellers.
60 per cent of the top Shopee Live sellers by sales in 2023 are local sellers and brands, such as PHINIX STORE, Momo House, Elgini Apparel, MYDIN and HABIB.
Local sellers are taking advantage of Shopee Live's polling function and interactive games to understand their audience preferences better.
They are also benefitting from the added credibility and endorsements of Malaysian celebrities such as Elfira Loy, Najiah Hassan, Sherry Alhadad, Syamira Zahar and Zoey Rahman.
Local brands and sellers have been collaborating with Shopee Affiliates which connect them to Malaysian customers, provide genuine product recommendations and reviews and drive traffic.
Based on affiliate orders over the last 12 months, Shopee Affiliates' customers shopped for Home and Living products the most (30 per cent), followed by Health and Beauty (25 per cent) and Mobile and Accessories (25 per cent).
70 per cent of the top products Malaysians have bought from Shopee Affiliate links benefit local sellers.
About two-thirds of Shopee Affiliate links generated this year directed traffic to boost local sellers such as Bed Sheet Bestseller (BSB), Momo House and Myfooyin.
"These collaborations have proven to be a win-win relationship.
"Malaysian affiliates benefit from the interactive and engaging format that allows immediate purchase opportunities, maximising their earnings which are performance-based.
"On the other hand, Malaysian sellers benefit from affiliates who have a loyal following and a reputation for recommending quality products; they can bring positive associations to the livestream seller's brand," said Soh.
The success of livestreaming and affiliate commerce as demonstrated by Shopee this year showcases the potential for greater growth in the future.
With the advancement of technology and the evolving preferences of consumers, livestreaming and affiliate commerce are trends poised to play a significant role in driving more inclusion for local brands and sellers in the marketplace.
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