What you need to know: 

• China had more than 500m webcast viewers in 2018, a number that is expected to double by 2020.
• One Chinese live-streaming service, Alibaba’s Taobao Marketplace, generated more than $15B in transactions through live streaming sessions in 2018 — nearly 4x more than 2017.
• In 2018, the most profitable live-stream host on Taobao Live raked in $390m in sales.

How you can capitalize:

• Follow the playbook of Welden, a high-end US handbag startup, which first tapped into Chinese live-streaming two years ago. It now sells 20% of its products through China’s live-streaming market. We break down the different marketplaces and show you how other niche brands are prospering.

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