We’re sure everyone’s familiar with the catchy Shopee jingle that we hear everywhere, and their monthly sale adverts with dancing celebrities (remember how wild it was to see our childhood icon Phua Chu Kang doing the Shopee dance?) Well, apart from these iconic ads, the leading e-commerce platform in Southeast Asia and Taiwan also has a dedicated team that hosts regular livestreams.
Livestreaming is something that has been around for some time, and has primarily been used for broadcasting events like awards shows, national day parades, and other large-scale events. But these days, when we think about livestreams, one of the first things that come to mind would be livestream sales.
Shopee, whose regional headquarters is situated in the Singapore Science Park, launched Shopee LIVE in 2019 to cater to the growing demand for entertaining video content on the go. Shopee LIVE has been well-received since its launch, with participating local sellers and brands attesting to the appeal of real-time engagement and interaction with users. Since the pandemic, the platform has seen even more brands and sellers adopt the feature to get closer to their customers and showcase their products by testing out items, answering questions about them, and everything in between. Livestreams have remained a popular choice for sellers and consumers alike because of their wide reach and accessibility. All you need is a smartphone with Internet access, and you’ll be able to watch various livestreams on the go.
Zoe Heng (L), Senior Associate of Shopee’s Content Management Team and regular Shopee LIVE host, after hosting a livestream talk show with guests. Image courtesy of Zoe Heng.
While it may seem easy to host a livestream from the comforts of home or a studio space, there’s actually a lot of prep work that has to be done both before and after each livestream session. But we’ll leave it to the experts to do the explaining—here, we sit down for a chat with Zoe Heng, Senior Associate of Shopee’s Content Management Team and regular Shopee LIVE host, to find out more about what goes on behind the scenes of each livestream.
Our livestreams can be viewed directly from our app, and we typically introduce various brands and products that we sell on Shopee in each session. We try to keep our users engaged in many ways, so we sometimes invite interesting guests and celebrities to our livestreams, and have a wide variety of prize and Shopee voucher giveaways that our audience can stand to win when they tune in!
We usually stream in the morning and evenings—perfect for our users who are likely using their phones before and after work or school.
As part of our routine, the team would start preparations one hour before the start of the livestream. This includes doing a test stream, briefing the hosts, displaying the products, and setting up or decorating the set. Fun fact: for a special “haunted tales” livestream that we hosted, we decorated the set with Halloween-themed items for a spooky mood!
In between sessions, our day is usually filled with planning and discussions for new livestream content.
A lot! For example, before each stream, our team would need to brainstorm, create storyboards, secure giveaway prizes, create vouchers, procure props needed, and test out the ideas and mechanics to ensure everything works smoothly.
After the livestream, there’s a lot of packing, cleaning, and administrative tasks to follow up on, such as replying to customer service queries, dispatching of vouchers, and sending out the giveaways products to winners.
Zoe in action, selling products on one of Shopee’s regular livestreams. Image courtesy of Zoe Heng.
During Halloween, the Shopee LIVE team hosted a spooky-themed livestream with a decorated set to boot. Image courtesy of Zoe Heng.
Livestreaming has elevated the traditional online shopping experience, allowing for more interaction between sellers and consumers. Brands can use livestreaming as an engagement tool to grow their brand awareness, build relationships, receive useful feedback, and drive sales and conversion. At the same time, shoppers can enjoy more entertaining and engaging content, get a deeper understanding of the products, and make more informed purchases.
Essential food supplies tend to sell pretty well on our livestreams, especially when there are new food trends and product launches. As hosts, we will taste-test foods and provide honest, real-time reviews and recommendations to allow viewers to get a better understanding of the products, which tend to contribute to more overall purchases.
Livestreaming has elevated the traditional online shopping experience, allowing for more interaction between sellers and consumers. Brands can use livestreaming as an engagement tool to grow their brand awareness, build relationships, receive useful feedback, and drive sales and conversion. At the same time, shoppers can enjoy more entertaining and engaging content, get a deeper understanding of the products, and make more informed purchases.
A peek at the team and equipment behind the camera of each Shopee livestream. Image courtesy of Zoe Heng.
The nap pods in the Shopee office are useful for the Shopee LIVE team to rest and recharge after a long, productive livestream. Image courtesy of Zoe Heng.
Energy, and lots of it! Whether we're hosting in front of the camera, or running the stream behind the scenes, we always need to keep our team’s energy up to spread positivity and excitement to our viewers.
Don’t laugh, but another must-have item of mine is a comb. After a long livestreams, we usually end up with ruffled hair. So yes, it’s very important to have a comb within reach to look neat and sleek while on camera!
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