China’s annual Singles Day shopping festival—also known as Double 11—arrived earlier this year than previously, with presales on the two major e-commerce platforms, Taobao and JD.com, starting as far back as October 14. Meanwhile, other social media platforms, including Douyin, Kuaishou, Xiaohongshu, and Pinduoduo, launched their presales days or a week earlier. Known as the “longest Singles Day in history (史上最长双十一 shǐshang zuì cháng shuāng shí yī)” for having lasted nearly a month, the festival finally draws to a close yesterday, November 11.
Now in its 16th year, Singles Day has in recent years faced decreasing popularity and growing complaints, most of which center around the e-commerce platforms’ increasingly complicated discount policies as well as their “cheating” strategies, inflating prices in the lead-up to the festival so as to better discount products later on. Amid a slumping national economy, this year is believed to be even more challenging for the industry, with Chinese consumers being particularly conscious of their spending and no longer simply enticed by low prices or big brands—a trend known as “consumption downgrading (消费降级 xiāofèi jiàngjí).”
Nevertheless, livestreamers, in it for the long haul, have been working tirelessly in their studios and production facilities to sling a seemingly endless collection of wares across various streaming platforms. Even Taobao’s top host, Li “Lipstick King” Jiaqi, despite the negative fallout from last year’s “eyebrow pencilgate,” streamed continuously for hours. To successfully navigate such extended streaming sessions, which usually include the introduction of numerous product categories, a barrage of demands to viewers, and repeated explanations of sales-related complex rules, it is crucial for skilled sellers to have effective scripts on hand.
Typically, before diving into a selling frenzy, livestreamers begin with a warm-up session and a housekeeping speech to create a welcoming atmosphere and engage the audience—commonly addressing them as 宝宝 (bǎobao, dear), 宝子 (bǎozi, darling), 姐妹 (jiěmèi, sister), or 家人 (jiārén, family).
They also open with phrases like: “Welcome to my channel, dears! Click ‘Follow’ to stay tuned—there are livestream bonuses every evening! (欢迎宝宝们来到直播间！点击关注不迷路，每晚都有直播福利哦。Huānyíng bǎobaomen láidào zhíbōjiān! Diǎnjī guānzhù bù mílù. Měi wǎn dōu yǒu zhíbò fúlì o.)”; or something more fawning: “Hey, handsome guys and beautiful ladies, drop a comment so I can see you! (进来的帅哥美女，刷刷弹幕，让我看到你们！Jìnlái de shuàigē měinǚ, shuāshua dànmù, ràng wǒ kàndào nǐmen!)”
While waiting for more viewers to join, experienced livestreamers have a few tricks up their sleeves to help loosen the purse strings: “I’ll stop talking now. Let’s first have a lucky draw. (话不多说，我们先来抽波奖。Huà bù duō shuō, wǒmen xiān lái chōu bō jiǎng.)” or “Don’t leave, babes. We’re going to give out hongbao [red envelopes] now. (进来的宝宝们不要走，主播要给大家发红包了。Jìnlái de bǎobaomen búyào zǒu, zhǔbō yào gěi dàjiā fā hóngbāo le.)” They often teasingly apply this strategy throughout the livestream to keep viewers engaged, saying: “We’ve prepared five rounds of attractive lucky draws. Don’t miss them. (我们准备了5轮惊喜抽奖，大家不要错过哦。Wǒmen zhǔnbèile wǔ lún jīngxǐ chōujiǎng, dàjiā búyào cuòguò o.)”
Once the real business begins, seasoned hosts will use every method at their disposal to embellish their products, such as describing how popular or useful they are: “We’ve already sold over 100,000 sets of this product! (这款产品我们已经卖了10多万套了！Zhè kuǎn chǎnpǐn wǒmen yǐjīng màile shí duō wàn tào le!)”; “This thickened windproof [scooter] quilt is especially sturdy, blocking both wind and rain. 这款加厚的挡风被，特别厚实，挡风又挡雨。Zhè kuǎn jiā hòu de dǎngfēngbèi, tèbié hòushi, dǎngfēng yòu dǎngyǔ.)”
Then, for those still not convinced to part with their hard-earned cash, there are live demonstrations and firsthand experiences. Livestreamers espouse the superior quality of these goods, so impeccably made that they couldn’t help but put a couple aside for themselves. Of these “self-reserved products 自留款 (zì liú kuǎn),” they may say: “This all-cotton sweatshirt is stylish, providing a versatile fit that pairs well with pants or a skirt. I bought one for myself and one for my bestie. (这件全棉卫衣时尚百搭，我给自己和闺蜜都买了一件。Zhè jiàn quánmián wèiyī shíshàng bǎidā, wǒ gěi zìjǐ hé guīmì dōu mǎile yí jiàn.)”
Consistently engaging the audience with questions is key to increasing interaction. Whether it’s in response to viewers’ inquiries about other products or their frustrated cries about their comments going unnoticed, the host must maintain a cool head and try to respond as quickly and politely as possible: “Miss, I’ll try it on for you in just a moment (小姐姐，稍等，马上为你试穿哦 Xiǎojiějie, shāoděng, mǎshàng wèi nǐ shìchuān o)!”; “The comments are coming in so fast that I missed it, but when I see it, I’ll reply as soon as possible. Please don’t be upset! (弹幕太多，刷得太快，我看到一定会回的哦，请不要生气哦！Dànmù tài duō, shuā de tài kuài, wǒ kàndào yídìng huì huíde o, qǐng búyào shēngqì o!)”
And when the audience appears ready to buy, they just need a final push. The trick here is to emphasize urgency: “Don’t overthink it, just grab it—this price is only available on my channel! (不用想，直接拍，只有我的直播间有这样的价格！Búyòng xiǎng, zhíjiē pāi, zhǐyǒu wǒ de zhíbōjiān yǒu zhèyàng de jiàgé!)” or “Only three minutes left! If you haven’t bought it yet, place an order now—hurry! Once the time’s up, it’ll be off the shelf. (还有最后三分钟，没有买到的宝宝赶紧下单。时间到了我们就下架了。Háiyǒu zuìhòu sān fēnzhōng, méiyǒu mǎidào de bǎobao gǎnjǐn xiàdān. Shíjiān dàole wǒmen jiù xiàjià le.)”
Despite the Singles Day sales having lasted nearly a month, the e-commerce battle rages on. Countless sellers continue to promote their products tirelessly, mustering whatever energy remains to speak dry-mouthed to the faceless cyberspace masses. Whether the host is ecstatic or defeated—largely dependent on whether their sales have met expectations or not—they never fail to end each day on an optimistic note: “We’ll be live at the same time tomorrow. Don’t forget to click ‘Follow!’ (明天同样时间开播，大家可以点一下关注哦！Míngtiān tóngyàng shíjiān kāibō, dàjiā kěyǐ diǎn yíxià guānzhù o!)”
Cover image: Design by Wang Siqi; elements from VCG
Audio generated by AI
Check out our video on How Chinese e-commerce navigates the consumption downgrade
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