By Xinyi Li, EDITOR
On April 13, on the page of “Lao Tan Pao Cai Jie”, which means Sister of Pickled Seedy Mustards in Traditional Jars in English, of Taobao Live, Alibaba’s dedicated live-streaming channel, Chen Zhangrong, the so-called “Sister”, was interacting with her followers while cutting seedy mustards. She can sell out unmarketable products and create an annual sales volume of RMB 1 million only by promoting online. She is famous in Chongqing now because of her achievements.
Ms. Chen uses live broadcasting on the Taobao platform to advertise her homemade products, helping herself and others to sell products
start her business after being away from home for twenty years
At the end of the 1980s, when Chen was not yet 20 years old, she left home for life. She worked as a waitress, created a business, and finally opened a furniture store in Yunnan on her savings in the past. As she approached her 50s, she wanted to settle down. In 2016, she found a business opportunity and became a partner of “Rural Taobao”, Alibaba Group’s program to buttress trade between China’s remote regions and urban areas. Mrs. Chen helped farmers to purchase daily necessities online and earned commissions.
The image of her live broadcasting
Relying on the advantages of Rural Taobao, she came up with an idea of opening an online shop. The first product she thought of was the homemade pickles. In 2017, Chen learned the pickle processing skills from her mother and sold the homemade pickles online.
Although with outstanding craftsmanship and substantial raw materials, her pickles were not sold well because she lacked the experience in online shop management. There were a lot of similar products online featured “homemade”. It was challenging to stand out from rivals.
The style of simplicity and sincerity bring her numerous followers
To expand the sales, Chen began to change the thinking of online shop management and learn the new rules and trends of Taobao. By accident, she learned about the way of the live broadcast. “We can spread the traditional handicraft of making pickles through the live broadcast, which will not only prove the high quality of our pickles but also create a marketing point in the name of the craftsmanship,” she said. One day in February 2018, Chen appeared on the live broadcasting room in the name of “Lao Tan Pao Cai Jie”. In addition, in the face of fierce competition, Chen insisted on a live broadcast for more than ten hours every day, and she also established an operation team composed of her family members. Up to now, she has broadcasted for a year and attracted nearly 50,000 followers. Her products have also been sold to Guizhou, Yunnan, Shaanxi and other places.
Unsalable pears were sold out in a week
As long as you have a large number of followers, products can be sold out easily. Benefiting from the large volume of sales and positive comments, Chen was selected to participate in the homepage live broadcasting. In live broadcasting on February 12, she attracted 80,000 followers, and the sales of that day reached tens of thousands yuan.
According to Chen, her shop on Taobao had a turnover of more than RMB 1 million last year, relying on live broadcasts, and the sales are still rising. After achieving success through live broadcast, Chen also helps villagers around sell agricultural products. “As long as the quality is guaranteed, I will help promote.”
Zhongxian County, fertile land of fish and rice in Eastern Sichuan, also produces citrus and pears with excellent quality. Chen Zhangrong walked into the fields with a mobile phone camera for promoting local seasonal fruits. Last year, pears of villagers were difficult to sale during the off-season. Chen came to the orchards despite the scorching sun and organized online foretaste activities for several days. The 1,500 kilograms of pears were sold out within a week.
Source: Chongqing Economic Times