Spotted: Chinese ecommerce platform Tmall is turning social influencers’ audiences into captive markets, to generate instantaneous online sales. The trend, which is growing in popularity in China and elsewhere, blurs the line between retail and entertainment. 

Tmall recently hosted a livestream chat with Chinese influencer Viya Huang and US celebrity Kim Kardashian. Viya and Kardashian’s livestream chat was viewed by over 13 million people. A reported 15,000 bottles of Kardashian’s KKW perfume sold out in a matter of minutes. 

The event was part of Tmall’s new global influencer ecosystem. The programme is bringing together around 2,000 global influencers to sell imported goods in China. Tmall’s expansion into live-streaming influencers echoes a growing trend in China, where live shopping has caught on. Influencers like Viya Huang have been known to sell millions of dollars’ worth of goods in a single day.