Lights, camera, sell: Retailers want you to watch and shop

China’s online celebrity Zhang Mofan, right, introduces fresh mangos to her online clients and fans through a livestreaming session at her house in Beijing. Livestream selling, already popular in China, is taking off in the US, ushering in a new way for Americans to shop online. — AP

NEW YORK: When Jenna Powell gets in front of a camera, she can sell US$10,000 (RM40,925) worth of sparkly dresses and tie-dye hoodies in 40 minutes.

Powell, whose three Jennaration shops in Alabama were closed at the start of the pandemic, has put all her focus on selling through live videos, broadcasting live several times a week to 400 people who watch on Facebook or her store’s app. She puts on clothes from her shop, spins for the camera and tries to get viewers to buy.