Live streaming e-commerce enables transformation and upgrading, digitalization of production and sal

Figure 3: Dongli cashmere fully automatic intelligent weaving production line.

■Our reporter Du Ke

In the cold winter, cashmere sweaters, cashmere pants and other warm clothing usher in the peak sales season, and more and more consumers have become accustomed to placing orders online through live e-commerce platforms. According to official data from Douyin e-commerce, the platform's cashmere category GMV (website transaction amount) exceeded 10 billion yuan in 2024, and the number of active merchants increased by more than 45% year-on-year. In the just-concluded year-end promotion, the cashmere category GMV increased by nearly 30% compared with the 2024 "Double 11" promotion, and more than 30 brands had GMV of more than 10 million yuan.

Behind the booming data are stories of cashmere clothing brands using live e-commerce to enhance their brand influence and find new growth opportunities. Recently, Liu Lina, general manager of the brand division of Chifeng Dongli Cashmere Co., Ltd., reviewed the development of Dongli Cashmere from shopping malls to live broadcast rooms in an exclusive interview with a reporter from China Consumer News.

Live e-commerce brings cashmere clothing closer to consumers

"Specializing in high-quality cashmere for 20 years" and "Cashmere source factory". On January 11, the reporter saw in the Douyin live broadcast room of Dongli Cashmere that the anchor was patiently answering consumers' questions in the public screen area and constantly trying on clothes to show the audience the effect on the body. The screen showed "Douyin Mall New Year Goods Festival Autumn and Winter Good Cashmere", and many cashmere clothes in the live broadcast room showed "sold out". The reporter noticed that the store has 572,000 fans and 1.467 million likes, and was selected as "Top 5 Retro Simple Women's Clothing Stores" and "8,000+ Repeat Customers".

"Starting from the export of Hanshan white cashmere, and becoming a foundry for hundreds of international brands, Dongli Cashmere covers the entire industry chain from goat ranching, cashmere acquisition, combing, spinning, dyeing, weaving, garments, equipment research and development to cashmere product sales." According to Liu Lina, the Dongli Cashmere brand store was opened in 2012, and entered the Douyin platform at the end of 2019 and began to transform online development. The transfer of Dongli Cashmere from shopping malls to live broadcast rooms was not smooth. Due to its long-term service to middle-aged high-end people, Dongli cashmere products were frequently complained about as "old-fashioned" in the live broadcast room at the beginning.

In 2021, Douyin launched the "Ace Factory" project, which aims to help manufacturing companies achieve digital transformation through short videos and live broadcasts. Liu Lina said that Dongli Cashmere seized this opportunity, moved from a behind-the-scenes factory to a public live broadcast room, and started a dream that even their parents dared not to dream: to make cashmere "break the circle" and become a mass consumer product, bringing cashmere cold-resistant clothing closer to consumers.

On the one hand, Dongli Cashmere actively organizes employees to participate in Douyin e-commerce training to improve their ability and level in short video production and live streaming. At the same time, the official platform continues to empower and accompany the runner-up, connecting with influencers and short video operation teams, and guiding companies to enter the live streaming field with content such as "OEM factory labels" and "cashmere knowledge explanations". On the other hand, Dongli Cashmere adjusts its strategies in a timely manner based on consumer feedback in the live broadcast room, optimizes product design and production, and hires designers to launch styles that are more in line with the preferences of young consumers. It even launched a young and trendy product line specifically for Douyin users, and reduced the price of cashmere sweaters that often cost thousands of yuan to one or two thousand yuan or even a few hundred yuan.

"This has enabled Dongli Cashmere's sales on Douyin e-commerce to increase fivefold in three years." According to Liu Lina, as of now, Dongli Cashmere has sold more than 300,000 pieces of cashmere clothing through influencers, celebrities, and live streaming, and has achieved good results in the field of live streaming e-commerce.

The live broadcast room opens a new model of digital production and sales

"Showing the characteristics and advantages of products is crucial to the sales of cashmere clothing." Liu Lina believes that live e-commerce can present cashmere clothing to consumers in all aspects from the dimensions of raw material display, process explanation, effect demonstration and comparative identification, so that consumers can grasp the information of products in all aspects and multiple dimensions. The Dongli Cashmere Live Broadcast Room will show the production processes such as combing, spinning and weaving through the camera. The anchor will try on the sweater himself to show the warmth and breathability of the cashmere sweater. Through stretching, friction and other actions, the toughness and non-deformation characteristics of cashmere products are shown. It can also be compared with other materials or inferior cashmere products to teach consumers how to identify the quality of cashmere. "These advantages are not available in physical stores and traditional e-commerce." She said.

Liu Lina told reporters that after the full launch of the Douyin live broadcast e-commerce operation model, the production and sales of Dongli cashmere have entered the digital era: the company's digital transformation and production model innovation have forced factories and logistics and other links to achieve digitalization. The newly built digital factory can directly transmit the sales data of the live broadcast room to the workshop, and realize digital management of workshops, warehousing, logistics, etc.; realize "small orders and quick response" and flexible manufacturing, arrange production according to live broadcast sales data, shorten production cycle, and reduce inventory; through the Douyin e-commerce intelligent recommendation mechanism, realize direct connection between production and sales and accumulation and analysis of sales data to better meet consumer needs.

"We have also developed new products such as cashmere home clothes and cashmere accessories based on consumer feedback and market trends during the live broadcast to expand product categories; we encourage users to participate in sharing and increase brand exposure." Liu Lina told reporters that during the live broadcast, Dongli Cashmere also combined the regional culture of Inner Mongolia with grassland elements to allow the audience to feel the brand's regional characteristics and cultural heritage. At the same time, the brand story is promoted, the brand's persistence and inheritance of quality are emphasized, and the product design will also reflect characteristics such as grassland style, giving the brand a unique cultural connotation. "This has played a very important role in enhancing the brand's influence and reputation, and thereby increasing the sales of brand products and consumer satisfaction."

Multiple measures to protect consumer rights

"How to distinguish cashmere sweaters and wool sweaters? How to distinguish real cashmere from fake cashmere? How to maintain cashmere fabrics? How to ensure that I buy a good cashmere sweater?" Ms. Yang, who recently needed to buy cashmere clothing, expressed her doubts to reporters.

On January 14, the reporter saw on the Douyin account of Dongli Cashmere that the account had posted more than 900 short videos, covering many issues of concern to consumers, such as "What is the difference between cashmere and wool", "How to choose a good cashmere sweater", and "How to take care of a brushed cashmere sweater". Many of the short videos posted received thousands or even tens of thousands of likes each, and many users left messages of support in the comment section.

"Popularizing cashmere knowledge can enhance consumers' awareness of the quality and value of cashmere products, while also protecting consumers' right to know. We have successively launched a series of short videos titled 'Telling the truth gives you a sense of gain', introducing the entire process of cashmere production, which has attracted more consumer attention and further helped the live broadcast room sell its products around the world." Liu Lina told reporters.

Liu Lina said that the Douyin e-commerce platform requires cashmere brand merchants to fill in product material composition and quality inspection reports before putting products on the shelves, publicize the design concept and original intention during the live broadcast, and ensure the authenticity, accuracy and comprehensiveness of the goods sold in the live broadcast room. At the same time, an after-sales service center is established to provide professional after-sales services such as repair and cleaning for cashmere clothing, effectively protecting the rights and interests of consumers from all aspects.

"Not long ago, we cooperated with the Douyin e-commerce platform to do an outdoor live broadcast and launched a series of new products. Because we had previously combined the 'small order and quick response' production model to leverage the resource advantages of the supply chain, we made sufficient preparations, prepared yarns, and confirmed process procedures in the early stages. On that day, we pre-sold more than 1,000 items, and all were delivered within 15 days." Liu Lina said.