Taobao, the world’s largest e-commerce website, has announced plans to help areas in poverty by equipping 1,000 farmers from 100 rural counties to become live-stream hosts.
The marketplace is increasingly popular with Chinese consumers; an estimated 456 million viewers used the site in 2018. It offers a consumer-to-consumer shopping experience where customers can shop for products via live-stream videos while interacting with others.
Although Taobao is primarily used for purchasing apparel and beauty, the platform aims to expand its variety of products.
As part of the Alibaba Poverty Relief Fund, the rural live-stream programme will allow farmers to engage with customers, giving them a platform to sell their products and increase their profit margins.
