Livestreaming sales enter vocational modernisation

At the 17th session of Hanoi People’s Council on vocational training and employment held two weeks ago, Bach Lien Huong, director of Hanoi Department of Labour, Invalids, and Social Affairs, informed that the committee has been advised to issue a list of 77 professions that can be trained in under three months. Among the 15 latest professions included in the training programme is livestreaming sales.

Livestreaming sales enter vocational modernisation, illustration photo/ Source: freepik.com

“Based on market demand and the economic structure, Hanoi’s development strategy for the next 5–10 years will focus on three sectors: high-tech industry, service-tourism-commerce, and high-tech agriculture. Livestream sales, belonging to the service-tourism-commerce sector, will be emphasised for development,” Huong said.

The significant role of livestreamers in generating multimillion-dollar sales revenue has made it one of the hottest professions today. The popularity of social media platforms and the explosive growth of e-commerce have opened up exciting career opportunities for livestreaming professionals.

According to the Department of E-commerce and Digital Economy under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the livestreaming market in Vietnam has witnessed a significant increase in both quality and quantity, with approximately 2.5 million sessions per month, attracting the participation of over 50,000 sellers. Among them, shopping livestreams are the most popular form, currently accounting for 62 per cent.

Extended sales livestreaming sessions typically last 2–3 hours, featuring music performances, gaming activities, and exclusive promotional programmes.

Nguyen The Hiep, deputy director of Hanoi Department of Industry and Trade, said, “Livestreaming sales bring the benefits of leveraging the power of social media, increasing direct interaction with customers, shortening the purchasing journey, and promoting products. In addition, brands are also collaborating with key opinion leaders to achieve higher business efficiency.”

Le Minh Trang, senior manager of the Retail Research Department at NielsenIQ, said, “The online shopping experience, along with the ease of product returns, accurate product information and quality, and high customer service has driven online shopping behaviour, helping consumers cut down on costs.”

Many e-commerce platforms have seized this mentality and have been actively promoting sales through livestreams, viewing it as a race to expand their market share.

According to a behavioural survey conducted by NielsenIQ on 60 million customers, on average, Vietnamese people spend up to 13 hours per week shopping through livestreaming sessions. Each day, there are approximately 3.5 million visits to e-commerce platforms, and about 90 per cent of consumers intend to increase their usage of online shopping through these platforms.

According to data from the Coc Coc platform, approximately 77 per cent of survey participants have watched livestreaming sales, with 71 per cent making purchases.

The three most popular livestream sales platforms in Vietnam are Facebook, Shopee, and TikTok, accounting for approximately 32, 31, and 17 per cent respectively, according to AccessTrade Vietnam.

CEO of Alpha X Communication, Duy Manh, said that to livestream on certain e-commerce platforms, livestreamers must meet various requirements. For pharmaceutical products and functional food items, e-commerce platforms typically require them to provide proof of professional licences such as pharmacist or doctor’s licences, or for companies directly selling these products, proof of business licences and product circulation permits must be provided.

Meanwhile, in some other countries, to conduct a livestreaming session, livestreamers must possess professional certifications and assume responsibility in the event of any product-related issues arising for the end consumers.

“The profession of livestreaming is popular in Vietnam, but mainly through courses organised by media companies in collaboration with educational institutions. These courses only provide completion certificates rather than degrees or certifications,” Manh said. “The credibility of these certificates largely depends on the reputation of the training institution and the affiliated media company.”

In the future, as the e-commerce market becomes more professionalised, livestreaming certifications will become a mandatory requirement and livestreaming as a profession will be widely taught in many formal educational institutions, Manh added.

Livestream commerce booms Livestreaming jobs are forecast to boom this year as the pandemic continues to stimulate the demand for online shopping. However, the trend is also putting the government on edge as it seeks suitable management modes.

Livestreaming rise presents disruption to commerce Livestreaming is no longer just hype in Vietnam, with brands prompted to keep up with rapid changes.