What luxury brands can learn from Zara’s new China livestream concept

29 Nov 2023

When it comes to live commerce in China, Zara is setting the bar. With 12 cameras, 50 professionals, and a 9,000-square-meter set, the brand’s latest broadcast could easily be mistaken for a movie or music video backdrop at first glance.

On November 17, the Spanish fashion brand debuted a new livestream concept on Douyin, hosted by supermodel You Tianyi. Running for five hours, the livestream included catwalks, walkthroughs of the fitting room and makeup area, and “behind-the-scenes” views of the camera equipment and staff. Rather than the typical, fast-paced Chinese livestream, Zara’s was far more calm and choreographed. The host took her time modeling products, showcasing the brand as stylish and sophisticated.

“The ‘show-style’ livestreaming reflects our constant efforts to level up our image and seek the best customer experience,” a spokesperson from Zara China’s communications team tells Jing Daily. “And this is the approach we have had with our first Douyin livestreams. With the experience of our first shows and our permanent aim of pushing ourselves to do everything with the highest levels of quality, we have launched our new Douyin livestream style.”

Although Zara did not release figures for the November 17 broadcast, e-commerce data from analysis platform Douchacha shows that the total number of viewers surpassed 1.2 million, a jump from the average 200,000 viewers. How is the Inditex label benefiting from its new livestreaming format, and what can luxury brands learn?