Recently, the news that Fan Bingbing, once a top star in the entertainment industry, has personally joined TikTok has gone viral in the cross-border e-commerce community. The beauty brand she founded, Fan Beauty Diary, posted its first video on its TikTok account, where Fan Bingbing herself announced that Fan Beauty Diary has officially launched on TikTok. On the same day, Fan Bingbing's personal TikTok account also released a related video.

As of July 10, Fan Beauty Diary's official TikTok account has garnered over 50,000 followers, with its first video receiving over 520,000 views.

At the end of May this year, the brand announced its official entry into Lazada, a leading e-commerce platform in Southeast Asia.

Although it hasn't been disclosed whether the brand will engage in live-stream selling on TikTok, the move to join both Lazada and TikTok indicates that Fan Beauty Diary has embarked on its journey to expand internationally. This development in the cross-border e-commerce field has already attracted significant attention from industry insiders.

1. Influencers and Celebrities Flock to Go Global

Fan Bingbing’s actions are not an isolated case. As the domestic e-commerce market becomes increasingly saturated, more and more top domestic e-commerce influencers are turning their attention to overseas markets. According to exclusive information from TK Insights, Meiwan Network Technology Co., Ltd., where Li Jiaqi is based, is planning to launch a cross-border e-commerce business on TikTok. The company has already established an "international expansion team," and insiders reveal that Meiwan plans to first collaborate with supply chains that have already established a presence overseas.

In April 2023, influencer Xiao Yang made a bold statement during a live broadcast: “I’m going to sell on TikTok and make money from foreigners.” Soon after, San Zhi Yang transformed into San Zhi Yang Holdings Group and established a global headquarters. Reports indicate that after entering the Singapore and Malaysia markets, San Zhi Yang is set to officially enter the Thai market.

Meanwhile, in 2023, Kuaishou's top influencer, Simba, launched an international expansion plan aimed at accessing lower-cost overseas supply chains and expanding global purchasing operations. In May of last year, Simba’s first stop was in Thailand.

Other top domestic live-streaming agencies such as Yaowang Technology, Qianxun Culture, and Friend Maker have also begun their journey of live-stream selling on TikTok.

According to data from the Kuaile Index Institute, nearly 30% of MCN agencies have started engaging in international business, with 26.6% actively expanding and 14.9% in the preparation and observation stages. This shows the strong interest that MCN agencies have in the overseas market.

2. Is the Domestic Market Too Saturated, While the Overseas Market Is Particularly Appealing?

The phenomenon of "the entertainment industry wind has finally blown to cross-border e-commerce" also prompts us to think: why are influencers and celebrities flocking to go global? The main reason lies in the enormous potential of the cross-border e-commerce market. On one hand, the domestic market is highly competitive and saturated; on the other hand, the overseas market offers vast consumer demand and growth opportunities. Going global is not just about seeking better development but also about leveraging existing resources and advantages to tap into new growth markets.

In the Southeast Asian market, cross-border e-commerce live-stream sales by influencers and celebrities have experienced explosive growth. According to the latest market reports, sales in the region increased by 150% year-on-year over the past year, reaching $2 billion. Notably, one well-known influencer and celebrity MCN agency accounted for more than 10% of these sales.

In the Western markets, although the overall scale is larger, competition is extremely fierce. In the UK market, for example, influencer and celebrity MCN agencies only account for about 15% of the entire e-commerce live-stream market. However, some leading MCN agencies have been able to achieve single-product sales exceeding £1 million.

In the emerging Latin American market, influencer and celebrity MCN agencies are in a phase of rapid development. Over the past six months, live-stream viewing time in the region has increased by 200%, and sales have grown by 80%, reaching $500 million.

3. Three Major Ways for Influencers and Celebrities to Go Global

Currently, the main ways influencers and celebrities are expanding internationally include:

1. Opening stores on cross-border e-commerce platforms to directly sell products.

2. Utilizing social media platforms for content distribution and live-stream selling.

3. Collaborating with local MCN (Multi-Channel Network) agencies to jointly explore the market.

Fan Bingbing’s advantage in going global lies in her star power. Once a top celebrity in China, Fan Bingbing, despite withdrawing from the public eye due to tax issues, still has influence overseas. Additionally, Fan Beauty, which has been established for many years, also holds brand and product advantages, having achieved impressive results on major domestic e-commerce platforms.

"Friend Maker" mainly focuses on diversified expansion, with operations in Indonesia, the United States, and other locations. In its overseas business, 80% of the revenue comes from advertising and marketing, 20% from influencer distribution and selling, and 10% from live-streaming operations.

San Zhi Yang adopts a "slicing and distribution" strategy by cutting live-stream content into video clips and then massively distributing them across various channels. After just three months of distributing these video clips, San Zhi Yang Network’s fan base in Southeast Asia grew from 0 to 2 million.

The Simba team integrates local supply chains, mainly selling local Thai products, including fruits, skincare products, latex pillows, and dozens of other items. One of their live-streams achieved sales exceeding 830 million yuan, with a total of more than 6.78 million orders.

Oriental Selection continues to leverage its rich talent pool for live-stream selling. With a strong understanding of Western culture, their talents are expressive and responsive, making them well-suited for overseas live-stream scenarios.

4. TikTok is a Must-Choose Platform for Live-Streaming Abroad

One thing that cannot be overlooked is that most of these leading domestic entities chose Southeast Asia as their first stop when going abroad, and they all laid out plans on the TikTok platform.

This choice is not coincidental, as TikTok brings together a large number of influencers and creators, forming a massive natural traffic pool. According to data, by 2023, TikTok had over 1.677 billion users, with 1.1 billion monthly active users, covering more than 150 countries and regions globally. It has attracted a large number of highly active, willing-to-share, and significantly purchasing-powerful e-commerce consumers.

Riding the wave of TikTok, domestic influencers and celebrities are stepping onto the global stage. Although there is still a long way to go before creating an "OMG, buy it" e-commerce selling myth, the industry has reached a consensus: going global is the next big trend for live-streaming e-commerce.

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WeChat Official Account: Cross-Border E-commerce Logistics Baixiaosheng