As a leading short-video social and livestreaming app in China, Kuaishou Technology’s Kuaishou application (app) was facing various challenges, including fierce competition from ByteDance Ltd.’s Douyin. In June 2018, to sustain its long-term growth, Kuaishou needed to evaluate the possibility of entering the livestreaming e-commerce market, as livestreaming was becoming one of the hottest ways to sell to Chinese consumers. The co-founder and chief executive officer of Kuaishou Technology needed to decide whether Kuaishou should launch a livestreaming e-commerce business. If so, should Kuaishou cooperate with an existing e-commerce platform or build its own e-commerce ecosystem? What potential challenges might Kuaishou face in its livestreaming e-commerce business expansion?
快手：发展直播电商业务 Kuaishou: Developing a Livestreaming E-Commerce Business (Simplified Chinese version)
Wei Li, Junfeng Tian, Jianping Liang, Jing Chen, Hubert Pun
Product #:W28478
Supplier:Ivey
Discipline:General Management, Marketing
Setting:China, 2018
Your Price:$10.54
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Learning Objectives
- 了解中国短视频行业的发展现状，并解释推动领先的短视频应用开展直播电商业务的因素；
- 确定短视频公司通过进入直播电商市场，在留住现有用户和拓展业务方面面临的机遇和挑战；
- 思考并讨论短视频公司应如何实施电子商务战略。
This case is suitable for undergraduate- and graduate-level courses in operations management, marketing, e-commerce, and strategy management, particularly in a section that discusses e-commerce. It will also be helpful for classes on brand management and supply chain management. The case asks whether a short-video company should enter the livestreaming e-commerce market to manage challenges and sustain long-term growth. After working through the case and assignment questions, students will be able to do the following:
- Understand the development status of the Chinese short-video industry, and explain the factors driving a leading short-video app to launch a livestreaming e-commerce business;
- Identify the opportunities and challenges faced by a short-video company in retaining existing users and expanding its business by entering the livestreaming e-commerce market;
- Consider and discuss how a short-video company should implement an e-commerce strategy.