How Influencer Marketing Is Redefining E-Commerce?

In the era of digital commerce, the power of influence has become the single most important axis around which consumer behavior evolves. Traditional advertising is no longer enough to drive mass sales, audiences crave authentic voices, engagement, and real-time interaction. Nowhere is this trend more visible than in China’s livestreaming phenomenon, exemplified by one of the world’s most successful e-commerce influencers: Austin Li Jiaqi, also known as the Lipstick King. His success on platforms like Alibaba’s Taobao Live doesn’t just demonstrate livestream shopping’s economic potential, it fundamentally reshapes how brands think about marketing and consumer trust.

Austin Li Jiaqi: The Rise of a Livestream E-Commerce Powerhouse

Austin Li Jiaqi isn’t just another influencer, he is an e-commerce phenomenon. Beginning his livestream career in 2017, Li quickly turned a modest audience into a massive sales engine. During Single’s Day (China’s equivalent of Black Friday) his 12-hour livestream generated a staggering $1.7 billion USD in sales, with millions of viewers tuning in to watch him demo products in real time.

The sheer scale of engagement is fascinating on multiple levels:

Li sold 15,000 lipsticks in under five minutes, beating Alibaba CEO Jack Ma in a livestream sales challenge.
Hundreds of millions watched his livestreams across platforms, nearly 488 million combined during key shopping events.

Li’s influence isn’t just about his charm, it’s about the structure behind his success: a professional livestream team, expertise in product storytelling, and an ability to drive urgency, trust, and desire in real time. Research suggests that influencers with high credibility, trustworthiness, and relatability tend to have a stronger impact on purchase intention than traditional ads.

Livestream Shopping: A Digital Marketing and E-Commerce Revolution

China’s livestream commerce isn’t just a trend, it’s now a core retail channel. E-commerce platforms like Taobao Live and Douyin use livestreaming to blend entertainment with shopping, creating a hybrid experience that converts viewers into buyers instantly. Early figures show Alibaba’s livestream commerce generated billions in gross merchandise value, with platforms like Taobao reporting RMB 100 billion (or $15 billion) in sales through live streaming.

This immersive format transforms digital marketing from a one-way broadcast into a multi-sensory, interactive session where influencers can answer questions, recommend products, and motivate purchases on the spot. It’s the ultimate form of social proof, thousands of viewers watching, cheering, and buying together. Notably, livestream shopping accounts for nearly 81% of TikTok Shop sales in the U.S. in categories like beauty and skincare, proving the model’s growing traction beyond China.

Do Male Influencers Sell Beauty Products Better Than Female Influencers?

One of the more provocative lessons from Li’s success is that gender is no longer a limiter in influencer performance. Austin Li outsold many female streamers in beauty categories traditionally dominated by women, prompting questions about whether male influencers are now more effective for female products.

Some studies show that female audiences are more influenced by female creators for certain product types, while male audiences might gravitate toward male influencers in tech or gaming. But this doesn’t equate to inherent superiority of one gender, rather, credibility, relatability, and content authenticity are what truly drive conversions.

The Chinese livestream market provides a perfect case study: Li, a male influencer, became the go-to voice for cosmetics, a category long marketed to women. His ability to communicate authenticity and trust in product recommendations eclipsed traditional gender assumptions about who can sell beauty products. Today, what matters isn’t whether an influencer is male or female, it’s whether they can engage, persuade, and convert effectively.

Influencer Marketing and Beauty E-Commerce in the United States

The influencer boom isn’t exclusive to China. In the U.S., influencer marketing is now a staple in digital marketing strategies:

Over 80% of U.S. companies use influencers for growth and engagement
TikTok Shop’s Black Friday in the U.S. drove over $100 million in sales, with creators like Stormi Steele earning millions through livestream promotions.
Viral beauty products on TikTok (especially those propelled by influencer content) now sell over 1.1 million units per month on Amazon.

In the United States, influencer marketing in the beauty sector is highly developed, yet female influencers continue to dominate direct conversion. However, several male beauty creators have demonstrated that gender is no longer a structural barrier to promoting female beauty products.

Influencers such as James Charles, Patrick Starrr, and Jeffree Star have built strong authority by positioning themselves as experts and trendsetters. Their influence is primarily exercised at the upper stages of the purchase funnel, where they drive awareness, desirability, and product discovery rather than immediate transactions.

Unlike China’s livestream-driven commerce model, U.S. consumers remain cautious toward overt selling. Even on platforms like TikTok Shop, beauty purchases are often delayed and completed through brand websites or marketplaces. As a result, while male influencers effectively sell female beauty products, their impact is more strategic than transactional.

Japan: Influencer Marketing, Beauty, and Cultural Trust

In Japan, influencer marketing plays a distinct yet highly strategic role within the e-commerce ecosystem. Social engagement and online commerce are closely tied to trusted voices that resonate culturally, rather than to aggressive sales tactics. Brands such as Shiseido and campaigns like Shu Uemura’s collaborations with local creators illustrate how authentic partnerships can enhance brand visibility and emotional affinity, particularly in niche and premium beauty markets.

This approach is reinforced by the steady growth of influencer marketing investment in Japan, reflecting brands’ increasing recognition of influencers as long-term value creators rather than short-term sales accelerators. Japanese influencers, across beauty, fashion, and lifestyle, embed brand narratives within culturally relevant storytelling, strengthening trust in a market known for deliberate and meticulous consumer behavior.

Within this context, male influencers such as Kemio and Ryuchell are visible in the beauty space, yet their role differs significantly from that of Chinese livestream sellers. Rather than driving immediate sales, they contribute to the normalization and aesthetic legitimization of skincare and cosmetics across genders. Their influence operates at a symbolic and cultural level, enhancing brand image and inclusivity, while female influencers continue to dominate direct beauty conversion in Japanese e-commerce.

Influencer Performance > Influencer Identity

Across China, the U.S., and Japan, the story is consistent: influencers shape purchase behavior far more effectively than traditional ads, regardless of gender. They humanize e-commerce, generate social proof in real time, and embed cultural resonance into brand narratives.

Austin Li’s success is a prime example, he showed that a male influencer can become the face of a predominantly female product category, shattering gendered marketing assumptions and focusing the industry’s attention on authentic leadership and real engagement.

For brands aiming to compete in today’s digital market, this means:

Prioritize trust and engagement over demographic assumptions.
Lean into interactive formats like livestreams and short-form video.
Collaborate with influencers whose audience alignment and authentic voice match your brand goals.

In the world of digital marketing, the influencer isn’t a tactic, they are the new storefront.