2026 Trend: Livestream

With the strong growth trend of livestreaming, businesses need a methodical, long-term strategy to leverage it.

1. What is livestreaming? Current livestreaming trends

Livestream means “live broadcast” of people, things, phenomena, etc., over the internet, allowing for direct interaction.

In China, livestreaming technology first appeared in early 2005, when the social network YY began allowing users to host live interactive chat sessions. However, it wasn’t until 2015, with the improvement and development of 4G internet and specialized transmission techniques, that livestream video on social networks like YY, Weibo, and e-commerce websites like Taobao and Tmall truly exploded. By the end of 2016, livestreaming had generated over 30 billion yuan ($4.3 billion) in revenue, according to a report by Reuters (UK).

Compared to China, Vietnam adopted this trend more slowly. In 2009, livestreaming technology was first used in a few music performances by major artists. However, just like in China, it took a considerable amount of time for livestreaming to truly establish its position in Vietnam. Mr. Pham Ngoc Duy Liem, co-founder of Gostream, a professional livestreaming service provider, noted that it wasn’t until the second half of 2017 and 2018 that livestreaming began to grow strongly, especially in the fields of sales and marketing. However, in reality, many brands still do not have a proper understanding of the role and influence of livestreaming, even considering it only a platform for individual online sellers. According to Mr. Liem, 2026 will be the time for livestreaming in Vietnam to truly assert its position as brands become fully aware of its influence and invest methodically in this platform.

2. Why choose livestreaming?

Mr. Nguyen Hung Lam, CEO of Bread N’ Tea, a provider of creative livestreaming products, shared that this platform has growth potential thanks to its convenience for users and clear effectiveness for businesses.

First of all, livestreaming creates a convenient space for brands and users to have direct, real-time, two-way interactions. According to a May 2018 study by Lead Connect, a US-based marketing automation service provider, if a business takes more than 10 minutes to respond to a customer’s request, they lose the business opportunity 80% of the time. Today’s consumers expect sellers to always be available to advise and meet their immediate needs. Livestreaming is a platform that meets this psychological need, as users and brands can interact instantly and intimately. Users can leave questions in the comments during the livestream, and the business can answer each individual’s queries.

Although the online shopping trend has grown strongly in recent times, users are still skeptical and worried about the actual quality of products/services when they can only see them through a few images and descriptive text. Livestreaming can also solve this problem because users gain more trust when they can observe the actual product. For example, when shopping for clothes, instead of a few pre-taken photos, through a livestream, they can see the color and style, and assess its suitability for themselves by seeing it worn by a model; at the same time, they can quickly get answers to questions about material, size, price, etc. As a result, when selling via livestream, the customer conversion rate increases significantly. TaobaoLive (the livestream channel of the e-commerce site Taobao) recorded a 32% growth in the first 3 months of running this channel.

Another reason livestreaming is favored by many businesses is its cost-saving capability. Currently, many platforms offer livestreaming features completely free of charge, such as Facebook, Youtube, Instagram, Twitter, etc. Thus, businesses only need to invest their budget in content creation, hiring key opinion leaders (KOLs) to participate in the livestream (if desired), and other accompanying PR activities.

3. How can SMEs optimize livestreaming?

According to Mr. Liem, although many companies understand the influence and growth trend of livestreaming, they are still using this platform on a small scale, without serious investment or a long-term strategy. If livestreaming is identified as a marketing and sales channel, the first important thing is to do it regularly. Just like traditional television programs, regular livestreams will create a habit for potential customers, and over time, build a community of a stable number of people waiting for the regular livestream program.

Along with regular implementation, creating engaging content is also necessary for a successful livestream. According to Mr. Lam, content creation always starts with answering basic questions: Who are you? Which customer segment are you targeting? What special features does your product/service have? What value does this livestream activity bring to the viewers? After understanding that, the business can start building a specific script for the livestream program. This script usually includes two parts: “pull” and “push”. In the “pull” part, the business needs to optimize the content in the initial period of the livestream to attract and spread the content to many people. The factors to “pull” viewers are often: a professional and attractive opening interface; the participation of KOLs suitable for the customer segment; and clearly conveying the value brought to the livestream viewers. In the “push” part, the brand can sequentially introduce the specific features of the product/service and the accompanying exclusive offers for livestream viewers.

4. How will livestreaming continue to develop?

According to Forbes magazine (USA), livestreaming is considered one of the 5 marketing trends that will grow strongly worldwide in 2026. In Vietnam, what is the future of this platform? Mr. Liem made a few predictions:

4.1 The involvement of the real estate (RE) sector and durable goods

Currently, livestreaming is most widely used in the fast-moving consumer goods industry, such as cosmetics and fashion. However, in the near future, it is very likely to expand to the real estate sector and durable goods like motorcycles, cars, etc. For example, in real estate, livestreaming can replace telesales consulting, which has not been very effective. Each person working in this field often has a community of regular customers. When they want to introduce a new project, instead of communicating by phone or sending information via email, they can leverage the livestream platform to provide information in the most visual way. Viewers will get a realistic look at factors such as: the project’s geographical location, the overall structure of the building, the interior/exterior features of the apartment, the view, etc. For real estate or durable goods, the purchase decision may not happen during the livestream, but this will be a new form of “window shopping.” Customers will only visit the actual project site or the showroom when they are genuinely interested after watching the consulting livestreams.

4.2  Integration with virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technology

Regarding accompanying techniques, some providers now offer supporting features like inserting images and videos during a livestream. In the future, it is very likely that VR or AR applications will also be integrated with this livestream platform. Returning to the real estate example, many projects start looking for customers while they are still under construction, without a finished product. With the development of AR and VR, it is entirely possible to build complete, detailed, and realistic real estate models. By integrating such applications into livestreams, viewers can listen to consultations and introductions while also becoming a virtual character directly touring the project, from the overall building to the detailed interior of an apartment.

4.3 “Livestream Marketplace” – The new future of e-commerce

In China, many e-commerce websites have evolved into “livestream marketplaces” where a series of brands continuously conduct livestream activities to introduce products, sell goods, etc. In Vietnam, Mr. Liem affirms that a similar trend will also develop. On e-commerce sites, current product introduction images will gradually be replaced by visual videos where viewers can interact, ask questions, and receive direct consultation from the brand. With the development of artificial intelligence (AI), the consultant could be a chatbot that has been “trained” and is constantly updated with detailed product information, frequently asked questions, and customer concerns… Company employees will take on the role of supervising, coordinating, and answering questions that the chatbot cannot yet handle.

Conclusion:

Although it has only recently arrived in Vietnam, with the rapid development of the internet, the livestreaming trend is certain to become popular in Vietnam. We hope this article from 1Office has helped you understand what livestreaming is, its growth rate, and its applications in business.