Labubu dolls quickly sold out during a shopping livestream in London on Tuesday, as Alibaba’s AliExpress moved the Singles’ Day shopping frenzy from China to Britain, capitalizing on the global popularity of Pop Mart collectible toys.
Pop Mart’s Labubu, Crybaby and SkullPanda dolls, sold in sealed surprise boxes that hide the figure inside, became a global hit, driving a significant increase in revenue for the Beijing-based company, which is following Disney’s strategy to turn the trend into long-term growth.
AliExpress hired 23-year-old British influencer Anna Williams, with 1.3 million followers on TikTok, to co-host four daily two-hour livestreams with fellow influencer Mary He. The company expects these streams to sell around 10,000 toys by Friday to shoppers who follow them through the AliExpress app.
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Pop Mart sales soar in Britain
Sales at AliExpress’s official Pop Mart store in the UK soared 1,500% in October compared to a year earlier, according to Bonnie Zhao, managing director of AliExpress UK. Additionally, sales of collectible toys in general increased by 300% in the first half of the year.
During a live broadcast in front of a Pop Mart toy display, Williams and He opened surprise boxes and showed viewers products such as Labubu clown dolls (“Why so serious?”) and blueberry-scented Hacipupu gummy bears, with prices ranging from £11 to £74 ($15-$99).
These toys became fashion accessories, used as decoration on bags and with a thriving resale market.
Live shopping began in China, but Western brands such as Zara and IKEA also tested the format, which aims to entertain shoppers and drive sales with well-known presenters offering special deals.
“It’s still in its infancy, but we’ve seen a huge increase in brands doing live shopping, especially since TikTok Shop launched in Spain, Ireland, Italy, Germany and France,” said Carmen Muley, who hosted the first AliExpress livestreams for the Spanish market in 2016 and now advises brands on live shopping.
With information from Reuters
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