SG-based livestream commerce firm Mdada.live names PR partner, launches hub

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Livestream commerce platform Mdada.live, founded by celebrity hairstylist Addy Lee and TV personalities Michelle Chia and Pornsak Prajakwit (pictured from left to right), has appointed PRecious Communications as its PR agency. The appointment will be for 12 months.

PRecious is Mdada’s first PR agency since the livestream platform was founded in September 2020. Selling products and services ranging from beauty to luxury sectors, Mdada.live's three founders saw the opportunity to embark on social commerce when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. While many eCcommerce businesses in Singapore and Southeast Asia have since hopped on the live selling opportunity to boost their sales revenue, Lee had already amassed over a decade of experience in conducting livestream sales in China for brands such as Unilever before the pandemic hit.

According to the company, PRecious was chosen as it has the “right domain expertise in the area of social commerce and understands the essence of bridging communications objectives to business objectives”. In a conversation with MARKETING-INTERACTIVE, the company added that it believes social commerce will be the next level of new retail, and brands that are looking to pivot can look to integrate social commerce into their marketing and sales mix to achieve commercial breakthroughs.

Mdada.live’s portfolio of international and local brands include Schwarzkopf, Shiseido, Dr. Shibui Premium Skincare, SMEG, Salvatore Ferragamo and Sookee Group (comprising of SK Jewellery and MoneyMax). Leading up to the launch of the Mdada.live Livestreaming Hub, Mdada.live will also be hosting a series of livestream sales between 6 to 9 August 2021 in celebration of Singapore’s National Day. Viewers can expect to enjoy four consecutive days of exclusive deals over a variety of products, streamed live on Mdada.live’s Facebook page.

According to the company, while it does not have a direct competitor in the market, competitors with similar business functionalities include the Lazada's livestream arm, Shopavision, and individual livestreamers who are doing their own livestream sales at home. When asked how the pandemic has impacted its business, Mdada.live's spokesperson told MARKETING-INTERACTIVE that it has seen more consumers recognising livestream sales and embarking on livestream purchases. This has led to its platform garnering almost 20,000 followers with over 100,000 unique monthly reach and a total approximate of 1.6 million livestream views. Mdada.live's spokesperson credited this to how the pandemic has helped to fasten consumers' adoption rate towards livestream sales due to the circuit breaker period as well as safe distancing measures that were implemented last April.

In the next few months, the company plans to take its platform to "the next level" to ensure it is able to cater to the surge of demand and allow consumers to learn and purchase exclusive products on its platform. This is also done to enable businesses to reach potential consumers in an attempt to create new revenue streams for brands.

Following PRecious Communication’s appointment, Mdada.live is also launching its livestreaming hub on 6 August. The livestreaming hub will offer training sessions and mentorship programmes for businesses as well as aspiring livestreamers looking to pivot in the new normal.

Amounting close to SG$500,000 in renovation, the hub was built without any external funding less than 10 months after the company’s inception, said Mdada.live. Spanning across 12,000 square feet, the company touts the hub to be the largest fully-equipped livestreaming hub across Southeast Asia.

It also said that the hub will be capable of supporting over 10 simultaneous livestreaming sessions, supported by a fully functioning technology crew. The hub will feature 11 different studio spaces complete with equipment and technology teams to support livestreaming commerce programmes, with each catering to a specific product category and its needs, such as beauty and haircare and demonstrations, live cooking stations and even an approximately 1,020 square feet auditorium.

Mdada.live has also launched three new channels, ran over 500 live stream shows via Facebook, and is amassing a “fast-growing and loyal customer base” with more than 30,000 monthly orders received and fulfilled since it was established, the company said.

CEO and co-founder Addy Lee said that while livestream selling is trending in China, the markets still remain vastly untapped in Southeast Asia. He added that he saw retail models affected by the pandemic as an opportunity to evolve, and Mdada channels would provide a seamless call-to-action to purchase, reaching new customers directly. According to Lee, livestreaming presents a medium for brands to interact with new customers in real-time and increase genuine engagement, which makes this the next phase of creative retail.

Over the last 10 months, the company has been steadily building a loyal and savvy community of shoppers, many of which have high purchasing power and watch the livestreams daily with a strong intention to purchase, Lee said. Also, each of the livestream sessions typically run for eight to 10 hours, and that there were times when the founders and team were streaming and orders still coming in past 2 am, he added. As an online social commerce platform, besides having a team of well-trained and engaging hosts, Lee believes it is important to have a diverse range of product offerings that will keep the audience coming back for more.

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