As of this week, Instagram influencers can tag products in their photos so they can sell things directly to their followers. And brands are increasingly bypassing traditional advertising and using sponsored content and social influencers to sell their goods. In China, where most internet usage is already mobile, this so-called social commerce is already the norm. And some retail shops are using China's other hot mobile trend, livestreaming, to show off goods to a real-time audience. It’s like QVC, but for social media. Jennifer Pak, Marketplace's China correspondent, says livestreamed selling takes the “fear of missing out” to a whole other level.
Today's show is sponsored by AVAST, Evident and the University of San Francisco.