E-idol livestreams drive Jo Malone sales. But at what cost?

What happened: On August 23, male e-idol group Joy X (喜悦X) — a type of digital-native idol group that builds its fanbase through online platforms rather than traditional stage performances — made its livestreaming debut with fragrance brand Jo Malone. The group drew nearly 600,000 viewers and generated gross merchandise value (GMV) estimated between 1 million and 2.5 million RMB ($140,000 to $350,000), according to Qingyan. The collaboration propelled Jo Malone to the top of Douyin’s cosmetics and fragrance rankings. The phenomenon, known as group livestreaming (团播 tuan bo), pairs idol performances with interactive e-commerce. During the two-and-half-hour broadcast, live viewers spiked from 200 to 18,000 almost instantly, peaking at 23,000. The full livestream drew 593,000 total views. In contrast, Jo Malone’s solo livestreams typically attract around 50,000 viewers, underlining the group format’s impact. GMV gains followed a similar trajectory. Where previous sessions averaged 200,000 to 500,000 RMB ($28,000 to $70,000), Joy X’s debut pushed sales nearly tenfold, with the group’s exclusive raspberry perfume gift set topping 250,000 RMB ($35,000) alone. The Jing Take: Traditionally, group livestream collaborations have been dominated by domestic brands. The partnership with Jo Malone marks a rare move by an international label, signaling that global names are increasingly drawn to this high-engagement, metric-driven format. The appeal is as much about audience as performance: about 80% of tuan bo viewers are women, and most paying users are between the ages of 18 and 23, aligning closely with the cosmetics industry’s target demographic. Joy X, managed by MCN Xiyu Culture, first gained attention through viral dance routines such as the ‘Sweep-Leg Dance’ (扫腿舞), with related hashtags amassing over 10 billion views on Douyin. Past collaborations with celebrities and influencers like Park Hyomin, Jia Bing, and Pipi Zhu have drawn tens of millions of viewers. ‘Tuan bo’ takes center stage A report from the China Association of Performing Arts shows that in 2024, the online performance industry generated over 212.6 billion RMB ($29.7 billion) in revenue, with group livestreaming emerging as a dark horse. Industry forecasts project the tuan bo market will reach 15 billion RMB ($2.1 billion) in 2025. Local brands like Amortals and Ositree have already leveraged e-idols to secure top-ranking livestream positions, often surpassing conventional marketing returns and amplifying secondary social media exposure. The rise of group livestreaming stems from a structural vacuum. After the decline of mainland China’s traditional idol industry — marked by the 2016 ban on South Korean entertainment and the 2021 ban on idol survival shows — Chinese idol groups have struggled to achieve the same cultural influence. In this void, e-idol livestreaming emerged as a low-barrier alternative, delivering fan-service appeal dialed up to eleven. High risk, high reward Group livestreaming offers brands high-reward exposure, as seen in the Joy X x Jo Malone collaboration, yielding massive reach, engagement, and sales among young, highly targeted audiences. Yet it also carries significant reputational and operational hazards. For one, performers’ revealing outfits and suggestive dance moves introduce erotic undertones that can clash with a brand’s image, prompting criticism from online commentators, some of whom liken the content to cyber strip clubs. For international players, the wisest approach may be to observe the market and proceed cautiously, learning from early experiments before fully committing to the high-intensity, fast-moving world of tuan bo. The Jing Take reports on a piece of the leading news and presents our editorial team’s analysis of the key implications for the luxury industry. In the recurring column, we analyze everything from product drops and mergers to heated debate sprouting on Chinese social media.

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E-idol livestreams drive Jo Malone sales. But at what cost?