Alibaba’s LiveNOW returns to gear up M'sian micro businesses

• Aims to upskill, reskill Malaysians, including B40s, underserved
• Programme designed for micro-entrepreneurs, KOL life streamers 

Alibaba Group has announced the return of its LiveNOW Training Programme, an initiative dedicated to the Malaysian community. 

In a statement the company said this is an extension of the inaugural LiveNOW programme in 2020. 

The 2022 edition will be remodeled to upskill and reskill more Malaysians, including the B40 group and other underserved communities, and help them unlock potential opportunities in the interactive e-commerce world, it added.

Designed for individuals who are interested in exploring a career as a key opinion leader (KOL) live-streamer or online video producer, the company said LiveNOW 2022 is also relevant for business owners, especially micro-entrepreneurs, who are keen to host their own livestream or produce their own e-commerce videos to deepen consumer engagement.

Fully sponsored by Alibaba, the training will be conducted in three languages across three Saturdays – June 25 in English, July 2 in Bahasa Malaysia, and July 9 in Mandarin. 

All training sessions will be held online to accommodate more participants across the country, it said.

“The rise of a mobile-first reality in recent years means that consumer engagement formats such as livestreaming and online videos are increasingly intertwined with commerce,” said Jess Lew, country manager, Tmall Taobao World Malaysia, the Alibaba business unit supporting the LiveNOW programme. 

“Encouraged by the positive response we saw in 2020, we are excited to bring back our LiveNOW programme this year to open the door to potential opportunities in interactive e-commerce wider for Malaysians, as part of Alibaba’s commitment to enabling access to the digital economy for all,” she added.

In addition to the original module about KOL livestreaming covered by LiveNOW 2020, the company said this year’s training will be upgraded to include an online video production component given the increased use of short videos as a marketing means in recent years, Alibaba said. 

Participants will be able to learn from expert guest speakers, including coaches from Taobao Malaysia and Lazada Malaysia, as well as KOLs who will share their first-hand experience and insights, it added.

Jerry Hang, founder of MODEN KOL Academy, said this year will also see participants learn what it means to be an authentic KOL and how it differs from being an influencer during our full-day programme, in addition to livestreaming skills.

“With consumers demanding more video content and research showing that the majority of them are convinced to buy a product after watching a video, we will incorporate training in e-commerce video production to build participants’ fundamental knowledge in this field.”

Alibaba said this year’s programme has also been optimised to create more post-training opportunities for participants to put what they learn into practice. 

Click here to register online for the Alibaba LiveNOW Training Programme 2022.