1. Introduction

With appealing features that stream to market, sell, and build trust, live e-commerce has emerged as a disruptive force in the global digital economy. Compared to conventional e-commerce platforms, it has a greater ability to influence consumer decisions [1]. The industry has grown rapidly in recent years, with the global live-streaming market valued at $1.35 trillion in 2023 according to a business report. It is expected to reach $3.532 trillion by 2032 [2].

Live selling, which blends entertainment and immediate buying, is becoming a new and engaging way to sell products all over the world [3]. It is particularly well-known in the skincare and cosmetics sector. Research indicates that live broadcasting with products improves the purchasing experience and lowers buyers' uncertainty while boosting their trust in the supplier more than offline shopping does [4]. In China, social platforms such as Jieyin have become an important marketing channel for cosmetics and skincare products. For example, the Chinese cosmetic brand Perfect Diary has used WeChat apps and Jieyin live streaming to build an emerging interactive sales network that has successfully increased brand influence and achieved sales growth [5].

Live e-commerce as a new and unique form of social media integrating real-time social interaction is characterized by synchronicity, authenticity, and interactivity. It is rapidly becoming an important channel for global shopping [6]. The synchronicity, authenticity, visualization and interactivity of its live streaming greatly enhance consumers' purchase intentions and have become a new engine of business growth [7]. Studies have shown that live selling allows consumers to access information about a product through an interactive dialogue with the stream via a mesh screen through the anchor's facial expressions, body, language and scenario displays. In addition to providing the viewer with more knowledge about the product, this also lessens consumer hesitancy and strengthens the emotional bond between the anchor and the brand. The way people shop is being altered by the combination of live broadcasting and commerce, which also has great promise. However, despite e-commerce's prominence in facilitating impulse purchases, there is a lack of research on customer loyalty and repurchase intentions, and on how to build long-term connections with customers [8].

2. Cosmetics skincare live streaming banding strategy

2.1. Application of interactive strategies

Interactive mechanisms in live e-commerce are particularly important for selling make-up products as well as skin care products in live streaming. Studies have shown that the three-way interaction (anchor, user, and product) in live e-commerce has a significant impact on consumers' purchasing decisions. By constructing a heterogeneous graph neural network model, the interactive behaviors of the anchors can be well explained [9]. For example, real-time Q&A during live broadcasting, interaction with product applications and skin care tutorials can help reduce consumers' uncertainty about product performance and effectively increase their desire to purchase. For example, on the TikTok live broadcast platform, L'Oreal, a well-known skincare brand, helps consumers feel the characteristics of the product more intuitively through the anchor's demonstration of the product's application texture, absorption speed, and the effect of use. At the same time, the anchor also through a timely response to audience questions, shares their own use of skin care experience and other interactive means to enhance the consumer's desire to buy, and then to achieve the conversion of the purchase.

2.2. Social interaction and the herd effect

When watching live broadcasts, viewers are influenced by emotions as well as comments and attitudes and feedback from other viewers, in addition to interacting with the anchor [10]. This herd effect is particularly evident in the marketing of beauty products as well as skincare products. In particular, when the anchor's mood is positive and viewers show positive comments about the product's effectiveness, consumers are more likely to trust it and then purchase it. For example, the aforementioned Perfect Diary uses the TikTok platform to attract a large number of viewers to interact and share their experiences by setting up interactive links such as ‘limited time second kill’ and ‘limited quantity rush’. The real-time feedback from the audience has been expanding and the number of orders has been increasing. This greatly enhanced consumers' trust in the brand, thus increasing their willingness to buy.

2.3. Scenario-based marketing and trust-building

Scenario-based marketing in live streaming also plays an important role in consumer trust and purchase behavior. In the live broadcast process, the host integrates the product into real-life scenarios, such as morning skincare and make-up application steps. This can help consumers understand more about the effect of the product and how to use it. In the case of Florasis, for example, the anchor shows the texture and effect of the product in different make-up scenarios (e.g., daily commuting make-up, dating make-up) during the live broadcast. This helps consumers to quickly judge whether the product meets their needs.

2.4. The relationship between consumer trust and live interaction

One of the main elements affecting live bands' buying decisions is consumer trust. Customers typically consult online reviews more frequently to get more in-depth information about products and make purchasing decisions because of information asymmetry. A popular kind of online word-of-mouth, online reviews offer details on the quality of products, which is crucial for lowering consumers' perceived risk and influencing their intention to buy [11]. For example, La Roche-Posay, a well-known skincare brand, has dermatologists and professional skincare professionals as anchors in its live broadcasts, combining medical knowledge to explain product ingredients and usage. This greatly increases consumers' trust in the brand and enhances purchase intention.

2.5. Multi-channel strategy and user stickiness

According to the report, live bandwagon success depends on increasing user stickiness through multi-platform layout and ongoing interaction, not only on a single sales conversion. By forming online-offline partnerships, internet businesses can lower consumer uncertainty and returns. Although products are typically not stocked offline, consumers can test and assess them in-store. The union is sent straight to their homes via the internet. Meanwhile, L'Oréal, for example, combines live streaming with TikTok, Taobao and the brand's official community to attract potential customers through multi-platform diversion, and pushes discounts and product information according to festivals through WeChat mini-programmes to further enhance consumers' brand loyalty.

3. Problems

Live streaming is becoming the most popular sales channel for skincare and cosmetic firms due to the rapid growth of live e-commerce. Especially in China, such as Jittery Voice, Taobao and other platforms as well as become an important platform for live broadcasting. However, under the high-speed development of live e-commerce, many problems have also been exposed, affecting the shopping experience of consumers.

3.1. Excessive reliance on the personal influence of the anchor, blurring the brand tone

In order to better promote their products, many brands usually choose KOL or Netflix head anchors to live broadcast with their products. Although the short-term effect is remarkable, over-reliance on the influence of the anchor may make consumers care about the person rather than the goods. This means that the anchor will be more finicky, especially when changes or mistakes are made by the anchor, which can lead to consumer dissatisfaction and weaken the brand's recognition in consumers' minds. For example, if a brand chooses a well-known anchor to live-stream merchandise for a long period, sales will skyrocket when they collaborate on a live broadcast. However, when the anchor changes or goes off the air, their consumer sales plummet. This proves that the brand itself lacks sustained appeal. For example, head beauty anchor Luo Wangyu's promotion of CSS oil olive products caused a hot debate, leading to damage to his reputation. According to CBNData, Luo Wangyu's skincare sales totaled between $750 million and $1 billion in 2023 but fell to between $250 million and $500 million in 2024 [12]. This shows that there is a great risk for brands to become overly reliant on a single anchor.

3.2. The herd effect in the comment section tends to create false prosperity and a high rate of change of hands after consumer purchase

As we all know, the atmosphere of live broadcasting is often warmed up for live broadcasting through consumers' constant likes, comments, and pop-ups to create a "hot feeling". When viewers see the strong atmosphere and welcome, it will inspire consumers to passionately impulse to order. However, when consumers receive the goods, they will regret or even return them if the goods do not match the expected results. The report mentions that live e-commerce has a return of 30 to 50 percent, much higher than traditional e-commerce's 10 to 15 percent. This will greatly affect the level of consumer trust in the brand.

3.3. Anchor's professionalism varies and the information conveyed is inaccurate

Consumers need to be very familiar with the types of products as well as their efficacy and usage in the category of make-up and skincare products. Consumers need the anchor's advice on the efficacy and use of the product to decide to buy. However, due to the anchor's lack of knowledge or misunderstanding of these products, it is easy to mislead the user or the explanation is not clear. This may be counterproductive to consumers and may even lead to antipathy towards the brand. More seriously, it may lead to some accidents causing danger.

3.4. After-sales service system lags behind, the user experience is discounted

Usually, consumers in the live broadcast belong to the type of ‘quick in and quick out’. Although the conversion rate is high, the after-sales system is often not mature enough. When customers have problems and want to exchange the goods to return the refund problem, there may be a cumbersome and complex process of return and exchange, customer service communication is not in place to respond to slow and other issues. When the customer is already because of the product problem and the expected gap and mood affected but also encountered the return and exchange process is a cumbersome and complex problem. This will make the consumer experience greatly reduced, and thus not willing to buy again, and even extreme phenomena affecting brand sales. With such a lagging after-sales service system, it is difficult to maintain a long-term relationship with consumers, which makes it difficult to enhance the brand's repurchase rate.

4. Recommendations and insights

For beauty and skincare brands in the process of live broadcasting with goods, there are problems such as uneven professionalism of the anchor, misleading herd effect, the brand is too dependent on the anchor and the after-sales service system is not perfect. Brands should upgrade and optimise their live broadcasting strategies from various dimensions.

First of all, in order to avoid over-reliance on the personal influence of the anchor, the brand should strengthen its own brand building. This includes strengthening the uniform output of the anchor's brand language and shaping the brand's unique image. Create an exclusive live room style, highlighting the brand tone. And combined with the short video platform content strategy, the establishment of a 'persona + brand' dual-line operation mode.

Secondly, in dealing with the problem of impulsive consumption regret brought about by the crowd effect, brands can ease the problem by increasing the transparency and authenticity of the content. Encourage real user reviews and increase the introduction of actual application scenarios and effect descriptions. This helps consumers have a deeper understanding of the product and reduces the return rate.

In addition, the problem of lack of anchor professionalism can be improved by establishing a professional certification mechanism and knowledge training system for anchors. At the same time, the brand should comprehensively examine the professionalism of the anchor when cooperating with the anchor. And for different product efficacy, and composition, applicable to the population for systematic training. Some skin care products should be with professional dermatologists, and professional cosmetologists to cooperate, to provide consumers with reliable information.

Finally, in order to solve the problem of an inadequate after-sales system, the brand can build a multi-platform collaborative customer service and service mechanism. It can be combined with private messages on the TikTok platform, public customer service and other channels to respond quickly. For customers who want to return or exchange goods, communicate with a positive attitude and provide a clear return and exchange process and after-sale return visit mechanism. If necessary, provide customers with appropriate apologies and compensation to increase the customer's return rate. At the same time, the return and exchange process is appropriately simplified. Thus, customer satisfaction can be improved.

5. Conclusion

This paper investigates the interaction strategies used when live marketing beauty and skincare products on platforms such as TikTok. And as well as the problems that arise and the corresponding solutions. The main findings suggest that real-time interaction reduces consumer uncertainty which plays a crucial role in increasing purchase intention. Through live product demonstrations, Q&A sessions and emotional expressions, live streamers are able to break the consumer information gap. In addition, scenario-based marketing helps consumers visualize how a product fits into their daily lives, leading to increased relevance and trust. The study also confirmed the impact of review word-of-mouth in a live-streaming environment. Positive feedback from viewers stimulates impulse purchases. In addition, the professional credibility of the anchor can greatly influence consumer trust. Especially when it comes to complex ingredient information or products for sensitive skin.

Despite the strong growth potential of e-commerce live streaming, this article also highlights the main operational challenges that brands must address. Going forward, companies should focus on product quality control, reducing reliance on celebrity anchors, enhancing anchor training, and establishing more effective after-sales support systems. These improvements can help brands build long-term relationships with consumers and increase overall customer satisfaction with live streaming.