Inside the deceptive techniques of TikTok’s livestream sellers
Dakuo Wang has worn many hats and called many places home in his career.
His educational journey took him from computer science to electrical and computer engineering, then to information systems and informatics. He’s gone from Beijing to Paris to California. He has sought to understand how AI interacts with humans and design, and how it can do so more effectively. And he’s found himself increasingly intrigued by human–computer interaction, and how technology and human behavior intertwine in the rapidly evolving digital landscape.
“My research is all about harmonizing AI and human needs … to create a productive partnership between humans and machines,” Wang said.
Now jointly appointed with Northeastern’s Khoury College and the College of Arts, Media and Design, Wang is applying his research in AI and human interaction to the up-and-coming industry of livestream shopping — how it works, how it affects online shopping behavior, and how it might impact shopping experiences.
Consumer livestream shopping is when a company contracts with an influencer — such as a movie star or athlete — to bring products directly to consumers’ screens through live video. To many, this intersection of shopping, ease, and entertainment is beneficial, as it can show people how products work or how clothing looks on people, among other things. This immediacy and interactivity, along with the vast range of products these platforms can accommodate, makes them enticing to numerous sellers.
But behind the ease and effectiveness of this shopping revolution, danger and malice may be lurking, Wang said. He recently co-authored a paper with Qunfang Wu, Yisi Sang, and Zhicong Lu, where they dove into the world of livestream shopping to see how it was done and who benefited most. The quartet of researchers recorded over 40 livestream shopping sessions on TikTok and Taobao, two massively popular platforms for livestream selling, then analyzed the often deceptive, malicious, coercive, and tactical patterns of livestream sellers on each platform. The researchers then interviewed livestream viewers to get their perspectives.
The team found that many sellers use unsavory tactics to lure in and take advantage of consumers. Many sellers lie about the quantity of their stock to create a sense of urgency among customers. Others lie about having the lowest price or highest-quality product.
“These tactics range from spreading false urgency to orchestrating attacks against those who voice negative opinions,” Wang said, noting that many sellers respond to negative product feedback from customers by calling those consumers liars.
These issues are especially timely as livestream shopping continues to rise on platforms such as TikTok, which counts 19% of Americans as members and sees them spend an average of 23 hours per month on the app. The social media platform launched its e-commerce business in August in an effort to heighten competition with rival platforms Temu and Shein.
Unlike with infomercials, which are recorded programs, users can seek out livestreams or stumble upon a seller unintentionally while scrolling through the app. Livestream shopping is also attractive because it allows consumers to ask questions through the comment section and receive answers in real time, whether from the seller, the company conducting the livestream, or other consumers in the comments.
“Humans, by nature, are more attracted to videos in comparison to images and text,” Wang explained. “When you have a huge population of users watching, or if you have a very good recommendation algorithm powering an endless feed of one livestream after another, there’s a huge incentive for advertisers, service providers, and all kinds of brands and shops to utilize that big user population.”
This allure of higher sales can often overshadow the need for ethical selling practices, leading to decreased user trust. As more people flock to these platforms seeking the thrill of interactive shopping, Wang places the responsibility for crafting a trustworthy and secure environment on the shoulders of designers, engineers, and policymakers.
In particular, the team’s research showed him that the livestream shopping platforms were being designed to benefit the sellers, not the buyers. After hearing the consumers’ discontent with this, Wang says he wants livestream platforms to adopt a user-centric approach, embrace their responsibility to their users, and ensure that the allure of livestream shopping doesn’t eclipse the users’ rights and interests.
“Platforms often provide features that favor sellers, resulting in an environment where buyer opinions are silenced,” he said. “The race for revenue should never come at the cost of users’ trust.”