“Buy more, save more today! 7 dollars, free for shipping!”
“今天，买得越多，省得越多！只要7美元包邮！”
On April 22nd, Helen, a TikTok cross-border streamer, held her audience spellbound with articulate English in a dynamic live stream at the offices of Ningbo Broad Solution International Trading Co., Ltd. in the Southern Business District of this coastal city. Her passionate endorsements for hot chicken ramen and potato chips ignited a buying frenzy among viewers in the United States whose desire of consumption could hardly be inhibited at this captivating livestream. Helen was once interviewed as a streamer of Generation Z (Gen Z) by China Global Television Network (CGTN).
4月22日，在南部商务区宁波博略国际贸易有限公司，曾作为嘉宾参加CGTN（中国国际电视台）访谈的“95后”TikTok跨境主播Helen，正操着一口流利的英语，在直播间里为火鸡面和薯片“打call”，引得美国网友们激情下单，纷纷表示“I will buy this one（我要买这一款）”！
Since last year, TikTok live streaming has proved its pivotal role in captivating customers for export-oriented enterprises, leading a cadre of “Gen Z” speakers – proficient in foreign languages – to carve out lucrative careers in this burgeoning industry. In the current foreign trade biz, rumor has it that “Gen Z” English streamers amass earnings upwards of 20,000 yuan per month.
去年以来，TikTok直播，已成为不少出口企业获客的“流量密码”。一批精通外语的“Z世代”青年，在这片“风口”找到就业方向，致使“外贸江湖”中流传着“00后英语主播月入2万元”的传说。
Amidst Ningbo’s vibrant foreign trade market, an increasing array of enterprises are formulating strategies to collaborate with TikTok streamers, setting sail on the journey to fulfill their aspirations of global procurement and sales.
在外贸大市宁波，越来越多企业计划“牵手”TikTok主播，实现“买全球、卖全球”的目标。
Helen graduated from the prestigious University of California, Berkeley. Propelled by her fervor for social media, she started her first foray into live-streaming commerce when TikTok unveiled its live-streaming sales platform in 2023.
Helen毕业于加州大学伯克利分校。2023年，TikTok开放直播带货渠道，喜爱社交媒体的她跃跃欲试，正式开启直播带货之旅。
“Last year, I worked at a company in Hangzhou to sell second-hand luxury items like designer bags on TikTok live. The sales peaked at twenty to thirty thousand US dollars in one session,” Helen introduced.
“去年，我先是投简历到杭州一家公司，在TikTok直播销售二手奢侈品，如名牌包包等，单场销量最高达二三万美元。” Helen告诉记者。
To the untrained eye, TikTok live streaming might appear as a golden ticket to “overnight riches”. Yet, for Helen, every industry demands relentless effort and unwavering commitment.
在外行看来，做TikTok主播，意味着“泼天的富贵”。但在Helen眼中，任何行业都是“一分耕耘一分收获”。
“As an international streamer, I am often consumed by late-night live-streaming sessions and a daily routine of eight-hour standing on-air. I head home and start crafting scripts after wrapping up around midnight and do editing in the mornings. Our earnings are intricately tied to our sales performance; the more we sell, the more we are paid,” revealed Helen.
她说，“做海外主播，免不了熬夜直播，以及一天8小时的‘站桩输出’。我有时0点才下班，回家后还要写脚本，早上还要运营剪辑，而我们的收入和销售业绩挂钩，卖得多才能赚得多。”
Starting from scratch, Helen devoted six months to honing her distinctive style. Diverging from the prevalent trend where streamers overwhelm audiences with rapid-fire delivery of 900 words per minute, Helen’s mellifluous and gentle cadence appeals to her followers. She masterfully weaves authentic accents into her presentations and has even ventured onto China’s domestic social media Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book) to share her career insights and experiences.
从零开始做主播，Helen花了半年的时间才找到适合自己的“套路”。不同于其他主播“一分钟输出900个单词”的语速“轰炸”，Helen的语气格外舒缓而温和，擅长用地道的口音“接梗”。她还在小红书开设账号，日常分享她的直播心得。
Streamers with caliber and linguistic prowess, like Helen, are the rare gems that ambitious cross-border e-commerce enterprises in Ningbo are ardently seeking. Qian Weiwei, General Manager of Broad Solution, is among many who place a premium on such talents. Despite his relentless efforts in 2024 to recruit e-commerce streamers, Qian found his search for the perfect fit a Herculean task as many applicants fail to satisfy his demands due to inadequate practical acumen.
像Helen这样经验丰富的外语主播，恰是一些宁波跨境电商企业急需的稀缺人才。宁波博略国际贸易有限公司总经理钱巍魏就是“求贤”的一员。今年以来，他在宁波招募跨境电商主播，却发现应聘者实战能力良莠不齐，难以找到合适的人选。
In a stroke of serendipity, Qian stumbled upon Helen’s Xiaohongshu page and was so deeply impressed that he proactively reached out with a proposition for collaboration.
无奈之下，钱巍魏将目光投向社交媒体。他偶然刷到Helen的小红书账号，便主动向她抛出合作的“橄榄枝”。
“From my perspective, Ningbo’s best attraction lies in its manufacturing and foreign trade endowments,” Helen emphasized. “This city has got a treasure trove of top-notch products, a source of TikTok e-commerce hits. And to top it off, businesses here have got it covered with extensive overseas logistics and sales channels, solidifying their position in the global trade arena.”
“宁波最吸引我的地方，是它的制造基因和外贸基因。”Helen表示，“这里有不少好产品，有机会借TikTok电商成为‘爆款’。同时，宁波企业的海外物流和销售渠道齐全，外贸基础非常好。”
So far, Helen has been working in Ningbo for a week. Her channel primarily focuses on US consumers. Compared to Southeast Asian markets, the US offers a larger population base, stronger consumer purchasing power, and a greater willingness to invest in quality.
眼下，Helen已在宁波工作一周，主要面向美国消费者。和东南亚市场相比，美国的人口基数更大、消费者购买力更强，更愿意为品质买单。
According to Xie Shangwei – Secretary-General of the Ningbo Cross-border E-commerce Association, Ningbo and Hangzhou stand out as powerhouses in cross-border e-commerce within East China. Ningbo’s advantage lies in its robust industrial base while Hangzhou thrives in the realm of e-commerce. The partnership between Gen Z TikTok influencers, skilled in live streaming from Hangzhou, and Ningbo’s foreign traders and manufacturers highlights the mutually beneficial synergy between the two Chinese cities in Zhejiang province.
在宁波市跨境电子商务协会秘书长谢尚伟看来，作为华东地区的跨境电商强市，宁波的优势在于产业带，而杭州的强项在电商经济。在杭州积累直播经验的“95后”TikTok主播，和宁波的外贸和制造业企业达成合作，背后也折射出杭甬两地的优势互补。
“Cross-border e-commerce targets overseas consumers, and live stream serves as a pivotal channel for international engagement. Young TikTok streamers are qualified for this industry with a keen sense for internet trends and a global insight.” In a broader context, Xie emphasized that their involvement in TikTok live sales facilitates cultural exchange between China and target countries, which helps foster a deeper understanding of foreign customs and traditions, as well as the effective sharing of Chinese narratives.
“跨境电商最终面对的是海外消费者，而直播正是连接他们的重要渠道。年轻的TikTok主播们，不仅是具有‘网感’的互联网原住民，还具备国际视野。”谢尚伟表示，主播们从事TikTok直播，也是在促进中国与目的国的文化交流，对了解目的国的风俗习惯、讲好中国故事意义非凡。
Journalist: Yan Jin
Translator: Pan Wenjie
Proofreaders: Lin Yongyi,
Fan Yeping, Huang Dawang,
Jason Mowbray