China's 'Lipstick King' confronts slower growth, AI disruption in livestream shopping

Superstar streamer hails new 'stable, healthier' phase JD.com says AI hosts can cut 80% from livestream operating costs Livestreaming formed over 36% of China's 2025 online retail sales By Casey Hall and Xihao Jiang SHANGHAI, Sept 24 (Reuters) — For nearly a decade, China's "Lipstick King" has been the face of the livestream shopping industry, helping to grow a niche format into one of the country's most important retail channels. Now, despite slowing growth and artificial intelligence reshaping the sector, Li Jiaqi, famed for selling billions of dollars worth of beauty products to more than 100 million followers, bets it will still depend on people like him. "Growth may not be as explosive as it was four or five years ago," said Li, who began livestreaming in 2016, but he added that the sector had moved into a "stable and healthy phase". The industry is grappling with a weaker consumer environment, where retail sales rose just 0.4% in August on the year, down from July's 0.6%, while growth of 1.1% over the first eight months of 2026 reflected sluggish household spending. Yet livestreaming has reshaped China's shopping habits, with online retail sales exceeding 36% in 2025, up from