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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Lifestyle
Rebecca Ratcliffe and Guill Ramos

South-east Asia’s quirky, sweary shopping stars cashing in on livestream selling

Kenneth Gongon Watanabe’s live broadcasts from Japan can last for a couple of hours or more, and involve him wandering around supermarket aisles demonstrating products.
Kenneth Gongon Watanabe’s live broadcasts from Japan can last for a couple of hours or more, and involve him wandering around supermarket aisles demonstrating products. Photograph: Madylin's - Imported Japan Goods/Facebook

There are times when other customers browsing the malls in Gifu city, Japan, seem to wonder why Kenneth Gongon Watanabe is buying so many items, and why he is talking so energetically on his phone.

But the goods in his trolleys – which can range from hoards of shoes and anime socks, to stacks of Japanese sweets and matcha latte powders – are not for him. They’re actually being bought by dozens of customers in Watanabe’s home country, the Philippines, who follow live on Facebook as he browses the shops.

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