Two days ago, Befriends MCN 交个朋友 (HKEX: 1457), a leading Chinese live commerce platform, announced it has embedded DeepSeek’s advanced language model into its proprietary live-streaming management system, Friend Cloud, to optimize operations and compliance.
Who is Befriends MCN
Befriends is a leading MCN that connects influencers, brands, and consumers through real-time, interactive shopping experiences since it started live streaming in 2020.
By the end of 2024, the platform had:
- Successfully supported over 39,000 live broadcasts.
- Assisted in over 3.49 million product selection processes.
- Reported 6 months GMV in 2024 exceeding US$85 mil (RMB620 million), a 44% y-o-y increase.
- Reported net profit surged 93.8% year-on-year to approximately US$11 mil (RMB 83.81 million).
With many practitioners in our community asking how live streaming can be profitable, Befriends advocates their “matrix live broadcast room” strategy around cost, efficiency and user experience.
Friend Cloud: The Tech Behind the Growth
Befriends’ core platform, Friend Cloud, offers end-to-end solutions for merchants—from recruitment and product selection to live-stream management and payments. The integration of DeepSeek’s AI adds two critical upgrades:
- Smart Script Generation: Automatically creates tailored sales scripts from product data, sharpening key selling points and reducing human error.
- AI-Powered Compliance: Scans merchant licenses, brand approvals, and product certifications for risks (expired trademarks, mismatched documents, etc.).
Befriends believe that this AI integration not only boosts efficiency but also establishes a “compliance moat”—a critical edge as regulators tighten scrutiny on live commerce.
Why This Matters
Live streaming is reshaping global retail, but profitability and compliance remain hurdles. Manual work is still massive in many live streaming operations, and Befriends’ tech-driven approach could be a future blueprint for scaling sustainably.
How can you be a part of the conversation?
Join us to visit Befriends in Momentum Works Live Commerce & Ecommerce immersion happening 18-20th March. Access the program details here and reach out to us to have a chat here.
