SINGAPORE – Jack Neo has embarked on an ambitious new project and it has nothing to do with making movies.
The home-grown film-maker has collaborated with Singaporean actor Terence Cao for a new e-commerce live-stream platform called Star Live.
Neo, 63, told The Straits Times at the Star Live press event on Nov 28 at Pan Pacific Singapore that he has been doing live streams for a year, such as overseas shopping expeditions and weekly group walks.
It was during one such shopping trip in Paris in 2022 that he bumped into Cao, who was live-streaming from the French capital.
“He looked so lonely selling on his own,” said Neo.
“He has been doing live-stream selling for a while, so he knows how it works. I have a large online following, so why not we work on live-streaming together?”
Neo, who has more than 615,000 followers on Facebook, said he has always wanted to give back to them and “live-stream sales is like a service for them”.
The new collaboration will conduct its live streams via Facebook.
“Shoppers can trust us when we say we have the best deals and products,” he added.
Neo acknowledged that the live-stream selling industry is a huge money-making opportunity.
However, while many have jumped onto the bandwagon, not all can do it well, he said.
Earlier in 2023, the film-maker worked with a Hong Kong jewellery manufacturer and sold about $500,000 worth of bling online.
“What Terence brings to the table is the support of his group of celebrity friends,” said Neo.
Cao, 56, who started his live e-commerce company Sibay Shiok with actress Dawn Yeoh, has roped in local personalities to be part of Star Live.
These include actors Chen Xiuhuan, Cassandra See, Tang Miaoling, Angela Ang, Henry Thia, Vincent Ng, Peter Yu, Jae Oh and Collin Chee, as well as influencers Nicole Chang Min and Yutaki Ong.
Showbiz veteran Cao is confident that the “star power” in their live sales channel will draw viewers and shoppers from Singapore and Malaysia. “With the big pool of artistes, we can hold daily live-stream sales.”
He added that live-stream sales on Sibay Shiok will continue.
Cao also said Sibay Shiok’s primary function is to generate sales, while Star Live is a content-generating platform to create brand awareness through marketing and promotion for merchants.
Products sold on Star Live are also more upmarket than those featured on Sibay Shiok, which targets mass-market consumers.
Neo, who has finished filming Money No Enough 3, has high hopes for Star Live and says he is in it for the long run.
“E-commerce is such a big market and I think we can go on for a long time. You may not want to buy something from us today, but you can always come back and buy another time,” he said.
“We are also not limiting ourselves to working in Singapore. We will collaborate with other live-stream sales channels, such as those in Malaysia and China.”
