Millionaire livestreaming star shares tricks of the trade

Zhang Dayi makes a living by livestreaming.

And for her, it's turned into a very lucrative business.

In fact, she's a millionaire.

Dayi films herself talking about items of clothing and answers questions on anything from its sizing to smell.

Ahead of China's online shopping festival "Double-12", the equivalent of e-commerce giant Alibaba's Single's Day, millions have watched her every move -- and provided affirmation in the form of 'likes'.

The secret to her success? Well, she says it takes dedication, ambition and the direct communication that comes with livestreaming.

(SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) LIVESTREAMER AND SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCER, ZHANG DAYI, SAYING:

"I started my (online) shop in the second half of 2014. At first, I used a form of photo and text (to interact with users), and then short videos, and then gradually used livestreaming as a tool to frequently chat with users. I think livestreaming is an all-around and more direct way of communication. Along with the development of the internet and changes to online platforms, we are also optimising ourselves. I think when it comes to us selling products, it (livestreaming) is a very effective way to convince users and communicate with them as well as establish trust with them."

Dayi dipped her toe into the world of live-streaming when Alibaba started testing the service.

She has four business -- which earned 48.6 million US dollars across the Singles Day event in November.