Drama sparks online sales boom

A still from South Korean TV series Descendants of the Sun.[File photo]

A megahit South Korean drama is inspiring Chinese video-steaming website iQiyi.com to explore e-commerce as a new way to grow revenue.

The popularity of Descendants of the Sun, which has been viewed a combined 1.92 billion times online in China, shows how companies can benefit from consumers who want to mimic styles of celebrities.

IQiyi, the official streaming site of the 16-episode drama in China, is seeing skyrocketing sales of items used by actress Song Hye-gyo, whose character is a doctor in the series.

The Beijing-based company, backed by Internet giant Baidu Inc, said the daily sales on its e-commerce site jumped by 180 percent in March after it started streaming the drama on Feb 24.

Sales of a Laneige cream from AmorePacific Corp surged by 10 times and a Daniel Wellington watch by eightfold.

"The whopping sales figures illustrate there is a huge demand for derivatives of quality content, such as clothing and cosmetics," iQiqi said in a statement.

The company did not disclose detailed numbers but said Guangdong, Shanghai and Beijing are the top three regions where consumers spend most on buying items used by actors in the drama.