China's change of heart about influencers provides an interesting case study for what could happen if livestreaming e-commerce, still in its early stages of growth in the U.S, picks up steam. In China, McKinsey estimates that the value of livestreaming e-commerce will reach $423b this year from almost nothing in 2017. But the phenomenon—essentially an online version of QVC—is in its early phases of growth in the U.S., where influencers largely make money from advertising and sponsored posts and videos on social platforms.