The massive amounts of revenue generated in a short period by online streaming host Jenny-Ratchanok Suwannaket, 30, a singer and actress, has left the public and observers stunned.
While evaluating the phenomenon, Assoc Prof Nopporn Ruangwanit, director of the Dual Bachelor’s and Master’s Program in Accounting and Business at Thammasat University, revealed that Thai consumer behavior is fundamentally different from that of the West.
“Thai people enjoy fun, entertainment and direct engagement with sellers during the buying process. In contrast, Western consumers often prefer to purchase goods via e-commerce platforms such as Amazon and eBay without interacting with sellers,” said academic Nopporn, an expert on marketing science.
It is this difference that explains the “Jenny Festival” phenomenon. The famous singer and songwriter, Jenny-Ratchanok, also known as Jenny “Dai Mod Ta Sod Chuen”, has been able to rake in millions of baht in revenue in a short period through live-streaming sales.
“In marketing, this approach is referred to as ‘Shoppertainment’, which aligns perfectly with Thai consumer behavior,” Nopporn, who is also the acting director of the International Business Administration Program at Thammasat University, explains.
The power of collaboration
Nopporn further explains that a key factor in this success is “the power of collaboration”. During live sales events, Jenny collaborates with celebrities and other influencers, multiplying the entertainment factor and consolidating the fan bases of all involved.
This strategy significantly boosts visibility and awareness among consumers, as platform algorithms are further triggered by the combined audiences.
For entrepreneurs, small and medium-sized enterprises and online sellers looking to replicate Jenny’s success, the first lesson to take away is the importance of brand collaboration. The business and marketing sectors are increasingly embracing this concept.
For example, famous shoe brands are collaborating with other brands to attract each other’s customer bases, instantly expanding their reach.
Another crucial aspect is pricing. Jenny sets the product prices herself, sometimes even lower than those offered by the brands’ official channels, ensuring the best prices for customers exclusively during the live event.
This is combined with a limited-time offer—each brand gets only a 10-minute slot—creating a sense of urgency. This triggers the psychological state known as FOMO (Fear of Missing Out), where customers feel they should not miss out on the opportunity, even if they do not need the product currently, Nopporn explains.
Jenny also skillfully retains viewers throughout the broadcast by alternating between famous celebrities and lesser-known brand owners with unique products, while regularly announcing the upcoming appearance of highly anticipated celebrities or influencers. These strategies help keep viewers engaged for longer periods.
Jenny herself revealed that she learned to use the short-form video platform TikTok and understands how it works. “Viewers like authenticity and drama,” she says.
Nopporn compares Jenny with a retail entrepreneur, emphasizing that the key to the success of a retail business is the strategic arrangement and variety of products.
Jenny understands how to present products in an engaging way, mixing and matching different types of products to avoid repetition and boredom. This ensures consumers see a diverse range of items, and makes it more likely they will purchase more than one type per live session.
Jenny has set an ambitious sales target of 1 billion baht (approximately US$30 million) by the end of this month. Nopporn believes this is achievable, given the high interest from many celebrities and influencers in joining her live sales.
However, the goal of 10 billion baht (about $307 million) in one year and maintaining this growth trend for 3–5 years will be a challenge if she continues to use the same strategies. It remains to be seen how Jenny will continue to expand and capitalize on this phenomenon.
Jenny has also announced via her social media that she will organize a major sales expo, consisting of five events in five provinces across Thailand, beginning January 2026.
Vendors interested in participating can rent a booth for 1 million baht, alongside more than 50 booths for well-known celebrities. This initiative extends her live-streaming strategy into offline events, providing additional sales channels.
Given her massive viewership—hundreds of thousands per live session—it is highly likely that these expos will attract huge crowds eager to shop and meet celebrities up close.
The role of drama
Many observers also discuss the colorful aspects of her life, from family struggles and her mother’s personal hardships to her successful purchase of a house worth 100 million baht.
These personal stories contribute to her live-streaming sales success.
Live streaming has become an alternative channel to sell products and can reach segments of consumers who prefer shopping online, says Pavida Pananond, professor at the International Business Department at Thammasat Business School. “Well-known sellers could boost consumer confidence in the quality of those products,” she says.
Pavida adds that she is much more interested in how influencers pay tax, making a contribution to public interest.
Revenue Department changes gear
The Thai Revenue Department is increasing its workforce and upgrading its AI systems to analyze electronic data trails after finding that most influencers and content creators are not paying taxes correctly. Offenders face fines of 2–3 times the amount owed.
Panuvat Luangvilai, deputy director-general and spokesperson of the Revenue Department, said that the department had launched the “RD Trend X” project, which increases personnel and upgrades AI systems to analyze electronic transaction data.
This will help track and assess businesses at risk of tax evasion or incomplete tax payment, especially among influencers and content creators.
Within just two months of the project’s implementation, at least 1.2 billion baht in additional revenue has been collected. The department also confirmed that it now possesses data on all influencers and content creators.
The former director-general of the Revenue Department, Pinsai Suraswadi, had set a policy for tax officers nationwide to go door-to-door, educating influencers, especially those involved in live-selling and YouTubers, on how to file taxes properly and completely.
Tellscore Co, an influencer marketing platform provider, estimates that there are about 9 million influencers and content creators nationwide—2 million are full-time employees and 7 million are freelancers. This number is expected to rise, and most are still not filing taxes properly.
The online live-sales industry across various platforms is projected to grow by more than 20 per cent in 2025, with a total transaction value of no less than 45 billion baht. The worldwide market is worth about 5.5 trillion baht, with a growth rate in the range of 15-20 per cent annually.
