How Live Streaming Revamped Rental Listings: A Post‑Pandemic Product Case Study

Project Background

In 2020 the pandemic disrupted many lifestyles, especially traditional rental businesses that relied on offline house viewings; social distancing made it difficult for landlords and tenants to meet in person.

From 1.0 to 2.0: Post‑Pandemic Evolution

58 Rental launched an emergency live‑streaming service, adopting a "small‑step, fast‑iteration" approach to provide a safe, efficient online viewing experience. Initially the service acted like a novice teacher, helping new hosts quickly rent out properties.

Identified Problems

Data tracking revealed low conversion rates, poor stream quality, low host enthusiasm, and short broadcast durations. Landlords lacked a clear concept of rental live streaming, were not professional hosts, and struggled to engage viewers effectively.

Post‑Pandemic 2.0 Mission

The core insight is that live streaming success depends on host performance; low‑quality streams deter audiences. The mission is to use the landlord side as a breakthrough, cultivating landlords into the "Li Jiaqi" of the rental market.

Diagnostic Test: "Live‑Streaming Difficulty" & "Connection Gap"

Through 1‑v‑1 interviews, landlords were categorized into three personas: zero‑contact hosts, learning‑as‑audience hosts, and skill‑transfer hosts. Four essential stages were defined: understanding live streaming, pre‑live preparation, live connection process, and post‑live follow‑up.

New Service Guidance System

Using user‑behavior analysis, a step‑by‑step guide was created to motivate landlords, reduce friction, and align platform services with each stage. Strategies include:

Awareness Stage: Communicate the value of live streaming for rapid rentals.

Pre‑Live Stage: Provide tutorials, short videos, and a preparation page to lower psychological barriers.

Live Connection Process: Introduce a heat‑value metric, audience push, and a robot assistant to guide hosts on content flow and interaction.

Post‑Live Stage: Offer feedback on performance, reinforce positive outcomes, and close the loop with micro‑chat follow‑ups.

Design Log

A design log records each iteration’s goals, launch dates, and metric impacts, facilitating post‑project retrospectives.

Results

Live‑stream sessions and effective session duration increased markedly; active landlord participation rose, demonstrating that the new service form improved rental efficiency and transformed landlords into proactive agents.

Conclusion

Rental live streaming introduces a novel connection method, shifting from passive waiting to active tenant outreach. Guided interventions at each stage are crucial for turning landlords into effective live‑stream hosts, ultimately boosting rental efficiency.