Live shopping: Everything you need to know to boost your sales
What is live shopping?
It's a pretty awesome trend in e-commerce right now and it's completely transforming the way we shop online. This new approach forms part of a more global Social Commerce strategy.
Live shopping is an interactive, real-time shopping experience where customers can watch a live video stream of a product demonstration. They can ask questions and make purchases directly from the stream. It's pretty cool, right?
Basically, it's is a new e-commerce sales and communication format, derived from a combination of live streaming and TV shopping. Businesses love it because it allows them to engage with customers in real time, creating a more personal shopping experience.
And customers love it because it's so much more immersive than regular online shopping.
The practice of live shopping exploded in 2016 with the launch of the live shopping streaming platform Taobao Live by Alibaba. It didn't take long for live shopping to become a hit in China.
In 2020, 2/3 of Chinese consumers have already made a purchase through live shopping.
But it's not just an Asian trend.
In the United States, 17% of consumers regularly watch influencers’ livestream selling videos.
In France, 67% of consumers say they are interested in live shopping compared to 70% across Europe (Forrester Consulting & McKinsey, 2020).
What are the benefits of live shopping?
Live shopping is the new hotness in the ecommerce world. But, you might be wondering, what are the benefits? Well, let me tell you!
Live shopping allows you to recreate the in-store sales environment
During a live shopping session, the consumer can observe the product from all angles, as in a store - no waiting or guessing. Some brands go even further by enabling their sales reps to answer questions and offer real-time advice.
All these elements allow to enjoy an authentic experience that reproduces the conditions of compulsive buying.
Live shopping offers a better shopping experience
Live shopping streams are great for creating an engaging experience for viewers. There are a lot of cool interactive features like comments, questions, polls and more.
Playing up this interactivity will allow you to build a certain intimacy with your customers and make them feel more connected to the brand.
Live shopping produces fewer product returns.
When it comes to selling stuff on live shopping streams, the rate of returns is often significantly lower than regular online shopping – we're talking up to 40% lower! (Coresight Research).
This makes sense, since they get to see and experience the products firsthand have a better understanding of the products.
Live shopping boosts brand awareness and recognition
Live shopping streams are one more type of content you can add to your overall content marketing strategy — another avenue for getting your name out there.
Live shopping allows you to stand out from the competition and build a strong and unique brand identity.
It also helps to engage your audience, create a sense of community, and build trust with potential customers. By using live shopping streams you can give your audience a behind-the-scenes look at how your products are made, how they work, and even introduce them to the people who make it all happen.
Live shopping also gives you a chance to interact with your customers in real-time, answer any questions they may have, and build relationships with them. This allows you to create a more personal connection with your customers, which can lead to increased loyalty and brand recognition.
Live shopping helps to boost conversion rates
Live shopping allows to multiply up to 10x its conversion rate, compared to traditional channels (according to a McKinsey study).
Indeed, viewers can discover how the products behave in reality. But this is not the main point.
This incredible increase comes from the ability of live shopping to hold the viewer's attention, to engage the audience through social interactions and, most importantly, to accelerate the conversion rate thanks to the video and the presenter's expertise.
9 tips for successful live shoppings
Hosting a live shopping event can be a super fun way to connect with your customers, build relationships and get those sales rolling! If you're feeling a bit overwhelmed, don't worry - I got your back. Here are some quick tips to help you out and get you started!
Choose the right distribution channels
Most of the time, the live broadcasts are streamed directly from a dedicated page on the brand's e-commerce site, using dedicated tools such as TalkShopLive, Channelize.io or Bambuser.
These apps offer a fully integrated shopping experience that will create awareness, engagement and sales, as well as multi-streaming live shopping shows to Facebook, Twitch and YouTube.
You can also stream your live shopping sessions directly on social networks. It's even easier to organize because your community is already there. The only drawback is that your viewers will not be able to buy your products directly from the platform, they will have to make the effort to go to your website to buy the product seen during the live.
Facebook and Instagram had both launched a platform dedicated to Live Shopping but finally announced to back off and put an end to these features. Brands will still be able to organize traditional live events on these 2 social networks.
On the other hand, brands that communicate on TikTok can use the dedicated platform TikTok Shop, and those who sell their products on Amazon will favor the Amazon Live platform.
Plan the event from start to finish
It can be very tempting to improvise your livestreams, but getting your topic and key points ready ahead of time will help you make the most of your time.
With a written script, you won't fall short of what to say and end up waffling. Your audience will be more involved and will stick around longer. Planning is also a great way to avoid potential embarrassment and relieve anxiety.
Think about your recording studio as well. Make sure it is worked on and decorated. If having a dedicated room is ideal, having a setting designed for live shopping is essential to maximize the professional effect of live shopping and thus optimize the conversion rate.
Choose the right animator(s)
Entrust the facilitation of the live session to a dynamic and smiling person. In all successful live shopping sessions, either a salesperson from the brand or a host or digital influencer is there to facilitate the live video shopping session.
The more energized the facilitator, the better.
Invite influencers
In addition, brands can invite influencers to promote their products, as they are excellent audience enhancers.
Since live shopping is above all a social event, take the opportunity to invite speakers! Professionals or influencers, they will enrich your live event with their experiences, but also with their subscribers.
Promote live shopping beforehand
Promotion is essential to ensure a large number of online shoppers during the live event. Promotion before the live can be done through many channels: newsletter, banner on the website, scheduled event on facebook, publications on social networks, teasing videos...
Whatever the live shopping platform you want for your event, announce it! On social networks, your livestream will be announced to your followers through a notification, but they won't necessarily be conscious of the interest to attend it.
So, spread the word about your live.
Test products live
Remember to put the displayed product into action. The more the product benefits will be emphasized through the live video, the more the chances to generate purchases will be high.
This can be done through a live use of the presented product or a live fitting of the product in the context of prêt-à-porter products for example.
Interacting with your audience
The main value of live shopping lies in the live broadcast and the interaction with your audience. So think about what you want to bring to your audience.
Talk about the brand's new products, how they were designed and answer any questions the community may have regarding the subject.
Not only does live shopping give you direct access to your audience, but their attendance also proves their commitment to your brand. Don't miss out on this unique moment by asking them a few questions too.
Encourage sales
To encourage participants to take the plunge, one of the tricks is to use gamification mechanisms.
You can use tactics such as limited-time offers or viewer-only discounts with live shopping videos, building excitement for your products and increasing sales through impulse purchases. You may also consider some contests or prize draws for viewers.
Record your live shopping session and reuse it
This is a great takeaway, because according to Retail TouchPoints, 70% of sales made through live shopping happen after the event.
So think about creating a dedicated page on your website to access and review all your past livestreams and sign up for future ones. You can also upload all your replay on Youtube, as Decathlon does for example.
What's the best Live Shopping platform?
LiveMeUp is the Video Commerce platform for generating Live Shopping sessions and Shoppable Videos on e-commerce in just a few clicks.
It enables brands to capture customers' attention in an immersive way using video to generate instant sales.
And best of all, LiveMeUp offers a seamless, fluid experience designed for your Shopify store.
5 examples of successful live shopping
Decathlon
Called Decat'Live, Decathlon provides its community with presentations of innovative products and essential accessories through its live video shopping sessions. Notice how they encourage people to sign up by offering contests, points or products to win.
IKKS
IKKS is one of those brands that often organize live shopping sessions with their community (several per month). With a dedicated area in their premises for recording, their live shows are very good examples to be inspired by.
Cdiscount
With its "Hub Cdiscount Live Shopping!" Cdiscount invites influencers to present its products in themed live shopping sessions: gaming, beauty, cooking, etc. Besides, prizes are to be won during the live sessions for even more loyalty.
Nordstrom
Nordstrom is one of the few fashion companies that started their own live shopping channel. On it, you can find tons of events related to stuff like the newest trends in fall fashion and spring beauty.
Walmart
On the other side of the ocean, Walmart was one of the first retailers to launch live shopping in 2020.
During an hour-long live session, 10 TikTok creators had featured their favorite fashion accessories available at Walmart and viewers could purchase the featured products directly during the session. This was a hit as the brand saw a 25% increase in TikTok subscribers and generated 7 times more views than expected.
Since then, the brand has invested heavily in live shopping, multiplying events and broadcasting them on various social platforms. It It also created a website entirely dedicated to these events.
Conclusion
Live shopping is a great way to get up close and personal with your customers and boost your sales – plus, it's loads of fun! You can present products in real time and get valuable feedback from your customers, so you can build relationships and add a personal touch.
With the right prep and organization, you can create a live shopping event that'll have your customers buzzing about your products – it's definitely worth a try!
