Live Shopping: what is it?
Live Shopping is an online sales technique born in China in 2013. The concept is to browse and buy products during a live digital event. The expert, who can be an influencer, presents a brand’s products to their community members. Those members can interact during the live stream and make purchases.
This phenomenon gives brands access to specific communities. The advertiser benefits from the audience of the influencer they chose to host the Live Shopping event.
According to Mediakix, a leading influencer marketing agency in the United States, 87% of buyers were won over by an influencer before making a purchase. The power influencers have to persuade their community is well established.
The current health environment, which no longer allows large volumes of in-store foot traffic, has also pushed businesses to dedicate a larger share of their budget to digital events and products.
Concretely, how does it work?
The possibilities are endless when it comes to Live Shopping. There are no real limits, and creativity is a key asset to stand out. That said, it is important to leverage best practices to ensure an effective Live Shopping strategy.
A few key steps:
- Have a narrative thread: Live Shopping gives you the opportunity to tell a story around your product and provide context for how it is used. Make the most of it!
- Choose which products to feature: the products selected must first be suited to the target audience for that Live Shopping event. In general, lower-priced items are more likely to trigger impulse buying behavior. The product should also not be too complex to demonstrate in context.
- The host: the credibility of the person chosen to lead the Live Shopping event is essential. The host should be selected based on the target audience. They can be a salesperson, an influencer, an expert, and so on.
- The broadcast platform: Live Shopping can be broadcast on a dedicated platform, the brand’s website, or a social network, depending on the target audience and the product being featured.
The benefits of Live Shopping
Live Shopping is a powerful tool for building brand awareness.
Live Shopping blends entertainment and online retail. The product becomes an entertainment item that viewers can access effortlessly.
Live Shopping can make a promo code available for just a few minutes. The goal is to trigger FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) in the live viewer, creating the fear of missing a deal. This makes the experience feel unique.
Live Shopping recreates the feeling of a physical store.
The live viewer can interact with the host to ask questions and see the product from different angles.
Live Shopping creates an authentic experience where the virtual takes on a real dimension.
Live Shopping allows brands to collect feedback.
By building this close relationship with customers, the brand can learn opinions on certain products and understand their expectations. It is by creating these moments that brands gain a lasting competitive advantage.
💡 Our tips
- The most successful events last around 30 to 40 minutes. After 20 minutes, the audience starts to drop off.
- Failing to ride the Live Shopping wave is a real risk of being left behind down the line.
- Plan ahead for unexpected issues and strictly stick to the scheduled start and end times.
- Offer participants exclusive deals to attract more customers and drive sales.
Want expert support for your digital marketing strategy? Don’t hesitate to reach out!
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