To stay competitive as an e-tailer, you need to be imaginative and creative. Fortunately, the Internet offers many tools to retailers and e-commerce specialists for attract customers to their online store.
One example is live shopping.
What is it and how can this marketing concept be adapted to your brand?
Answers in our article.
How live shopping works: definition of the live shop concept
As the name suggests, live shopping consists of creating a live event on your website or social networks, in the form of a shopping session..
Simply put, it’s a new-generation teleshopping session that creates a direct link between a brand and its community.
If you haven’t heard of this trend, that’s normal. In fact, this new online sales concept is relatively new in France. According to a Médiamétrie studyonly 18% of consumers are familiar with this type of shopping experience, and 12% have already taken part.
On the one hand, we have a brand that wants to showcase one or more products and, on the other, social network followers who want to find out more about the brand and its references.
Live shopping allows a retailer to offer live tests of some of its products, while allowing while allowing consumers to actively participate by commenting and, of course, buying.
Note: this concept comes to us straight from China. Used by e-commerce brands and chains since 2016, live shopping has become a major event there, generating thousands of spectators each session.
Why live shopping in e-commerce?
First of all, it’s important to point out that this trend is still in its infancy in France. Organizing a live shopping session can get people talking about you on social networks and attract new users who don’t (yet) know your brand.
What’s more, according to according to McKinsey, live shopping can increase your conversion rate 10-fold. This means you can boost your sales with an original event that doesn’t require a huge investment.
We are, in fact, focused on an authentic e-commerce experience that gives viewers the opportunity to find out more about your products.
As such, live shopping is a great way to break down the barrier created by your website. The problem with online sales is the impossibility of touching or handling a product. Thanks to a live shopping event on Facebook, on your website or on any other streaming platform, it has become possible to get around this type of difficulty.
Of course, web users won’t be able to handle the products either, but you’ll do it for them. What’s more, you can invite a celebrity to increase your reach.
Please note: it is strongly recommended tooffer users the option of commenting live on the stream. In this way, the presenter can look into the chat from time to time and select the most interesting questions to take his sales demonstration a step further.
In this sense, live shopping is more than just a product sales event. It’s a real which can lead to a few surprises to meet the needs and desires of your community.
It’s an excellent way to boost your image and brand awareness.
How do I go live shopping?
First and foremost, to do live shopping, you need to have products to offer.
You have 2 choices:
- Offer your flagship references to a new audience that does not (yet) know your brand;
- Offer your new creations to your users directly.
Depending on your choice, your community and the platform on which you choose to live shop will not be the same.
If you want to speak to an audience that already knows you, you can organize your event on your website. The advantage: you can control it and customize it as you wish. What’s more, there’s nothing to stop you from offering a replay on your social networks.
If you don’t have the resources or if you want to target a slightly wider audience, do some live shopping on social networks can be an interesting choice. Especially since most platforms offer brands a number of tools and features to easily organize this type of online sales event (Instagram Shopping, Facebook live shopping…).
You will also need one or more animators. Of course, choose communication experts who are comfortable in front of the camera and can easily engage your audience in conversation. They must be able to create a real show to showcase your brand and products at their best.
And don’t forget to choose equipment that delivers the right sound and image so that your live broadcast and product demonstration do not suffer from technical problems.
How to make a success of your live shopping?
First tip for successful live shopping: be sure to provide your audience with concrete, interesting information.. If you’re organizing this type of event, your presenters need to know your products well, and be able to present them from every angle, with complete transparency.
Tip 2: encourage the act of buying by offering your users gifts during the live event.. This could be a discount coupon valid only during the live event, a prize draw or a competition.
Tip 3: stay close to your audience and engage them in dialogue. The aim of live shopping is to offer a live meeting with your users. So use the chat room to let people express themselves and ask questions.
Fourth tip: as mentioned above, don’t hesitate to bring in guests and guest stars. They may be well-known personalities, industry professionals or influencers. This type of practice helps to reassure your audience.
Final tip: communicate before, during and after the event. This will enable your followers to note the date in their diaries, while giving those who missed the event the incentive not to miss the next one.
In any case, because live shopping in France is still in its infancy, you have the opportunity to get a head start on your competitors. Grab hold of this phenomenon and don’t miss this opportunity to generate excellent results!
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