Livestream shopping, also called live shopping, is a burgeoning trend in eCommerce that’s helping businesses to gain more exposure and more sale. It allows shoppers to watch and participate in the product review. Livestream eCommerce is a $500 billion market that just keeps on growing. Recently, top companies have made significant moves into the live-streaming space. For example, Shopify launched Shopify Live, and Facebook rolled out livestream shopping features in its new Marketplace app. This article highlights how livestream shopping has transformed online shopping and why businesses should consider adapting it to their business.
Livestream Shopping – An Overview
Live eCommerce refers to a celebrity or influencer promoting a product or service using live video. A company may also stream an event on their website or social media sites – without necessarily involving an influencer- in real-time.
Livestreaming offers incredible potential to grow a company’s revenue and engagement because it allows businesses to connect with their customers intimately. As technology advances at breakneck speed, so does the e-commerce business- it’s currently one of the most significant trends and will only get bigger.
Coresight Research predicted that by the end of 2021, the live stream shopping business in the United States would be worth $11 billion. This figure is expected to reach $25 billion by 2023.
As recently as a few years ago, this was virtually nonexistent in the West and only accounted for 3.5% of China’s retail e-commerce. It was worth $300 billion in China, the country that started the live streaming and online retail boom, in 2021 and is expected to reach $600 billion in 2023, according to eMarketer, with a share of retail sales of 19.5%.
Types and Benefits of Livestream Shopping
Any business, product, or service can benefit from this innovative model. The benefits of a live demonstration are numerous, including a higher conversion rate and a better ability to engage with the audience.
Interactive Sessions in Real-Time
This feature allows consumers to interact with a sales representative live on their computer or mobile device, making shopping more convenient and fun. Providing customers with relevant and timely information is a great way to keep them engaged and interested in a brand.
It’s a great approach to turn visitors into potential consumers by doing interviews, Q&A, and FAQs. A great way to spread the word about a brand is by using this real-time promotional material.
Behind-the-scenes Live Video
A great way to give consumers a sneak peek into a business, behind-the-scenes looks at what goes on in your company and how things are made. It helps them get to know you better and build trust with your brand.
People like seeing what goes on in their favorite brands’ factories, offices, and stores because it makes them feel more connected to them. If people can relate to a product or service, they’ll be more likely to buy from you.
Product Demos
A product demo is an excellent tool for showcasing how something works and why it’s worth buying. If clients have questions about products or services, they can ask them immediately from their computer or mobile device during an event via live streaming.
Live shops can also help answer such questions via chat if they don’t want to wait for an answer during a video broadcast.
Influencer Collaboration
Collaboration with influencers has shown to be an effective and frequent strategy for eCommerce companies to increase sales while also allowing influencers to make money and grow their fan bases.
Celebrities have consistently found success with celebrity live stream shopping to stand out in a sea of hundreds of live streaming videos. Seeing a star try on clothes and discuss which outfits look best on them helps build trust between fans and brands.
This makes people more likely to buy what she’s wearing because they know her personally.
Zendaya, an actress and social media sensation, has a massive fan base and is one of the most sought-after Gen-Z stars on Instagram. This May 30, 2022, she has more than 142 million Instagram followers. Cristiano Ronaldo has a huge following of at least 400 million followers.
It’s Fun!
Who doesn’t love shopping? We all know that consumers have grown accustomed to interacting with brands in various ways, and live streaming is a great way to engage with your customers in real-time.
Customers want to be entertained, making live streaming a fun and interactive experience. As long as you are providing relevant information and engaging with your customers, they will be happy and more likely to make purchases from you on their own time.
Why Livestream Shopping Is Effective
Livestream eCommerce is practical because:
1. Real-time customer service: If a customer has a question about an item, they can ask it live, and staff members can answer in real-time. This is especially useful for technical questions that would otherwise require a lengthy email exchange to resolve.
2. Live product demonstrations: Customers are more likely to buy products when they know exactly how to use them—and how good they look on their skin or clothing.
3. Authenticity: Customers like seeing behind-the-scenes footage of companies at work; it helps them feel connected to brands and gives them insight into what goes into making products and running businesses
4. Better SEO: Using livestreaming services such as Facebook Live and YouTube allows you to tag items and links, which will help boost your search engine optimization (SEO) rankings.
5. Brand loyalty: Customers who have experienced excellent customer service via livestreaming will be far more likely to return than those who have not had positive experiences with your brand previously.
6. Cost-effective: Because livestreaming involves minimal costs compared to traditional advertising, it makes sense from a financial perspective.
7. Reach a new audience: Livestreaming doesn’t just attract existing customers—it also attracts new ones because anyone can tune in and watch videos online
With livestream shopping, brands open their doors to online shoppers. They allow customers to purchase items in real-time, as a customer is browsing products on site. This is part of a movement taking place that has been in operation for a while- it’s called omnichannel retailing.
It refers to retail sales being made through all channels to increase customer satisfaction and profitability. To shop while watching a livestream, customers must first connect their social media accounts, such as Twitter or Instagram, with their livestream-shopping accounts.
Companies Profiting From Integrating Livestreaming and E-commerce
Live streaming shopping can help firms break revenue records and achieve their business goals more quickly by integrating the two technologies. The following companies have benefited from livestream shopping.
Amazon
In the United States, no company beats Amazon in livestream shopping. Amazon’s streaming service was launched in response to the growing popularity of livestream shopping. The company already uses streaming services for a variety of other content, including lifestyle, fitness, and cooking shows.
Amazon launched Amazon Live, a QVC-like video shopping platform. Customers in the United States and China alike increasingly rely on influencers for purchasing advice, and Amazon has taken advantage of its extensive network of influencers on its new platform. Influencers were able to Livestream and connect with customers at Amazon’s Prime Day event.
Walmart
There were seven times more viewers than planned and a quarter of a million more followers for Walmart on TikTok in 2020 when they debuted influencer-driven live shopping. Firms may stay on top of their eCommerce game by creating a digital experience that includes live commerce.
Livestream eCommerce is more than simply an online purchasing option; it offers clients a cutting-edge in-store and online shopping mix.
Nordstrom
Nordstrom has already made its live streaming channel available to the general public, one of the most well-known retailers. The American luxury chain has organized virtual shopping events on live streaming platforms.
Attendees can interact with the host and other attendees via live chat, and they can even purchase anything they find interesting.
Alibaba
Live commerce in China, on the other hand, has risen at a fast pace, with sales topping $171 billion in 2020 and anticipated to reach $423 billion in 2022. In the meantime, The livestream eCommerce market in China increased at a compound annual growth rate of about 280% between 2017 and 2020.
When it comes to real-time online buying, Alibaba Group was one of the first. Because of the astronomical profits generated by live stream shopping, the Alibaba Group is keeping up its efforts in this area.
On the first day of the Singles Day presale period in 2020, Alibaba’s influencers Austin Li and Viya earned more than $149.5 million in live streaming throughout the pre-sale period.
Shoppable livestreams have already been adopted by Facebook, another social media titan. Every business page on Facebook has access to livestreams. For those companies who don’t have their streaming platforms, it becomes a more accessible choice.
Things to Consider Before Livestreaming
Before livestreaming, company owners should consider their target demographic and what they want from a livestream. Is it a limited-time offer? Is it a stimulating environment? Is it behind-the-scenes access to something of interest to them?
Before creating a following, it is critical to take the time to determine exactly what a company wants to give in the broadcast. This ensures that you deliver material that people want to see and hear. If you don’t know what people want from a livestream, you shouldn’t be performing one at all.
Final Thoughts
Live streaming is the next big thing in eCommerce. It has become a vital retail strategy for attracting and retaining customers and boosting revenue. Businesses are taking advantage of the popularity of live stream shopping by promoting it on their websites and social media accounts.
The age of eCommerce has brought us a lot of benefits; from home delivery to coupons, retailers are looking for every possible advantage. Livestream shopping takes off – and it could be one of our industry’s biggest game-changers yet.
