Live Video Shopping - The Game Changer in E-Commerce

In this blog article, we will cover the following topics:

How live video shopping is revolutionising e-commerce

The recipe for success behind live video shopping
1. More interaction with the customer
2. Many sales in a short time
3. Better brand awareness

Live video shopping is not Home Shopping

Live video shopping requires time, money and good content

Use of live video shopping for all industries

Integration of live video shopping in the online shop

Good live video shopping requires expertise, teamwork and sales drive.
Technical expertise
Teamwork
Sales Drive

Conclusion: Live video shopping is transforming commerce

How live video shopping is revolutionising e-commerce

Live video shopping. The name already reveals that it is about a live stream that focuses on a saleable product.

In the live video, a link leads to the page on which the product is offered and sold directly. So you kill two birds with one stone: you present a product in detail to the customers and at the same time they have the opportunity to click on a button embedded in the video to buy it.

This clever sales method is so successful because it is much more direct and entertaining than the traditional “self-service” in e-commerce. Influencers or celebrities can provide additional authenticity and relevance as protagonists to further increase engagement, especially among younger target groups.

Once upon a time in China…

Live streaming, or live shopping as it is known today, originated in China. Then it spread like wildfire to America and Europe as well. Now, many brands are pushing their e-commerce platforms by bringing together live stream shopping and celebrity influencers – a dream team that drives profits way up. The success has been huge, to say the least.

Forbes Magazine estimated the global revenue of this new industry at $60 billion per year as early as 2019, with $1 billion worth of transactions taking place in the US market alone.¹ These figures show the astonishing popularity of this new shopping initiative, which seems to be much more fun for customers than regular online shopping.

The recipe for success behind live video shopping

Perhaps you can now imagine that live shopping could also be a great opportunity for your business. But first, let’s focus on its three main benefits.

1. More interaction with the customer

It’s no secret that the more creative a sales campaign is, the more interaction it generates. Live Stream Shopping achieves outstanding results in terms of user engagement and conversion rates.

2. Many sales in a short time

Static product photos are completely outdated – especially when you see what live video has to offer. Here, customers can actually look at the product, evaluate its design and functions, discuss it and quickly form an opinion. Of course, the button that leads to the checkout page is very helpful.

3. Better brand awareness

Live video shopping increases brand awareness in two ways: On the one hand, the audience of the protagonists potentially makes the brand accessible to a new, previously unaddressed target group. On the other hand, for brands that previously preferred a pure in-store experience, a new authentic distribution channel for their checkout pages opens up.

Live video shopping is not home shopping

This form of e-commerce is of course very similar to the teleshopping of the 90s and early 2000s, but there is one serious difference: peer-to-peer selling. In teleshopping, a few highly paid presenters sell generic products to millions of viewers. In live shopping, millions of expert protagonists sell all kinds of products to a large audience. If you have customers, live video shopping also works for you. It is therefore suitable for every shop operator in e-commerce.

Live video shopping requires time, money and good content

Before you decide to use live stream shopping as an e-commerce tool for your business, you should reflect on the following:

Are you willing to invest time and money on a regular basis? Because in addition to integrating a live video shopping tool, you should not underestimate the ongoing content production. Users expect up-to-date, meaningful and lovingly produced material from you on a regular basis.

Using live video shopping for all industries

As already indicated above, we can answer the question of whether it makes sense to use it in any industry with a resounding yes. Every industry can use live stream shopping for itself, whether B2C or B2B. Fashion, lifestyle and beauty companies have been pioneers in discovering the advantages of the new trend for themselves. But there is nothing to stop live shopping from being integrated into an angel shop. The new sales method is, therefore, suitable for any product that can be presented in front of a camera.

Integration of live video shopping in the online shop

As diverse as the contents of live shopping are, so are the possible applications. Integration in social media, for example, is particularly useful when the content is intended to attract the attention of viewers, inspire the target group and attract them to the shop.

The use directly in the online shop, for example at Douglas, is particularly useful when different products with different features are presented as part of a buying guide. For this purpose, Douglas has integrated an extra menu item “Live”, which offers an overview of upcoming live shopping events as well as showing past videos.

But live stream shopping can also be used excellently on a product detail page. Especially when there are only a few, but all the more essential questions to be answered by the user. The viewers are about to make a purchase and you can help them over this last little hurdle with live stream shopping.

The Shopping Stream is also a shop page on which live video shopping can be integrated via a widget. It represents a personalised shopping area that only presents products and content that match the interest of the respective customer. The advantage here is that exactly those live videos can be displayed that are relevant to the respective customer so that he does not have to click through countless videos.

The many integration options really invite you to test and experiment!

Good live video shopping requires expertise, teamwork and sales drive

The following three points are, in our view, the most effective levers for a good live stream shopping experience:

Technical expertise

Potential customers have the opportunity to see the product in action – something traditional online shopping cannot offer. They see from different angles how the product fits, how it can be used, applied or worn. Those who now show expertise and explain the background of the products and functionalities can convince better and conclude the purchase faster.

Teamwork

E-commerce live streams offer an incomparable degree of interactivity. Via the comment function of the live stream, people can interact with the protagonist and ask individual questions about the product and its features. For customers to enjoy a customised shopping experience from the comfort of their own home, not only must personal objections be addressed and benefits communicated, but there must also be an appropriate response in real-time. This is not a one-man show. If you do it right, you rely on a team of protagonist, video editor and camera operator.

Sales Drive

Live stream shopping becomes a real after-sales machine when the protagonist already creates contexts for complementary items during the demonstration of a product. This means that the protagonist already thinks of these products beforehand as potential connecting points, even if he or she forgoes a manuscript. This way you increase the repurchase rate at the same time.

Do you have any other examples of good live video shopping? Feel free to use the comment function!

Conclusion: Live video shopping transforms retailing

When we say that live video shopping will transform retail, we are not exaggerating:

• Traditional, physical shops can now finally shift their often necessary sales advice to the web.
• Online shops from niche industries can increase their conversion rates through the individualised sales advice that is now possible.
• Brands that usually sell generic products can now charge them with the values and attitudes of their protagonists – an opportunity that only large companies had in the past.

Quelle: ¹ Forbes Magazine

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