What is Livestream Shopping?

Livestream Shopping

Livestream shopping has become one of the most popular e-commerce methods in recent years. In fact, although this concept sounds new to our ears, it is not so new.

When you think about it, live stream shopping is in a way bringing the age-old practice of home shopping into modern times. The concept remains the same, it’s just the marketing channel that’s different.

Live streaming viewers can learn more about the product by leaving comments, asking questions to the publisher, just like on Instagram, Facebook or YouTube live videos. The live shopping process is just like our social media usage process. The viewers can even share their experiences with other viewers. Sellers can guide viewers in their purchasing decisions by projecting reviews and recommendations on the screen.

Instead of simply “liking” a product promoted by your favorite influencers, you can talk to them about the product and buy it directly.

Elements of Livestream Shopping

• Platform

The potential for livestream shopping is rising, and more e-commerce platforms are starting to support this strategy. Catering to a market composed mainly of Generation Z and Millennials, live shopping shows are commonly hosted both on social media platforms such as Facebook Live and Instagram as well as e-commerce sites like Alibaba’s Taobao and Amazon.

• Host

Anyone can host a livestream shopping show but not everyone can be successful at doing so. KOLs, influencers, and celebrities can be especially effective in selling products they livestream due to the level of trust their audience places in them, as well as their relatability.

• Products

Fashion dominates the market for livestream shopping shows, but other items such as food and house furniture are popular options too. Before a livestream, some hosts choose to preview an item to build excitement around it before showcasing it at the end of a livestream. People are also starting to look towards the more expensive items such as houses and cars, while China’s Livestream Queen, Viya, even sold a rocket launch service for $5.6 million on Taobao.

• Video Content

While the main goal is to be able to sell the products featured on a show, the best livestream shopping shows utilize raffles, giveaways, and promotional prices to build hype and urgency among their audience. These livestream shopping shows usually last 25 to 30 minutes long, with longer shows usually performing better.

The Benefits of Live Shopping

Better Engagement

There’s simply too much content out there. Your prospective customers are most likely getting bombarded with new marketing brands, ads, and promotional emails all the time.

With dwindling attention spans and a higher demand for personalised experiences, how can brands keep their audience engaged?

The increasing popularity of live shopping proves that if nothing else, consumers are hungry for new experiences.

Quickly Generates Massive Sales

If you market your live shopping event well, you can expose your product to hundreds or even thousands of people in just a few minutes. Besides, once your viewers are having fun, they might invite others to join in.

Builds Brand Awareness

To be able to build brand awareness effectively, you need to get in front of your target audience. And that’s exactly what live shopping networks will help you do — quite literally.

Besides, the interactive nature of live streams largely increases the likelihood of your digital audience remembering you.

Encourages Impulse Buying

Live shopping is different from eCommerce in that it makes the digital customer feel like they’re a part of something big. In order to make this feeling of belonging last, customers often end up purchasing something they didn’t think they would.

What’s more?

People may give in to impulse buying when they experience the fear of missing out (FOMO).

Here are some ways in which a live shopping experience may activate FOMO in viewers:

• They see many others on the live broadcast buying a product.
• The product may only be discounted until the live event lasts.
• A person they really look up to is promoting it.