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The digital world moves fast. One day you're trendy, the next day you're out. 🙃
E-commerce is a battlefield in which brands must always be on the lookout for new trends in order to stay competitive. Usually, the first to embrace innovation are the ones who reap the most benefits. The first companies to capitalize on influencer marketing in early 2016 know this.
That's why big brands try different marketing techniques. They test new concepts, examine the results and iterate until they find the right recipe. The new trend that started to make news in 2021 and will explode all the counters in 2022 is Live Shopping.
This innovative and interactive format consists of broadcasting a live video from its website while giving the participants the opportunity to buy the products presented and interact with the host.
In this article we'll explain to you why as an online seller, Live Shopping is an opportunity you shouldn't miss! 😉
1 - Live Shopping overcomes mobile conversion problems
Year after year, mobile traffic is growing. Over the year 2021, it represented 64% of online visits across all sites. It is even estimated that m-commerce will double between 2019 and 2023, eventually representing ¾ of total e-commerce sales.
However, there is still a long way to go, as retailers are seeing conversion rates 45% lower on mobile devices than on desktop. The challenge for e-retailers to take full advantage of the rise in mobile traffic will be to:
- make their mobile site more attractive
- simplify the shopping experience
- offer original experiences
Consumer expectations have increased dramatically over the past decade and this trend will continue. In response, a customer-centric approach continues to emerge as one of the most important and effective business principles.
Competition, technology and the evolution of digital channels are among the main drivers of this evolution, but the real gas pedal has probably been the rise in consumer expectations, or rather the decrease in their tolerance for a poor experience (long delivery time, absent customer service...). Brands are no longer just competing with the best experience in their industry, they are competing with the best digital experience a consumer has ever had.
Over the past decade, the smartphone has become the preferred way for consumers to research, discover and purchase new products. Brands today have no choice but to make their mobile experience a top priority. A good way to make the mobile experience more dynamic is to broadcast Live Commerce event on your website, which will create animation, new experiences for your visitors, and will give the image of a modern, dynamic and community-oriented brand.
In addition to engaging and creating brand preference, Live Shopping has an average conversion rate of 10%. Such performance can be explained by:
- A simplified shopping experience
The Live Shopping experience provides a seamless and frictionless shopping experience. This means that the participant can fill their cart and check out without having to leave the live experience.
- Qualified traffic
Taking time to participate in a live event demonstrates a high level of engagement. This makes a live event more engaging than any other type of content a brand can offer.
- Feeling of being privileged
The live event also gives participants the feeling of being part of a privileged club through the promotions they are usually granted and thanks to the direct advice of an expert who seems dedicated to them.
- The possibility of overcoming objections
The live event is the perfect opportunity to answer objections. As a customer, there is often that little doubt that prevents us from making a purchase: does this product fit my particular problem? By answering the viewers' questions, the presenter can reassure, counter doubts and remove the brakes on the viewers' purchase.
- FOMO "Fear Of Missing Out "
Live Shopping adapts very well to FOMO techniques, which aim to create the fear of missing a good deal. For example, an exclusive offer that is only available during the live event increases the sense of urgency and scarcity, pushing viewers to make a quick purchase.
With Live Shopping, you can offer your customers the original and personalized shopping experience they are looking for. In an age where consumers are increasingly looking for authenticity, creating spontaneous content is an undeniable asset, and by creating an appointment with your audience, you will create a virtuous circle.
Each live event will attract more participants and more sales. The future of e-commerce is on mobile, using Live Shopping is a way to capitalize on this evolution.
2 - Live Shopping recreates an in-store experience
Consumer engagement is one of the crucial factors for the growth of an e-commerce site. Unfortunately, it is becoming more and more complicated to talk to your customer:
- In-store visits are getting rarer
- Web site visits are getting shorter and shorter
- Engagement on social networks is relatively low
For purely digital brands as well as omnichannel brands, Live Shopping is the opportunity to recreate a store atmosphere. It allows to make up for the lack of warmth and humanity of digital by offering the possibility to chat live with an expert who advises us as a salesman would do in store. The public can not only ask questions about the products, but also try the products indirectly through the live host.
Live events also allow you to get feedback from your customers, to know their opinion on certain products and on what they expect from the brand. Listening to your customers can give you a lasting advantage. By interacting with participants, you can obtain:
- Greater brand loyalty
- Greater appetite for new products/services offered by the company
- Greater positive influence on potential new customers
Today, the dream of every online shop to have a store experience on an online site comes true, thanks to Live Shopping.
3 - Improve the relationship with the customer and the authenticity of the brand
Before buying a product, a consumer not only wants to be sure of its quality, but also to feel close to the image conveyed by the brand. This is why most (if not all) online brands have accounts on social networks, and more specifically on Instagram. They all hope to gain notoriety while highlighting their brand image.
However, notoriety does not only come from creating quality products and beautiful photos on Instagram. It's also generated by a positive customer relationship, where the convinced become not only buyers, but also brand advocates. Live Shopping can help your business achieve this goal.
Through original, barely scripted and unedited live content, your audience gets a better sense of the authenticity and rawness of your brand. Organizing Lives Shoppings is an opportunity to personify your brand. By giving it a personality and a face, you provide an anchor to which your customers and prospects can relate. They are no longer facing a cold and rigid entity but real human beings. The audience will be able to recognize themselves in you and your project more easily.
4 - Reusable content
Live Shopping brings your social posts to life. Nobody likes to read long texts on social networks. But what if you want to explain a new product in detail or post messages to inform your followers? Taking clips from your live streams shopping is the best way to do this.
Select the key moments of your livestream where you:
- introduce the new collection,
- explain why you think your product will appeal to your customers,
- answer questions from participants,
and use it to animate your social media.
Sharing live streams allows you to vary your content, to intrigue your customers and to avoid social content fatigue, especially since it increases the visibility of your products while attracting more people to your future live streams. Live Commerce is a content machine that can be reused on your social networks, but also on your website where it can be used to enrich your product pages.
Some broadcasting platforms give you the possibility to integrate your parts of your live on your product pages. In addition to the traditional description with a few photos, add a sequence of your live stream in which you talk about the product.
With the replay clip, the visitor will be able to get more information about the product, listen to the answers to questions and see the product in action. We know that photos showing the product in action convert better. Imagine the impact the same type of content can have in video format.
5 - Live content pleases and engages consumers
Customer interactions are more active on live videos than on traditional pre-recorded videos. According to Facebook, live videos produce 6 times more interactions than traditional videos. Plus, viewers tend to have a higher engagement rate than those who simply watch a video by scrolling through their feed.
There's a reason why Live Shopping sessions see an average engagement rate of 40% (comments, likes and shares). We always want to be a part of a moment that's happening in real time, especially if it's a brand, influencer, model or thought leader we admire.
Having that sense of "closeness" despite the screen of a phone or computer allows customers to engage more with the brand.
"Live videos also carry a note of exclusivity. Your audience gets to watch something no one has watched before, and comments and feedback are a way to contribute to that unique experience." - Facebook
Traditional videos can be fast-forwarded if customer interest is low. Live videos, on the other hand, can be a testament to the effectiveness of your content.
How do you know? With the average completion rate, which tracks the number of viewers who stay until the end. This will show you that your content was worth watching to its conclusion. It also allows you to identify which video content styles work and which ones can be improved.
6 - Others do it... and it works!
Large groups such as Carrefour, Decathlon or Fnac regularly broadcast Live Commerce sessions and manage to generate a lot of engagement from their customers.
Carrefour started its Live Shopping events at the end of 2020.during the first live dedicated to Christmas gifts for children, the hosts presented a large selection of games in promotion that they made children try in front of the camera. An experience appreciated by the parents who were able to spoil the youngest members of the family while saving their expenses.
The e-commerce livestream event dedicated to the Wine Fair was also a great success. During this live, the oenologist Pascal Maurice took the opportunity to:
- present wines in special promotion for the participants of the live show,
- teach the audience how to enjoy a wine,
- explain the history of the different vineyards,
- answer the questions of the spectators.
Each Live Shopping of Carrefour gathered an average of 10 000 spectators and generated several tens of thousands of euros. Of course, they did not stop there and regularly publish new lives.
"At the crossroads between e-commerce and entertainment, Live Commerce is shaping up to be the future of e-commerce. Accessible and engaging, educational and entertaining, community-based and viral, Live Commerce is becoming increasingly popular with consumers around the world." - Carrefour press release.
If big brands started over a year ago and continue to do so, that's a pretty good sign. Regardless of the size of your company, taking advantage of all the initiatives available will help you gain visibility with your customers.
How Live Me Up can help you
At Live Me Up, we offer simple pricing with no upfront costs so that anyone can test the power of Live Shopping.
Although our lives are also available on computers, we have designed our interface primarily for use on mobile. Our goal is to make the live experience immersive, interactive and in the codes of social networks.
Live Shopping is a new concept, we accompany you in the implementation of a healthy and sustainable Live Shopping strategy and share with you the best practices to allow you to perform during your lives!
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You will also like :
Keynote Shopify "Welcome to the new era of commerce: from D2C to C2C"
How to digitalize your business?
The 9 crazy stats of Live Shopping
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