Live shopping is a new concept that has appeared in the world of e-commerce in recent years. This practice has been quickly exported to Europe, and brands and consumers are becoming increasingly interested in this new sales format.
What is live shopping? What are its principles and usefulness? How can it help you create new sales dynamics? Why does it appear to be a new revolution in the shopping experience? Discover it through our article.
What is live shopping?
The concept
Let's start by understanding the concept of live shopping. This approach, which originated in China about 5 years ago, consists of the seller broadcasting a video "live", i.e. in real time.
Live shopping was inspired by TV shopping shows. It consists of presenting a service or demonstrating a product, its uses, and extolling its merits by giving as much information as possible to attract and seduce the consumer.
All from the screen of a computer, tablet or smartphone, from the comfort of your home or even on public transport.
Live shopping is therefore a very attractive marketplace, as it is instantaneous and communicative.
Colossal popularity
Unlike live streaming, which was much more about entertaining shoppers and not about buying, live shopping redefines a new context and environment for sales and touch points.
The popularity of live shopping is growing exponentially. Indeed, the figures concerning the evolution of the practice are impressive. Having made its debut in France in 2019, there are already no less than 270 million users worldwide who are loyal to this practice! And this figure is growing day by day. As for sessions dedicated to live shopping, it is estimated that an average of 50,000 are carried out every day worldwide (Source: Accenture, January 2022)
More and more brands are looking to live shopping as a way to increase marketing influence and generate consumer engagement. As the western market becomes more mature in e-commerce, live shopping is emerging as a new solution to further engage consumers and build customer loyalty.
Types of live shopping
Broadly speaking, there are two ways for a salesperson to do live shopping.
The most common and used is the "one-to-many. This method refers to a live video sequence during which a salesperson presents his or her product to a group of Internet users who can follow the video while interacting with the salesperson.
The "one-to-one is another way to practice live shopping. Here, you target each customer individually and personally. This technique has a significant advantage over one-to-many: it allows you to adapt your strategy to the profile of your customer or prospect. You can better attract and encourage your customers to buy your product or service, since you are soliciting your target according to the specific needs they express. In this case, your audience is more limited.
The one-to-many can generate infinitely more audience in record time. Increasingly based on the storytellingIt is widely used in the context ofevent-driven operations to promote a product or to launch a new product.
It may be worthwhile for you to alternate between the two techniques depending on what you want to achieve.
What are the benefits of live shopping for your brand?
Live shopping brings your products to life.
The dynamic nature of live shopping allows you to have a front row product presentation, as if you were sitting in the front row of a fashion show or had the opportunity to have a personal fitting in your favourite shop.
For example, a paint salesman may start painting a wall live to show users how his application looks. A demonstrator can show you the latest innovations in an espresso machine that can program and brew the best coffee for your alarm clock.
Live shopping increases the interaction between your customers and your brand
The big change between live shopping and traditional shopping is the possibility of interaction. Thanks to the live broadcast of the video, one can witness a live demonstration of the use of the product and its effectiveness! This is not possible with traditional online shopping.
In addition, the possibility of interacting with your salesperson via an instant messaging system or chat confers greater ease and immediate feedback. Live shopping also increases consumer confidence, as they will appreciate your responsiveness in providing quick and relevant answers to their questions.
It is true that comment areas on e-commerce sites or social networks allow this to be done. However, the interaction is not as effective, as the seller may be slow to respond, if at all. Also, the chatbots made available may not include all the answers to the questions your audience is asking.
Seeing your salespeople in action and being able to talk to them in real time reassures customers. This allows them to better connect with your brand and your products.
This is one of the great advantages of live shopping: it makes the relationship more human and considerably reduces the contact effect between the buyer and the product he wishes to acquire. This can have a considerable impact on your conversion rate and contribute to the retention of your customers.
Live shopping gives you a competitive edge
No more frustration when your visitors come to your site and then leave without knowing why. The ability to integrate a live shopping tool into your website allows you to chat with your customers in real time. You can even integrate a complete sales tunnel directly into your website, so that the customer can make a purchase without leaving your website.
Some brands are increasing their reach by using influencers to open the doors to a highly targeted audience on specific themes or product categories.
Social networks are also platforms full of opportunities for live shopping. In a few years, taking into account the rapid development of technology and the democratisation of this sales channel, it is not impossible that several billion users will join the live shopping scene. It is estimated that social networks could generate almost 1,100 billion euros by 2025.
