During the pandemic period it was difficult to go to a store and that’s why more and more digital solutions took hold. During this period people have witnessed a real boom in online purchases and have seen the birth of a new online sales method: Livestream Shopping. It is a phenomenon that originated in China, but is spreading rapidly throughout the world.
The term Livestream Shopping or Live Commerce refers to a new online sales method that uses live streaming on platforms and social media to present, promote and sell certain products and services.
This sales method is often referred to as the “heir of teleshopping”. As happens in tele-promotions, brands rely on well-known faces on television to advertise their products and services, presenting their peculiarities and advantages and inducing listeners to buy. This concept has been transferred to digital: companies choose celebrities, influencers and creators who, through a live demonstration, present the product and test it in real time, highlighting its main advantages, features and reasons for buying them. Today consumers are no longer satisfied with traditional shopping experiences but prefer more immersive and engaging methods.
A relevant difference between tele-promotions and Live Commerce lies in the communication that in the Live Commerce is bidirectional, as users have the opportunity to interact through comments, questions and to receive purchase assistance in real time. Attention to the customer combined with the right amount of entertainment and involvement make this practice very effective for commercial purposes.
In China, the use of Live Streaming is overtaking eCommerce by storm. In the survey of Chinese brands by Totem media in 2021, 56% of respondents expected their marketing live streaming budgets to increase. There is a huge interest towards live streaming from the consumer side too. Research shows that 80% of internet users prefer watching live video to reading a blog article.
Huge potential of live streaming was soon noticed and put to use by Chinese retail giants. KOL marketing and Live Streaming marketing that started at sales festivals, soon expanded and became a staple of the everyday life of an average Chinese consumer.
Today, top KOLs continue to gather unbelievable audiences.
What are the advantages of Live Commerce?
- Direct and immediate communication channel: during the live stream, the company, or the streamer who sponsors a product, will speak directly to users, answer their questions via chat, clarify their doubts and provide additional details. In this way, the customers experience will be similar to that of physical store, as buyers will have the chance to talk and for advice to the sales staff.
- The consumers can attend a virtual demonstration of the product and will be able to take a purchase decision more quickly.
- Livestreaming commerce offers a more human and less virtual shopping experience, so the company can cultivate the relationship with its audience.
Many national and international brands have decided to include live streaming to increase their popularity and increase their sales. However, it is necessary to know that it is not easy to adopt this marketing system, it is essential to carefully choose the product or service that you want to sell and then outline a suitable strategy for the Chinese public.
Most of the time the contents to be shared are agreed with the KOLs who know how to interface with the users, it is also essential to have the right tools to shoot a live stream. Low-quality videos without a precise structure can be harmful to the brand itself, which is why it is important to pay attention and outline every single aspect before the live broadcast.
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