Imagine it. Your customers are searching through your website, aimlessly and with no direction on which product suits their needs. They have the general idea of what to look for, but eventually grow tired that no one on your website is available to help them as they would in-store. You wouldn’t have a shop with no retail staff in it, so why should your website? That’s where live video shopping comes in.
Put simply, it gives businesses a way to showcase, and eventually market, their products to live, online audiences who can engage with them in real-time. Given changing dynamics of consumer behaviours and technologies, brands looking to differentiate themselves will be forced to build an in-real-time, video-based purchasing experience (such as live-streamed shopping) to enable profitable engagement with customers. Although a relatively new phenomenon, it has taken e-commerce by storm in recent years. In this article, we will cover the following:
- How does live video shopping work?
- One-to-one and one-to-many
- What are the benefits?
- How live video shopping can be personalised for your customers
- How to get started
- Key Takeaways
How does live video shopping work?
Live video shopping allows customers to interact with you and your products over a live stream. It is enhanced by adding a live feed to your shopping experience, allowing customers to buy the product being demonstrated in the live stream. As the costs to promote the product decrease, conversions to customers buying that product increases; live streaming of a product is not only a more cost-effective method, but it is a more effective method to generate results. Dubbed live commerce, this blending of video and shopping helps to increase engagement, bridge the gap between customers and products, boost sales, and raise average order values.
One-to-one
Customers can talk to a sales representative face-to-face over a video call. As part of an immersive in-call shopping experience, it gives your customers constant access to live, real-time customer service. While they are considering a purchase through your website, your customers can ask questions, and interact directly with one of your colleagues in real-time.
It provides retailers and customers alike with the opportunity to make online shopping a highly personalised and interactive experience.
One-to-many
One-to-many lets your retail team showcase products to a large audience during a fixed livestream event. Customers are only able to view a one-way product display from your retail team, and there is no direct interaction between the customer and sales representative. This format generally focuses on specific promotional events or product marketing, unlike one-to-one live video shopping which is built around providing a face-to-face and highly personalised shopping experience.
Find out more about the difference between one-to-one and one-to-many live video shopping, as well as when each is best to be used.
What are the benefits?
As identified by Forbes, the benefits of using live video shopping are compelling:
- Real-time results: Allows e-commerce companies to showcase their products and allows consumers to purchase products in real-time
- Increased engagement: Online video shopping is a more engaging experience than simply clicking and filling up a shopping cart. Users can also leave comments
- Social trust: When sellers display reviews and recommendations on the screen, trust queues can work wonders in overcoming objections and guiding users through their purchasing journey
- Early-adopter advantage: This is a new trend that allows early adopters to distinguish themselves from competitors
Statistics of note
While there are a number of potential advantages to using live commerce, such as increasing conversion rates and collecting customer data, the primary motivation for using livestream selling is to have deeper interactions with customers.
Bertelsmann Digital Media Investments reported that 78% of businesses use live commerce to build deeper connections with their customer base, as well as the following:
How live video shopping can be personalised for your customers
Your customers can see your products in real-time and communicate with the retail staff directly. This allows them to ask questions and get a better understanding of the product. Your staff can also personalise your customer’s shopping experience by selecting the products they are specifically interested in.
Research conducted by Epsilon indicates that “80% of consumers are more likely to make a purchase when brands offer personalized experiences”, as well as “90% indicating that they find personalization appealing”.
Customers now expect you to provide precisely what they require. Customers anticipate frictionless, relevant, and connected online shopping experiences. A company can create more relevant experiences, including e-commerce, by utilising data. A highly personalised experience is in demand; one way to meet this is by creating personalised landing pages; another is to provide a one-to-one live video call. This replicates the in-store shopping experiences: real relationships can be formed, needs can be fully comprehended, and expectations can be met.
Find out more about why live video shopping is the answer to e-commerce personalisation.
How to get started
Confer With is a live one-to-one video shopping platform that seamlessly integrates onto your e-commerce site, allowing retail staff to connect with customers for a fully immersive shopping experience. Once clicking to a live video, your sales experts can replicate the in-store shopping experience for your customers.
It’s very simple for both your retail staff and customers to get started. Check out the video below to see how the platform powers a unique online shopping experience:
Key Takeaways
Live video shopping is a great way for retailers and brands to showcase and market their products to online audiences. It provides a way for customers to engage with brands in real-time, and can be a profitable way to brands to engage with customers. If you’re looking to differentiate your brand, you should consider building a live video shopping experience. To explore the opportunities it can bring to your customers, download the Confer With whitepaper.
