The Covid-19 pandemic has made many people reluctant to purchase in the downtown area, substantially affecting the retail sector. While many brick-and-mortar stores moved online, how can e-commerce stand out among countless competitors? It is preferable to use live-stream shopping to expand your business opportunities.
What is live shopping?
Live shopping has two models. Products originally introduced through traditional live broadcasting are then sold via live streaming. As long as the customer enters a message in the message section, the transaction is complete.
The second type involves the transformation of traditional e-commerce. To increase product profitability, the sales process will require live broadcast elements. Instantaneous live video interaction with customers is made possible, and this eventually leads to increasing orders. Get to know more about this model as you read along with this blog.
Three benefits of live shopping make up for the drawbacks of traditional online purchases.
The pandemic has altered many consumers’ shopping habits. Additionally, the retail sector switched from offline to online marketing. Despite the convenience of online marketing, some benefits of physical marketing are still missing from the current online shopping experience. Now, Live Commerce is a solution to this issue.
Live shopping greatly compensates for the limitations of customers’ online shopping experiences, which is different from a physical store. The following three categories best describe these advantages:
[1] Interactivity
Think back to your most recent in-person retail experience. Are you anticipating the salespeople to recommend the products that will best meet your needs? Do you still remember how promptly the salesperson answered your inquiries? Online shopping falls short of all of these seemingly unimportant in-person shopping experiences.
Customers can enjoy the shopping experience just like they might in a physical store via live shopping. Store employees do this through live video streaming. This real-time interaction makes the online shopping experience more user-friendly. This unique selling point will differentiate your brand from other e-commerce and subsequently bring more orders.
[2] Credibility
If you frequently shop online, you’ve probably had the frustration of ordering an outfit or product online, only to have it turn up looking completely different on the website. Product pictures that online stores attach to descriptions often may not reflect their actual features. This is why some people insist on doing their shopping in physical stores. It’s because they are only able to examine product details after touching it.
Customers may now feel at ease, thanks to live commerce. As a salesperson introduces the product features in detail via live shopping, the customer can see the actual product and its details in real-time.
[3] Immediacy
Online store response time to consumer inquiries is one of the major concerns of online shopping. Customers frequently leave the website without having the patience to wait if they do not receive instant replies about their product inquiries. Customers usually could only contact e-commerce through messages or chats, and they are left unsure regarding when they will hear back. Due to this waiting period, e-commerce can lose several opportunities to complete sales.
Live shopping makes it simple for e-commerce to understand customer questions and provide prompt responses. You can also learn about the past customer journeys of the guests through the live e-commerce platform. This will enable you to give your customers the most personal information possible while also giving them a VIP-like experience.
Which companies are suited for making the switch to live shopping?
If your shop offers experiential goods, live shopping might be a great addition to your marketing efforts! Nine out of ten customers in this industry opt to test products before making a purchase. The pandemic makes it unlikely for you to display your products, which causes an accumulation of goods in your inventory. Examples of experiential goods are furniture, health products, luxury goods, beauty products, electronics, etc.
Live shopping lets you converse with consumers immediately about their thoughts after experiencing the products. Customers can communicate with the sales associate in real-time and compare more products, resulting in a great online buying experience. This is not just to inform the consumers of the product specifications. Additionally, it enables them to interact instantly, use their senses, and furthermore, experience the purchasing process.
For example:
The customer wants to purchase lipstick from Brand A but holds off due to color concerns. The salesperson started a live video to show and test the color of the lipstick in actuality. However, the customer did not appear pleased with the results of Brand A’s lipstick.
The salesperson chooses to suggest Brand B’s lipstick to the customer based on their preferences. Finally, the customer places an order, and the shopping encounter leaves a favorable, positive memory. Shortly after, the customer returned to the online store to make another purchase.
A chance for e-commerce businesses to demonstrate their strength has emerged as a result of various live shopping platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube live. Make good use of VIMOS Live E-commerce Platform right away and boost your e-commerce sales!
