In recent years, the rapid rise of live shopping has made live streaming and video chat a new normal for online stores. Social media marketing via live broadcast created opportunities and catapulted many businesses to new heights! This occurred following the public launch of live e-commerce.
The Rise of Live E-commerce and Social Marketing
As we all know, China is the pioneer of live-streaming e-commerce, with 388 million users by 2020. Seeing China’s rapid growth, industry giants like Amazon also launched live streaming marketing across several regions, including the United States. Despite this, Taobao continues to be the live e-commerce platform with the largest market share. It is worth mentioning that Taobao’s live broadcast sales account for 37.4% of national social e-commerce revenues!
The primary reason users watch live e-commerce is to learn about products, followed by checking out business promotions. Live shopping often promotes time-limited offers or finite items, that increases the likelihood of impulse purchases. This upsurges conversion rates and makes customer retention easier. Through the live e-commerce platform, customers can obtain more detailed product introductions and even discounts.
Aside from the general model of live broadcast product sales, online stores can use the live-streaming video function through chat rooms. Online customers can contact offline salespeople in real-time to ask questions and interact, enhancing the overall online shopping experience.
The most valuable aspect of live-streaming e-commerce is the ability to use instant interaction to increase customers’ desire to buy. Additionally, to improve the attractiveness of products through a detailed introduction and varied interactions between salespeople and customers.
In fact, social media is critical for live broadcast e-commerce. Although there are numerous e-commerce platforms that provide live broadcasts online, social media is always the most frequently visited platform. As a result, incorporating live broadcasts into social media is critical! In recent years, various social platforms have also developed live broadcasts and shopping functions to promote the growth of e-commerce. Therefore, online retailers should seize opportunities to integrate social platforms and live broadcast e-commerce.
Difference Between Live E-commerce and Traditional E-commerce
Live e-commerce, as opposed to traditional e-commerce, can offer a more similar experience, even services beyond brick-and-mortar stores. Nearly 40% of customers prefer to shop in brick-and-mortar stores rather than online shops. This indicates that physical stores can often provide experiences that traditional e-commerce cannot. Live e-commerce is not a cold mechanical platform like traditional e-commerce. Its goal is to fully immerse the audience in the consumption situation, strengthen the two parties’ trust through an immersive experience, and enhance customer willingness to purchase online. Therefore, gaining customer trust is essential for e-commerce to thrive! It greatly enhances consumer confidence by facilitating communication between salespeople and customers.
Further reading: The video shopping era is upon us, as is a powerful trick for increasing online store sales by 80%!
Advantages of Bringing Live E-commerce to Social Marketing
Expand your reach
Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, and other platforms have over 35.1 billion monthly users, according to the data. The business opportunities provided by social media platforms are truly endless. Furthermore, each of these platforms offers a business profile, and power providers create these pages. Social platforms are incomparable with general live broadcast platforms in terms of user numbers and traffic. E-commerce companies must make good use of social platforms if they want to broaden their promotion scope and reach more potential customers.
Diversified interactive modes
Small and medium-sized businesses find it difficult to integrate a live broadcast function into their own websites. To conduct live e-commerce journeys, online enterprises can employ the services of social channels. Facebook, Instagram, and other platforms all offer live broadcast features that are very simple to use. Multi-person live broadcasts, questions, and messages are among the features available.
Through social live broadcast online stores alone, it is already possible to interact with audiences in various ways. After the live broadcast, guests can place orders or ask questions directly through the private message function, which is very convenient. Online stores can showcase products to multiple audiences through one-on-one conversations or multi-person live broadcasts. Outside of the live broadcast, User Generated Content activities can be started to increase customer interaction with the brand. This feature also makes customer purchases more spontaneous.
One-stop shopping experience
Guests often find the process of placing an order online to be complicated. A one-stop buying process can provide customers with a seamless shopping experience. Consumers can place orders directly through social platforms by leaving a message in the social live broadcast. A salesperson can connect with customers after the live broadcast to process orders and complete checkout. This journey is convenient for customers and does not complicate the process by requiring them to switch programs during checkout. Furthermore, a social media platform can provide extensive information about the brand. It maximizes the efficiency of the marketing funnel. Customers can then contact your online store via social media after placing an order, making after-sales service more effective.
Personalized experience
The live broadcast message function allows the salesperson to respond to the customer’s question immediately. Besides this, the salesperson’s friendly smile and service can humanize the brand and increase customer loyalty. The online store can also provide one-on-one conversations or even video chats between salespeople and customers. This enables consumers to solve their problems in person and offers them a more personalized experience. Some live e-commerce platforms can even automatically recommend products to customers, increasing conversion rates.
Effective Elements of Social Live Broadcast E-commerce
Although starting a live broadcast on a social platform is simple, it is critical to coordinate all aspects in order to produce a live broadcast that allows viewers to place orders.
1. Improve the user experience on mobile devices
Smartphones now account for more than half of all online retail traffic, making shopping even more practical. To provide guests with a seamless experience, live broadcasts must be fully integrated with the existing structure. It’s also important to prioritize the experience of mobile phone users when conducting live social marketing. E-commerce businesses should take advantage of the opportunity to optimize their websites and make content mobile-friendly. Retailers must link social platforms and websites effectively to embody mobile e-commerce (m-commerce). With this, customers can instantly contact your online store at any time and from any location.
2. Produce valuable content, services, and products
A popular live broadcast does not always equate to a successful live stream. An effective live broadcast that can entice viewers to place an order always forges a stronger bond with the audience. It offers a personalized experience and content that is proven to increase conversions. E-commerce companies must use the features provided by live broadcasts on social media platforms to enhance their customers’ purchasing experiences.
Shoppable Video – a video with shopping functions that allows you to buy directly from the clip
A shoppable video is one that combines shopping functions by displaying a product while also including links or buttons that allow viewers to purchase the product while watching the video. With Taobao Live and YouTube Ads, for example, customers can go from product discovery to purchase in less time. E-commerce businesses can use this feature to advertise on social platforms in addition to live broadcasts.
Experiment or try something new!
When watching a live broadcast, most customers are naturally interested in seeing how the product looks in person. Brands can invite influencers or amateurs to unbox products and demonstrate how to use them in a live broadcast. The sincerity of live stream is also increased by trying out the product on the spot (like fashion and cosmetics). Allow the live broadcast to increase audience confidence in the product rather than just sell blindly!
How-to Content (Tutorials)
Online stores can use live broadcasts to provide viewers with more valuable content than sales, in addition to introducing products. For example, the makeup company NYX combines live shopping with makeup tutorials to educate and promote the brand. Customers are given an experience other than consumption through this method. Tutorials can help solve customers’ concerns with products, which can also aid them in choosing the best merchandise for them. Live e-commerce can also generate educational or entertaining content, respond to potential customers’ needs and attract more attention.
3. Go beyond live streaming
While live e-commerce can help boost conversions, keep in mind that it’s just one aspect of digital marketing. More than 40% of live e-commerce respondents stated that they did not purchase because they were concerned about after-sales service. 60%, on the other hand, were concerned about the product’s reliability. Hence, e-commerce businesses must ensure that in addition to live video, other channels can provide comprehensive pre and after-sales services. Customer service hotlines, private messages, communication software, and other services, for example, should track orders and improve brand reputation. If handled incorrectly, it will affect the entire sales process and result in a poor buying experience across all channels.
Further reading: Increase online sales through conversation robots! 5 Ways to Engage Customers Using Chatbot
4. Offer limited-time live streaming discounts
In general, viewers who watch live broadcasts are price-conscious shoppers. Before the live broadcast, as a retailer, you should gather and prepare product information. To increase the desire to buy, it’s also necessary to respond to questions in quickly while also promoting time-limited products. Regularly launching discounts on live broadcasts can also help you attract new viewers to your streams. This will allow the audience to place orders more quickly and provide long-term benefits to your business.
5. Choose the right streamer and social platform
Aside from creating appropriate content, retailers should consider who will host the broadcast and what platform will be used. A good live broadcaster should be able to boost product sales and increase the desire to buy among the audience. You must select a moderator who can resonate with your audience in addition to popularity and credibility. Although a well-known artist or influencer as a host may not generate sales, amateurs are more likely to draw crowds. Because they have fewer followers, these amateurs are more aware of their audience’s concerns and preferences. Additionally, they can provide more appealing content or merchandise. You can also ask influencers to broadcast live on their own platforms if you invite them to work with you. This can be done simultaneously to attract influencers’ followers and increase viewership.
When selecting a social channel, brands should keep in mind which platform their target audience uses the most. As well as the fact that related products are more popular to promote, in order to avoid wasting resources!
Further reading: What is the best way to succeed in online retail? To boost transactions, all channels work together with live video.
6. Simultaneous multi-channel live broadcast
Streaming across multiple social platforms simultaneously can quickly grow your audience and result in more orders. Restream allows online stores to stream live on more than 30 platforms at the same time. The program can be integrated with other popular live broadcast software and has no time limit for streaming. In addition, to live broadcasts, you can invite guests, share screens, and browse comments on various platforms in real-time.
Get to know each social media platform.
Now that we’ve mastered how social live broadcast works, let’s learn how to use major social platforms for live broadcast marketing!
Facebook Live Shopping
Facebook Shop is a fusion of Facebook and Instagram Shops. The store platform enables merchants to customize their store’s appearance, product catalogs, and upload information. It allows customers to contact merchants directly via WhatsApp, Messenger, and Instagram. Its live shopping feature also shows viewers links to products, making purchases faster!
Instagram Checkout and Live Room
The Instagram Shop platform includes a checkout feature that allows customers to complete their purchases without having to re-login or re-enter payment information.
Its invite feature is also very useful for promotion. When your follower co-streams with other account holders, the other users’ followers can see your live broadcast as well. Brands can invite partners, other creators (influencers), and even their customers to live stream with them to gain exposure!
To increase interaction, brands can dynamically collect questions before or answer audience questions during the live broadcast. To display more diverse content, you can also use the “Media Sharing” button to share videos or images. This function is available during a live broadcast and is located in the lower right corner of the screen.
Pinterest TV Live Features
Although Pinterest is primarily a photo-sharing social platform, the new live broadcast feature will open up numerous business opportunities! Many users will utilize Pinterest for data collection or brainstorming. Using live e-commerce to promote users who already have search intentions is likely to increase leads and sales. The newly launched Pinterest TV not only has a live broadcast function. Even so, the creators will update the video with a shopping function on a regular basis.
Petco’s Success Story
Using live broadcast events, the Petco pet products brand increased traffic by 12%. Moreover, building longer-term relationships with customers through live broadcast e-commerce is the key to their success. Petco has established partnerships with influencers via social media and used TikTok promotions to generate UGC content and increase communication. To shape brand image and interaction, the company focuses on consumer preferences and considerations, leveraging influencers to increase brand appeal. They also use Facebook store pages and live events to connect messages and products, increasing brand consistency and audience retention.
Despite their benefits, online stores do not need to devote all of their resources to live e-commerce and social marketing. This marketing strategy should help businesses explore new segments and test different sales models.
Further reading: Do you want to keep up with the latest live shopping trend? First, consider the 8 benefits and drawbacks of live e-commerce!
During the pandemic, e-commerce has become the latest focus of many social platforms, bringing with it numerous business opportunities. The integration of social platforms and live e-commerce is the most promising online shopping model up to date. Don’t miss it if you run an online business!
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