Live Shopping, driven by Gen-Z, is rapidly growing in the eCommerce industry, with global estimates suggesting a market impact exceeding $500B. Businesses can achieve exceptional results by live-streaming video simultaneously across various digital platforms.

In recent years, growth in the UK has been steady, while in China and Asia, it is substantial, contributing to 10% of all eCommerce revenue. With Chinese retailers like Temu and AliExpress expanding into European markets, there is a possibility that Live Shopping could emerge as the next eCommerce trend in the UK, following a few unsuccessful attempts.

We looked at 4 quick ways to start preparing for the inevitable growth of Live Shopping.

What is Live Shopping?

Live Shopping is a QVC style social media video streaming where a user can see a product in action, ask questions about features in real time, and purchase.

What are the benefits of Live Shopping?

• 2-way interaction with customers

• Fast sales funnel - shoppers can discover and purchase products at speed

• High conversion rate (up to 60%)

• Lower return rate

Who is doing Live Shopping well in the UK already?

Uniqlo Livestation streams live shopping events from their stores. Users can ask questions during the live stream and checkout products and shop direct from the Livesteam. Live try ons of clothing take place, and videos are hosted on their website so they can be viewed after.

What content should I include in Live Shopping livestreams?

Live Shopping videos should be;

• educational

• fun

• feel exclusive - offering those who join limited time promos & discounts, and maybe exclusive views of new products

• recorded so they can be rerun on your website and people can rewatch after the event

• use familiar faces to build trust and increase reach - use an influencer who already has an engaged audience

How long should a LiveShopping experience last?

Roughly 20 minutes - enough for user to experience product and ask questions, but not too long that they drop off and become unengaged.

How to run the perfect Live Shopping Event?

• stream live shows on Facebook, Instagram & website simultaneously

• message in app

• gamify the shopping experience

• allow users to checkout within app

• prepare answers to questions you expect so you can quickly respond in app - pre-empt any challenging questions with product design or usage so not to ruin your flow

Too early for your first LiveShopping event, here are 4 things you can do today...

1.Choose your live shopping platform or App

There are many Live Shopping mediums:

• Platforms including, Amazon Live, ShopShops, TalkShopLive, NTWRK.

• Social media, via Pinterest TV and TikTok Shop. Meta is no longer offering a LiveShopping feature - however you could live stream for audience building.

• There are also apps designed to host display Live Shopping events or content on your website, see Sprii. Firework and Bambuser.

2. Start to build Live Shopping style posts into your content strategy

Integrate LiveShopping-style content into your content strategy to familiarize your audience with this type of content from you. Initiate Q&As or product demos initially, then collaborate with influencers. Host a live show.

You can also begin sharing Live Shopping-style content on your social media profiles and product detail pages. Firework is an excellent platform for producing such content, granting you access to their roster of approved influencers.

This will also offer the chance to expand your audience.

3. Build you influencer network

If you are unable to create Live Shopping-style content, consider utilizing influencers to promote your brand and expand your audience by reaching out to their followers as well.

Collaborating with influencers who are experts in their field can also add credibility to your event. The TikTok creator network is a valuable resource for finding influencers and suggesting collaboration opportunities.

4. Identify which products would perform well in LiveShopping post

If you're looking for ideas on products that would be successful in Live Shopping but are not sure where to find inspiration, consider starting with the TikTok Creative Center.

Use TikTok Creative Center to explore:

• top keywords by industry type

• top products by category

• trends across creative, hashtags, music, etc..

-

Interested in discussing a Live Shopping or social media campaign? Reach out to us to discuss.