Does Livestream Shopping Belong In Your Brand's Influencer Program?

While livestream shopping has become a mainstay on social networks in China it continues to make gradual inroads stateside Even larger players like Amazon have yet to consistently draw large crowds But platforms continue to lean in including Facebook which is expanding its Live Shopping Fridays to a daily series focused on holiday shopping and Pinterest with the recent announced that a new Pinterest TV feature would focus on live original and shoppable videos from creators like Christian Siriano and Olympic diving medalist Tom DaleyAs influencers gain mindshare among social media users shoppable streaming events offer an effective midfunnel way to encourage product discovery consideration and brand connectionThe Power of quotLivequotYouTube39s popular unboxing and review videos provide consumers with insights and details that are hard to find elsewhere Adding quotlivequot to video presents a unique chance for brands to go beyond information driving sales with a natural sense of urgency creating brandbuilding experiences and fostering consumer dialogueAct now The impact of adding a live factor to the remote shopping experience is nothing new as QVC could have told you in 1986 There39s an extra immediacy to a live sales pitch particularly when the clock is ticking on a limitedtime offer or availabilityAppointment viewing In April Petco made industry headlines with a unique livestream event pairing a fun pet fashion runway show with an adoption drive that drew an audience of nearly 1 million While video experiences have the benefit of being viewed ondemand afterward bringing initial viewers together at a set start time creates the buzz of a real event11 connection Live experiences offer consumers the chance to ask questions and give immediate feedback Stores like Bloomingdale39s have staged regular shoppable live events on Zoom with featured creators such as Jimmy Choo39s creative director giving product demonstrations and answering questions This setting provides brands with a chance to gather data while equipping consumers to make better product decisions for themselves A recent survey from Coresight Research found that returns are as much as 50 lower for purchases made in a livestreamGetting StartedAs more platforms expand their live commerce capabilities brands have taken different approaches Some have launched their own dedicated channels with recurring brand ambassadors in a digital version of fixed TV shopping channels like HSN For brands looking to explore livestream shopping partnering with established influencers presents the lowest barrier to entryThe first step is thinking about your audience not just what social platforms they use but also which ones they trust for advice on products For example your audience might turn to Twitter to hear the latest news and gossip but they might go to YouTube for recommendations about products Once you know this it39s easier to decide who should host your shopping experience If your audience is on YouTube you39ll want to find a YouTube influencer A big name on Instagram might not be your best investment After you39ve zeroed in on what type of influencer you need you can find them either through traditional talent representatives or by working directly with the platforms Several platforms have launched services that directly link brands with creatorsGiven the amount of money that can be made as an influencer you39re likely to be presented with a lot of different choices It39s important to draw a distinction between influencers and celebrities A celebrity can be anyone with a large audience Influencers may or may not have as large of an audience but they39re able to directly affect the decisionmaking process This is because people are following the influencers specifically for their connection to an area of expertise In contrast people often follow celebrities for their association with a fictional character like a role played by an actor or a hyperreality image created by media like a pop star This means that the celebrity39s opinion might not matter as much to shoppers as that of an influencerWhen considering who to work with look beyond their total number of followers to see how engaged their audience is Is there a real authentic voice in the content Do people comment Does the influencer answer Does that answer seem to lead to a positive resolution And is the entire conversation related to something that39s relevant to your brandKey ConsiderationsThe highwire act of live broadcast involves specific complications in the digital realm We39ve assembled the following list of things to keep in mind to make livestream shopping an effective part of your marketing planDeploy livestreaming when quotlivequot provides a compelling added value When livestreaming first started brands went a little crazy and started broadcasting everything live But audiences soon become overwhelmed and stopped tuning in It soon became clear that there needed to be a compelling reason to watch liveamp8212and not to just check out the video when it39s more convenient Those reasons can include exclusive product releases limitedtime sales or opportunities to connect with the influencerMake sure the experience goes beyond the buy Livestream shopping offers consumers more than an immediate way to make a purchase It also provides actively interested customers with a unique opportunity to ask questions share their opinions and build a brand connection that feels highly personal Add value beyond product demonstrations with tutorials or an informational panel that brings an extra dimension to the product narrativeConsider the optimum length Since the beginning of the year BuzzFeed has put on more than 50 livestreams on Amazon Live the online marketplace39s shoppable livestream offering which ranged between one and three hours and found 90 minutes to be the quotsweet spotquot For Amazon Prime Day in June the publisher hosted a 16hourlong livestream that generated over 1 million views across the main Amazon Live video as well as on the syndicated stream on Facebook LiveDon39t forget media support It39s not much fun to throw a party without invitees For livestream shopping events consider paid media to help get the word outListen Livestream shopping offers a unique realtime feedback loop To make the most of it enable chat features to capture inthemoment customer responsesPhoto at top courtesy of QuigelyClick the social buttons to share this story with colleagues and friendsThe opinions expressed here are the author39s views and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet

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Does Livestream Shopping Belong In Your Brand's Influencer Program?

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Does Livestream Shopping Belong In Your Brand's Influencer Program?

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