VTEX : The other faces of live shopping

As an ecommerce functionality, live shopping has been popularized in the last few years due to the digital commerce shift that happened especially with the Covid-19 pandemic: more people started shopping online more often, even the ones who were reluctant or not used to doing it before.

The purpose of live shopping is to offer real-time, high-value content about the products being sold, all from the mouth of influencers and product experts. This leads to highly-engaged customers and conscious shopping while elevating the brand status and building the bridge between the online space and brick-and-mortar stores, by offering what it's called a "phygital" shopping experience.

The classic format to this sales solution is to make a live shopping stream inside the ecommerce website, with product highlights, add-to-cart features, questions and answers and more, interacting with customers.

But this is not the only way to do so. Brands have been using live shopping capabilities through various formats that go beyond the traditional ecommerce website. Here is how they are doing it and why ecommerce businesses should start looking into live commerce as one of the main online shopping functionalities, following whatever strategy they find best.

Live streaming straight from the runway

We start at the fashion industry, one that has benefited from live events to enrich the customer journey while shopping. What has become known as "shoppable runway" is a strategy most used by luxury brands that have given new significance to fashion shows. They have turned into more than just a showcase of a soon-to-be-released collection, but a way to make the most out of the catwalk momentum.

Online shopping has proved to be a decision-based process where timing is fundamental. Whether it's to get a good deal of a promotion or guarantee a limited-edition piece. These are resources that fashion retailers have been using for centuries to increase revenue. Live shopping is just another approach to create the same hype over the products that are being showcased.

Here are some examples of brands that followed this strategy to make the most out of live shopping.

Jacquemus

Jacquemus brand offers luxury fashion at a premium price, with a high focus on making their style wearable by everyone, no matter what shape or size. The French luxury brand has gained great media attention lately, with influencers, bloggers and models sporting items from their collections. You have probably seen the craze over Jacquemus mini square bags online.

During a runway show, viewers could watch the stream of it and click to add items to their basket to pre-order. This 'See Now, Buy Now' method of shopping proved to be extremely effective at charging impulse sales while creating a mesmerizingly entertaining experience for consumers, besides giving a sense of exclusivity.

Etam

Etam is a French-based lingerie brand focused on high-quality and exclusive intimate apparel. During Paris Fashion Week 2020, the label offered their audience to purchase looks straight from the runway just 30 minutes after the show had ended. This is all available because of live shopping features such as giving the customer opportunity to shop what pops up on their screen, even if the show itself is not happening live. Once again, this helps in creating the hype of buying fresh off-the runway products before anyone else can.

Social media and live shopping

Convenience is key for customers everywhere, so it's only natural that brands have to offer them, whether it's a new platform, new payment trends or just different ways to shop. With the rise of social selling and conversational commerce, brands have been increasingly more present in the social sphere beyond just positioning themselves.

With features such as Facebook Marketplace and Instagram Shopping, social media has become a shopping network as well as a social platform - and they're greatly taking advantage of that.

Sephora on Facebook live

Brand representatives from Sephora have been using Facebook's new feature to sell via live events - the sports brand Abercrombie has been doing the same. With that, the beauty brand was able to demonstrate a variety of cosmetics in a real-time tutorial, allowing customers could buy straight from links next to the stream.

Although not all of these platforms offer space for brands to actively sell through live streams, many have used the tool to redirect consumers to the place where the live shopping event is being held. Making use of the Instagram live feature, for instance, FARM Rio announces the beginning of its live event while the stream is up.

Going live in 3, 2, 1…

Aren't convinced why your brand should go live? Here are some reasons.

• Capture more sales. The see and buy mentality is extremely real. Impulsive decisions happen everyday, especially when good salespeople are involved and when it's easy to do so. By investing in live shopping, you can bring the convincing environment of the physical store to the digital world.
• Uncover insights. Most live shopping platforms allow the business owners to understand who is watching, when they are watching, from where and which lives perform the best. This is very helpful when building a sales strategy focused on live streaming.
• Get closer to customers. Not only that, but by being where customers are you attract a more engaged audience, even more with interactive content. This audience is more likely to buy your products and to, later, recommend them to friends and family. They also make great returning customers.

The future of online shopping consists in the merge of different channels and experiences, creating a memorable customer journey and bringing more strength to brands everywhere. It is the age of content and shoppable encounters, so tap into this universe for great results. Check out how VTEX's Live Shopping App is helping our clients to deliver next-level experiences by making sales convenient, easy and seamless.

DISCLAIMER: It is important to note that historical financial information or operational KPIs may not be comparable with publicly-filed information at SEC, since VTEX did not report its financials in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) prior to 2019 and certain KPI definitions may differ from publicly-filed information. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on figures published before July 21st, 2021 as they may not be comparable to the metrics disclosed from the IPO onwards.

Written byGabriela Porto

Gabi is a curiosity-driven journalist interested in telling great stories about the future of ecommerce, technology, innovation and everything related to this universe.