The world of e-commerce has gone through a tremendous transformation in the recent past, with terms like live commerce, live streaming, live shopping, and live chat becoming a norm. Streaming commerce has become popular and brands are looking for the best live tools to push their products in the market. Businesses that have taken advantage of live streaming e commerce report higher conversion rates and increased sales. In this article, we explore the concept of live streaming as successfully applied by different companies and how artificial intelligence is going to further transform this area of business.
In this article
Part 1: Background Information of Live Commerce
To get started, let’s define what is live ecommerce. Is it different from the ecommerce that most people know or just an enhanced version? Do you need any special tools to be successful in live stream ecommerce and how does it boost sales?
01 What is Live Commerce?
Live commerce is the act of selling products online via immersive live shopping platforms. Brands and creators use live commerce in the form of live and shoppable videos to sell their products while shoppers can interact with brands in real-time. In simpler terms, live stream commerce is like a customer watching a livestream event but can shop.
To be successful with live e commerce, you would need certain tools like a live shopping platform, shopping cart integration, and live chat to give your viewers the ultimate user experience. This allows consumers to watch, talk, and shop your products from wherever they are and at any time.
02 Benefits of Ecommerce Live
The e commerce live streaming trend started in China, and spread to other parts of the world quickly. This was back in 2016 when the Chinese retail giant Alibaba launched its live stream shopping event that became an instant success. Within the first 20 minutes, Alibaba had generated over $7.5 billion in transaction value.
Although the same approach had been used by QVC Home Shopping Network years before, the real integration of internet live shopping started with Alibaba. From this success, several notable benefits of e-commerce live streaming can be realized:
- Sales Acceleration: Live commerce generates sales quicker by exposing brands and products to thousands of viewers in minutes
- Promotes Better Engagement: With people being 2x more likely to share videos with their friends and families compared to static ads, live commerce generates higher engagement than other forms of content.
- Encourages Impulse Buying: People are more likely to buy a product when they are involved in an exclusive even for fear of missing out on the limited-time offers.
- Builds Brand Awareness: Live commerce allows consumers to see the face behind the brand or the influencers pushing the products, which makes them connect more with the brand.
Part 2: Successful Case in Live Online Shopping: Transforming Brands through Engagement
The use of live commerce features has made significant impacts on business industries. From collaboration with influencers to engaging viewers in consultation, the following brands have transformed their engagement through live online shopping:
1. Michael Kors: Fashionable Collaboration Boosts Engagement
Michael Kors partnered with the popular influencer Aimee Song to host a live stream showcasing their new Spring collection. During the ecommerce live streaming event, Aimee styled various looks while offering insights and answering viewers' questions.
Achievement: The e commerce live streaming event garnered over 1 million views and increased website traffic by 300%. Michael Kors recorded that the sales of featured items surpassed expectations, as the dress that Aimee wore was sold out within minutes.
Lessons Drawn: Collaborations with relatable influencers can drive significant engagement and sales. The live stream event also demonstrated the importance of interactive elements like styling tips and real-time Q&A in fostering connections and building trust with customers.
2. Sephora: Beauty Unboxed with Community Building
Sephora leveraged streaming commerce to host makeup tutorials, product demonstrations, and expert sessions with brands like Fenty Beauty. During the live commerce event, viewers could purchase products directly from the stream and interact with each other via a live chat.
Achievement: The live commerce event boosted Sephora sales by 30% of the featured products. They also saw a 200% rise in engagement on their social media channels, increasing their brand awareness. The live chat fostered a sense of community as viewers could directly share tips and recommendations.
Lessons Drawn: Brands can create a powerful formula for success by combining education, entertainment, and community building. Live streaming e commerce provides valuable product information and real-time interactions that can be used to foster loyalty while building lasting communities.
3. Nike: Live Workouts Drive Brand Advocacy
Nike partnered with professional athletes and trainers to host live workout sessions on their app. The live commerce event allowed viewers to participate in the workouts at home, purchase featured Nike apparel and equipment, and interact with other users.
Achievement: The live workouts event increased app downloads by 40% and sale of features products by 25%. Viewers could actively share their workout experiences during the live stream commerce, creating positive brand buzz and advocating for Nike products.
Lessons Drawn: Live stream commerce can go beyond mere product promotion by offering valuable experiences like workouts. By adding interactive elements and community engagement, sellers can fuel their brand advocacy and create loyal customers.
4. L'Oreal: Personalized Skincare Consultations
L'Oreal launched a live consultation service within its app. The live commerce feature allowed users to connect with dermatologists and beauty advisors for personalized skincare recommendations. They would then purchase recommended products directly from the consultation.
Achievement: The live consultations increased app usage by 50% and grew sales of recommended products by 35%. The e-commerce live-streaming event saw users appreciate the personalized advice they got and a seamless purchasing experience.
Lessons Drawn: Live commerce can be more than entertainment by offering valuable services like consultations. By engaging in personalized experiences, brands can increase customer satisfaction and loyalty, contributing to conversions and repeat purchases.
Part 3: Future Landscape: Live Streaming with AI
The evolution of live commerce is far from over. The next frontier lies in the seamless integration of artificial intelligence (AI), which promises an even more personalized and immersive shopping experience. With features like AI streamers and personalized product recommendations, brands are poised to benefit the most from these developments. Here is a tool that will help you take your live commerce experience to the next level.
01 Integrating Virbo Live for Live Commerce
Virbo Live offers cost-efficient and multilingual AI-driven avatars to boost your viewers' experience during live shopping. By seamlessly integrating AI streamers into your live commerce events, you can boost your revenue by providing accurate product information and encouraging viewers to make a purchase. The avatars will make your live commerce more engaging, convenient, and interactive.
Advantages of Virbo Live Commerce:
- Continuous 24/7 live commerce broadcasting without interruptions
- Cost-effective streamers with lower personnel and equipment expenses
- Reduced dependence on large human teams
- Seamless language and accent translations to engage a diverse global audience
- Stable and lag-free streaming performance
- Enhanced content safety through AI-driven moderation.
02 Simplified Workflow and Better Viewer Experience with Virbo Live
To get started with Virbo Live, choose an appropriate AI avatar, generate the script, and go live. The process is simple and will take only a few minutes. Here is a detailed step-by-step guide:
Step 1 Create a Live Shopping Rooms
Log into Virbo Live and click “Create a Blank Livestream Room” or select a template from the available options to get started.
Step 2 Choose AI Streamers and Background
Select a virtual streamer from the virtual host library. Customize the avatar and the background to match your brand and live commerce event.
Step 3 Enter Text or Voice
Enter a script or upload your audio for the AI Avatar to seamlessly interact with the viewers. Virbo Live also offers an AI smart scriptwriter and AI translator for automatic script generation.
Step 4 Start Live Streaming
Click Start Live Streaming and connect your AI avatar to your live commerce platform using the OBS OBS software.
Step 5 Interact With the Audience
Activate the Interact With the Audience feature to allow the AI streamer to seamlessly engage your viewers without your involvement.
FAQs about Live Commerce
1. What are the drawbacks of live commerce?
Live commerce allows you to access a wider audience and boost sales revenue, but it comes with a few downsides too. You may have to deal with technical hiccups, poor audio quality, and viewers getting distracted or bored.
2. How do I succeed with live commerce streaming?
To succeed with live commerce streaming, you need to choose the right live shopping platform and keep your viewers engaged with the right content and interactions.
3. What is the difference between regular streaming and live commerce streaming?
Regular streaming involves uploading pre-recorded videos online for viewers to watch at a time of their choosing while live commerce streaming is real-time broadcasting while the video is being recorded.
4. Is live commerce streaming better than video recording?
Yes, live commerce streaming is usually more economical than pre-recorded streaming. It requires less resources and time to produce while keeping the viewers engaged.
Conclusion
Live commerce provides a unique opportunity for brands to reach more audiences and increase their sales revenue. While it has revolutionized online shopping, creating content for live commerce can be expensive and time-consuming. That’s why Virbo Live offers AI streamers to automate live commerce and allow brands to keep their viewers engaged at a lower cost. By leveraging artificial intelligence, you can enhance your viewers' live shopping experience while getting the best out of the experience.
