As an eCommerce business owner or marketer, you know the challenges of online shopping. Customers can feel uncertain, overwhelmed, and hesitant to buy. Adverse experiences may lead to negative reviews and lost customers. If you tried live shopping to overcome these challenges and still didn’t get the momentum you expected, it’s because you’re not creating valuable content. Valuable live content enables real-time customer interactions and deeper product understanding.
Discover expert tips on creating compelling live shopping content that delivers value, boosts sales, and differentiates your brand.
Before diving into the details, here’s an list of the topics to help you create compelling live shopping content:
- How to make live content valuable
- Increasing sales and value with a customer-centric approach
- Using promotions strategically to increase sales
- Making live content stand out
- Conclusion: Creating valuable live content
How to make live shopping content valuable
Live shopping will rule eCommerce over the coming years. Analysts predict that this exciting and interactive form of shopping will see tremendous growth soon. In fact, live shopping in the US is expected to soar by $25 billion in 2023. That’s an astonishing 123.60% compound annual growth rate!
But what’s driving this massive surge in live shopping?
Shoppertainment – a blend of “shopping” and “entertainment”- aims to enhance customer satisfaction, extend customers’ time interacting with a brand, and ultimately increase sales. And live shopping is right at the forefront of this movement. So it’s essential to ask yourself whether your live shopping content adds value to your customer’s shopping experience.
Relying solely on discounts won’t work to increase sales. You have to provide value in other ways too.
To make live shopping content worth it:
1. Access to exclusive expertise or knowledge:
Skincare brands can use live shopping content by inviting dermatologists. They can share skincare routines for different skin types. This type of content can provide customers with valuable information, like they learn how to take care of their skin.
Dermatologists can help the audience choose the right products for their needs. They can answer questions and build trust in the brand. While also educating their viewers.
The same goes for home decor brands. They can invite interior designers to share ideas and showcase their products. Interior designers can walk customers through different room designs. They can show customers how to choose the right furniture.
Customers can visualize how the brand’s products will look in their homes. Also, interacting with customers in fun can build a strong connection. As a result, it increases sales.
2. Inspiration:
Makeup tutorials and product demos are already super popular on platforms like YouTube as on-demand videos. But with live-streaming, there’s even more potential for engagement and interaction. In a live show, viewers can ask questions, get personalized advice, and receive real-time feedback. It makes the experience way more dynamic and valuable for your audience.
Why not draw inspiration from popular on-demand videos, successful live streams, and even TV shows? By doing so, you can create exciting live shopping content that takes full advantage of real-time streaming’s interactive nature. Ultimately, this will help your brand stand out and build stronger connections with your audience.
3. Early access to products:
Tech brands can spice up their live shopping events by featuring their latest products. Just imagine giving consumers a chance to buy the product before it hits the stores! It’s a surefire way to create buzz.
Likewise, an apparel brand could impress its loyal customers with a private live-streaming show, revealing its upcoming summer designs. Talk about a sneak peek! These exclusive events make your audience feel special and eager to snag the newest items.
So, why not build excitement and a sense of exclusivity around your products? These early access events captivate your audience and let you gather valuable customer feedback to refine your future offerings.
4. Fun and education:
Suppose you’re a sports brand looking to showcase your latest athletic wear, including sports gear and accessories. In that case, you can amp up the excitement by inviting professional athletes to do a Q&A with the audience. They can share personal experiences and insights into training, nutrition, and gear.
Now, let’s consider another scenario. If you’re selling mom or baby products, you can make your live shopping more informative by inviting a parenting expert, such as a pediatrician, child psychologist, or mommy blogger. They can provide tips and advice on child-rearing, health, and wellness, allowing mothers to ask questions and learn from an expert in the field.
Or, how about hosting a live shopping extravaganza with a baby photo contest? People can submit their cutest baby photos and show off their little bundles of joy. Then, the audience gets a chance to vote for their favorites, adding an extra layer of fun and engagement to the experience.
Increasing sales and value with a customer-centric approach
Boosting sales and value with a customer-centric approach
Customer-centricity should be a priority for every eCommerce brand. A customer-centric approach ensures the customer has a great experience before and after the sale.
So, how does it benefit businesses? You’ll see more repeat business, increased client loyalty, and sustained business growth.
It’s essential to understand that customer-centric companies don’t just provide excellent customer service; they go above and beyond. Amazon and Zappos are perfect examples of this. They’ve built a company culture based on meeting and exceeding consumers’ demands, showing a genuine commitment to customer service. Zappos is even willing to fire employees who don’t fit into its customer-centric culture.
Now, the big question is: how do you put this approach into practice? Keep reading to find out.
1. Understanding customer needs:
Understanding customer needs: It may seem obvious, but building a customer-centric brand requires a deep understanding of your customers’ needs. Therefore, frequent interaction with customers is crucial.
Gathering customer feedback is easier than ever in today’s digital world. You’re likely already interacting with customers through various touchpoints such as email, SMS, phone calls, in-app messages, and social media.
However, it’s vital to be proactive in collecting qualitative feedback as well. Your brand may be engaging in regular communication, but is it enough? To better understand your customers, pay close attention to the value of user research.
To gain valuable insights that help shape your customer-centric approach, try these research techniques:
- Conduct surveys
- Perform user testing
- Reach out to customers directly via phone calls
2. Making your brand effortless to connect with:
First things first, make sure your contact info is visible, like a beacon of hope.
Customers should be able to find your phone number, email address, and live chat option easily. On the other hand, why limit yourself to just one way to get in touch?
Some customers may prefer to chat. Others may prefer to talk to someone. You’re the master of all trades, so cater to all of their needs.
Your ‘Contact Us’ page should be just that – EASY to contact. Make it simple to find and include answers to frequently asked questions.
About 32% of consumers expect brands to respond within 30 minutes, while 42% expect a reply within an hour.
Let’s remember that your support team should be friendly and empathetic.
Immediately provide customer support information, such as a phone number or email address, if there are any complaints in chat. By doing this, your customers will feel like they’re in good hands.
3. Offering personalized recommendations:
Get to know your customers better by looking into their purchases, website browsing, and preferences. Then, continuously refine your recommendations to ensure they’re always tailored to each customer.
While technology is excellent at providing personalized suggestions, it’s essential to make it easy for your customers to reach you. When they do get in touch, offer tailored recommendations based on each customer’s unique needs and preferences.
In addition, consider integrating Arvia’s one-to-one video chat into your site for Personalized communication with your customers. So customers can easily contact a sales professional for assistance.
4. Creating a sense of community:
Use social media, emails, and other marketing tools to generate excitement. Marketing strategies will help your audience look forward to your live shopping event.
Create a sense of community by asking your audience for their thoughts, experiences, and opinions. Then, engage your audience by responding to comments, answering questions, and being accessible. These steps make your brand’s community’s live shopping experience memorable and fun. As a result, the interest you generate on social media before and after the event will contribute to the success of future live shopping events.
Using promotions strategically to increase sales
Promotions are an exciting way to boost sales and attract new customers! So get creative and offer something unique to keep them coming back for more.
One great strategy is to offer time-limited discounts, such as flash sales.
It adds urgency and encourages customers to grab the deal before it’s gone.
Another way to sweeten the deal is to offer tiered discounts for more significant purchases. For example, tiered discounts mean a 10% discount on purchases above $50, a 15% discount on purchases above $100, and a 20% discount on purchases above $150. So, naturally, it incentivizes customers to spend more for better savings.
You can also drive sales with bundle deals, where you give a discount for buying multiple items together. This can be a fantastic way to sell complementary products or clear out surplus inventory.
And who doesn’t love free stuff? Promoting freebies with purchases is a brilliant way to encourage customers to buy and build loyalty at the same time.
Other thrilling promotional options include free trials, contests, and giveaways. As a result, your products will take attention, you’ll draw in more customers, and you’ll boost brand awareness. Just keep the customer in mind and be sure the promotion is relevant and valuable to them.
Effectively utilizing promotions not only boosts sales but also helps build a brand’s community.
Making live content stand out
Live streaming can lower the barriers to communication between customers and your brand. You can have a successful sales enabler if you use live shopping content correctly. Keep scrolling to learn ten tips to make your live streams stand out.
1. Launch of new products & teasers
By showcasing what’s to come before your product hits the market, you create demand. Consider conducting live unboxing sessions. Live unboxing allows shoppers to see the product up close, which can pique their interest. Then, you can accept early access applications during the showcase. As a result, your live stream content will contribute to your brand’s reputation and the development of your brand community.
2. Know your audience:
You need to know your target audience if you want your content to resonate. You can do this by finding out their interests, pain points, and buying habits. Customer surveys, social media comments, livestream interaction analytics, and even market research can help you get this info. By understanding what your audience wants, you can tailor your content to meet their needs.
In short, to develop content that truly resonates with your audience, it is essential to understand their preferences and needs.
3. Don’t just tell, show:
Having visually appealing content is more likely to get people to engage in live shopping. Put high-quality videos and images on your website to make your products look appealing. Show what the products do, how they work, and why they’re cool. Consequently, showcasing the product features and benefits motivates your audience to make purchases.
4. Make a story:
You can engage your audience with storytelling and build a connection with them. Your live shopping content will be more relatable and personal when you incorporate storytelling.
Tell a story about your product, how it was developed, or how it helps customers. Your audience will be more likely to remember your products if you do that.
Related: Storytelling: Get More Engagement in Livestream Shopping Events
5. Engage your audience:
Think of live shopping as a two-way conversation between your brand and the audience. Engage people by asking questions, taking feedback, and responding in real-time. It’ll help you connect with your audience and make the experience more interactive.
You can also keep your audience gripped by using dynamic features like polls and quizzes. Ask your audience what product to show next. Or, to keep them interested, give them a quiz about the products you’re showcasing. In short, conversation with your customers returns you to a deeper connection with your audience, making them more invested in your brand.
Related: Livestream Shopping Event: 10 Tips for Adding Fun and Engagement
6. Make exclusive deals:
Live shoppers usually enjoy finding exclusive and time-sensitive deals. So why not try enticing them with limited-time discounts, free stuff, or other special promotions? This creates a feeling of urgency that will keep them interested.
To boost the appeal, simply explain what the offer entails and how it’s not something they’ll find every day. For example, imagine giving away a product completely free for the next 10 minutes only! Now that’s a fantastic limited-time offer that will definitely grab their attention.
7. Have clear product information:
The best way to build trust and credibility is to tell your customers what you sell in detail. Don’t forget to include specifications, features, and benefits. You’ll help your audience make informed buying decisions and ensure that they know what they’re getting.
More than 90% of consumers say transparency is critical in deciding what to buy. Customers want products that meet their needs and truly do what they’re supposed to do.
8. Highlight product features and benefits:
Bring your shopping content to life and show it off!
Your products will stand out, and your audience will trust you more. Describe how your products solve problems and save the day for your customers.
You can share real-life examples of how others have used and loved the product.
It’s like a chef showing off a gourmet dish. They may talk about the ingredients, the preparation, and how it tastes. But, in the end, it’s about plating, decorating, and making it look good so people will want to try it.
In short, just like a gourmet dish, showcasing your products in an attractive and informative way persuades your audience to buy them.
9. Make live content fun and be real
Be bold and inject some humor into your live shopping content. It’ll keep your audience interested and entertained. Use creative visuals, music, or special effects to make your content more engaging and exciting.
Your content will reflect what your brand is. Your audience will feel connected to your brand this way. If you script your content and rehearse it enough, it won’t sound unnatural and fake. In other words, when you let your fun, creative, and natural side shine during your live streams, the audience feels more connected to your brand.
10. Keep live content short and sweet
You need to keep your live shopping content short and sweet.
Make each session under 30 minutes and show just a few products to avoid overwhelming your audience.
Break up your content into smaller segments. How about a 10-minute section on how to style a particular item of clothing? Next, another 10-minute part introduces the new collection. Then, finally, wrap it up with a 10-minute Q&A. Doing so will keep your audience engaged and coming back for more.
Conclusion: Creating valuable live content
Live shopping is the real deal and provides an experience like no other. So don’t offer boring live streams. Instead, give a livestream shopping experience that makes noise. It’s all about delivering value – that’s what keeps it lit!
Educate, inspire, hook people up with early access to products, make it fun, and give them exclusive info.
Remember what your customers want, and make your live shopping content remarkable. This is your chance to boost sales and connect with your customers like never before.
Image by Freepik
