It’s more evident than ever that the world of retail has changed. Long gone are the days of shopping exclusively in brick-and-mortar stores and rushing to make purchases in time before the store closes. The future is here, and it comes in the form of live shopping.
If you’re a retailer that has started with live video shopping, great! This blog post will discuss the best ways to leverage live video shopping on your platform for a great customer experience.
What is live video shopping?
Live video shopping, also known as livestream shopping or live commerce, combines the high online traffic associated with Ecommerce sites with the in-store humanized assistance model that traditionally drives conversion rates. Essentially, live video shopping connects online customers to in-store associates. Live shopping bridges the gap between online and offline, allowing retailers to realize the advantages of brick-and-mortar in a virtual shopping experience.
Engaging with your customers is key
Although live video shopping is taking the world by storm, retailers still need to work to release its full potential! In this section, we’ll talk you through some tactics that represent an effective way to drive consumer engagement.
Lightboxes and Category pages
Brands can encourage users to interact with their live video shopping solution by implementing CTAs (calls to action), lightboxes, and pop-ups on individual category pages. Implementing these features will encourage customers to engage with the CTA, and start a direct call with the live advisor. Ensuring your CTAs are bright and eye-catching is key for optimum interaction! Remember that the point of a CTA is to inspire engagement and a sense of urgency, so keep the colors bright and the copy snappy. Placing is essential, too. Retailers that work with Emplifi’s live shopping solution have seen increased traction when CTAs are placed higher on the consumer’s screen and not tucked away.
Social media
Social media is another great way to engage your virtual shoppers. If you’re a brand with over 10k followers on your Instagram account, you can utilize the “swipe up” feature. This can redirect users to a specific product page where they can find those eye-catching CTAs we encouraged earlier! Or, to keep your content evergreen, why not create a highlight on Instagram that is focused specifically on the virtual online experience? In this highlight, you can show everything from testimonials to use cases.
Explainer pages
Explainer pages are also a valuable tool for your virtual online store. Brands that work with Emplifi’s live commerce solution report great success after implementing these. Explainer pages assure the virtual shopper they won’t be seen unless they want to be and outline the process of starting a live video call. These pages are also a great way to convert customers who might be a little dubious about live video shopping.
Expert advice is nothing without real experts
Another way to ensure a great live video shopping experience is to provide your consumers with expert advice.
As we know, expert advice is nothing without real experts. That’s why, with Emplifi’s live commerce solution, every in-store advisor is trained by a member of the Emplifi team, so your online shoppers have the ultimate online shopping experience.
Our solutions also provide the ability to match products to the right experts. For example, a consumer shopping online for a specific armchair can connect to an online shop assistant who has access to that particular chair in their store.
Use case: Live video shopping to match lipstick shades
With features such as two-way-video, shoppers can interact with experts in a way that no other Ecommerce shopping experience can match.
For example, let’s consider a virtual shopper looking for the right lipstick shade, but is unsure of what it will look like on their skin tone. They can access a cosmetics website and connect to an in-store advisor trained on the products. The advisor can view the virtual shopper in real-time and help determine if the shade will work for them. If it doesn’t suit the customer, the advisor can offer an alternative – and the consumer can add the product directly to their basket.
Getting started with live video shopping
Emplifi’s proven live commerce solutions have helped brands increase their conversion rate to as much as 25%, as well as their average order value (AOV) by 36%. To learn more about our live commerce solutions, part of our Social Commerce Cloud, don’t hesitate to book some time to speak with an Emplifi expert.
Editor's Note: This article consolidates two different articles that were originally published on goinstore.com. Any statistics or statements included in this article were current at the time of the original publication of these articles.
