As the retail industry readjusts post-pandemic, new research suggests that consumers aren’t necessarily prioritising in-store or online shopping, but prefer retailers that meet them wherever they are.
According to Klarna’s ‘Owning Omnichannel’ report, 89% of shoppers say they use multiple channels to search and spend.
One trend emerging from this omni-channel demand is live streaming (also known as live commerce), which enables retailers to combine some of the most important aspects of the in-store experience – such as interactive customer service – with the ease and convenience (plus entertainment factor) of online shopping.
This trend is big in China, where live commerce sales are expected to reach $423 billion by 2022. In western markets, retail brands are starting to take notice, with some now investing in the medium to drive both consumer engagement and sales. Here are just four recent and effective examples to note.
Clarins
The beauty brand Clarins Group confirmed in September 2021 that it is to extend its partnership with live video shopping platform, Bambuser, announcing a long-term deal that will see it execute shoppable live streams across 10 markets including the US, Canada, and Spain. According to Bambuser, Clarins’ initial pilot program resulted in conversation rates of 30%, with live video successfully engaging consumers for an average of nearly 17 minutes at a time.
Clarins’ live streaming strategy is primarily focused on skincare expertise, with sessions (hosted on its own retail websites) led by experts and featuring special guests, centred around tutorials for specific skincare and beauty topics. Viewers can directly shop the Photo Editing Services products featured, with Clarins’ approach aiming to forge “more conversational relationships with shoppers, leading to deeper, more meaningful relationships and higher long-term customer value.”
In order to ramp up these meaningful interactions, Clarins is also using Bambuser’s ‘one-to-one’ video solutions (as well as ‘one-to-many’, which live-streams to a mass audience). This approach, which is like live chat but with the added element of video, serves to replicate the service found in Clarins stores – as well as the FaceTime or Zoom calls that we’ve all become used to – arguably creating a more intimate and memorable experience.
Clarks Shoes
While many retailers integrate live shopping solutions on their owned channels such as their website, others like Clarks Shoes are embracing the medium on social media. This year, Clarks has ramped up its efforts by executing a social-focused strategy that includes shoppable video (powered by livestream and video platform, Smartzer).
Clarks’ first live-stream shopping event was hosted by Nià Pettit (@niàthelight), enabling users to browse and purchase the shoes featured without even leaving Instagram.