Shopping has transformed from an activity to a form of entertainment! Online shopping is something we resort to not just out of need. The fun interfaces, options, discounts, and an ocean of offers make online shopping entertaining!

‘Shopatainment’ presents shopping in an entertaining format through live shopping. To put it simply — live shopping is literally teleshopping 2.0.

Of course, live commerce heavily relies on how interesting and engaging the presentation is. The prime objective is to keep the audience glued to the live stream and urge them to purchase their favourites at great offer prices.

An insight into how big the market for live commerce is:

• Live commerce sales could account for 20% of all eCommerce sales by 2026.
• The live stream eCommerce market is said to reach $35 billion by 2024. That is a 3-fold increase from 2021!
• 78% of businesses use live commerce to captivate their customers.
• Live shopping increases conversion by 30%, which is 10x more than conventional eCommerce.
• 66% of global shoppers expect brands to be digitally innovative!

As clearly demonstrated, there is great potential for brands to diversify and grow with live commerce! One of the latest trends in this sphere is to have popular influencers as the live commerce hosts. This one move could prove to be super successful for brands in expanding their live commerce efforts.

Here are 5 ways influencers can make a big difference to live commerce!

1. Presentation & engagement

Influencers are experienced storytellers who know how to make the content conversational and engaging. They have a dedicated fanbase that hangs on to their every recommendation! This helps bring traffic to the live streams and most importantly to the platform, which almost always guarantees higher conversion.

2. Relatable content & trustworthiness

Influencers are figures of authenticity. Their audience relates to them based on multiple factors. Their opinion on a product matters as they accurately and concisely depict the pros and cons. This truly helps the audience to make an informed buying decision. The influencers’ expertise in their specific category is something that makes a difference to every live stream.

3. Visually appealing

Which one would you choose — a static webpage that is text-heavy or a dynamic video with try-on and demos? Millennial and Gen Z audiences prefer a visual format and an interface where they can make the purchase seamlessly. They account for 27% of the shoppers and catering to their needs with tech innovation is something that brands need to consider.

4. Human connection

Knowing the fact that a real person tries, tests, and recommends products on a live stream is appealing. There is only so much an embedded video of a model using the product can do! An influencer can relate the product to the real-time needs of the consumer and positively push them towards purchasing a product with meaning!

5. The perfect integration of content & commerce

Influencers are constantly trying and recommending products that their audience love. The audience may or may not visit a particular platform to purchase the product, even if the link is easily accessible. However, by bringing these two together, consumers can instantly shop for their favourites while participating in the live stream hosted by their favourite creators.

To be truthful, neither influencer marketing nor live commerce is new in terms of concept. Both of them have been around in different forms through different periods of time. Presently, these two platforms are powerful tools on their own, but the combination of them results in a flawless solution. Brands can expand their live commerce efforts with popular influencers and are bound to reap rich rewards!

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