Livestreaming Latest, July 2022

Live shopping has taken off during the pandemic and continues to pick up steam each month. The Coresight Research Livestreaming Latest series provides regular updates on the variety of approaches that are emerging around the world, across different retail sectors.

We present recent market developments and discuss three trends we have seen in the livestreaming space recently. We also offer examples of notable livestreaming events.

Recent Market Developments 

• On June 1, 2022, Swirl, an India-based SaaS (software-as-a-service) solution that offers live shopping experiences, partnered with Brazilian business consultancy agency GoAkira Group to strengthen livestreaming technology for their client portfolio.
• On June 3, 2022, during the 6.18 Shopping Festival, Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com hosted over 300,000 livestreaming sessions. Besides leveraging its own livestreaming channel, JD Live, the company worked with other social networks, including Bilibili, Douyin, Douyu, Huya and Kuaishou, to drive event awareness. During 6.18, JD Daojia, a local on-demand retail platform owned by Dada Group, launched the “Thousands Stores LIVE Shopping Carnival.” The livestream event saw participation from more than 22,000 brick-and-mortar stores and attracted over 1.5 million viewers.
• On June 6, 2022, ShopThing, a live shopping marketplace focused on luxury brands, created a VIP membership program, offering $29-per-month plans. ShoptThing raised $10 million in Series A funding in March 2022. The platform allows users to share recorded short videos or livestreams from a brand’s store; the livestreamers can then make purchases for the viewers. The platform is often used by personal shoppers or influencers in North America to drive their own community base. 
• On June 7, 2022, German sports brand Puma extended its mobile app in India, offering live shopping for the first time. 
• On June 7, 2022, Switcher, a content-creation and video-production software company, launched the “Cartr” app on e-commerce platform Shopify to integrate commerce features for small to medium-sized businesses. The new tool simplifies the livestream shopping setup process by connecting Switcher to a seller’s Shopify store without needing to manually manage inventory.
• On June 8, 2022, Nigerian live TV shopping startup ShopEX raised $635,000 in pre-seed funding, led by Cape Town-based venture capital firm HAVAÍC. The company captures Africa’s fast-growing e-commerce market by offering direct-to-consumer live shopping experiences across social media and B2C (business-to-consumer) marketplaces such as Alibaba, Jumia and Multichoice. According to ShopEX, the investment will allow the company to grow its team, expand product inventory and operations, and build affiliate partnerships in new markets. 
• On June 9, 2022, British TV shopping channel Ideal World TV formed a partnership with Studio.co.uk to launch live, shoppable content across Ideal World TV’s shopping channel as well as social platforms. 
• On June 21, 2022, Revieve, a digital brand-experience tech provider, partnered with BeLive, a Singapore-based provider of livestreaming solutions, to offer personalized beauty shopping experiences from brands worldwide. This follows BeLive’s latest capital investment in January (a $4.5 million bridge funding round led by FTAG Ventures). 
• On June 23, 2022, Live Rocket, a global live shopping platform focused on exclusive products, and shoppable video and livestreaming commerce provider Firework held the Shop BeCause live shopping event in support of Brooklyn-based nonprofit organization Mercado Global. The event featured Mercado Global products—a variety of hand-stitched, ethically and sustainably produced totes, clutches and handbag sets that were made by disadvantaged women. Hosted on LiveRocket.com, the show attracted over 37,000 livestream viewers within an hour.
• On June 29, 2022, live-shopping SaaS provider Bambuser hosted its first Live Video Shopping Conference in New York. More than 100 global brand and retailer leaders shared their insights and knowledge during the event. Deborah Weinswig, CEO and Founder of Coresight Research, took to the stage for a fireside chat with Sophie Abrahamsson, President of Americas at Bambuser; they discussed the power of live shopping around the world.

Three Trends We’ve Seen Recently

1.  Social Media Platforms Become Destinations for Live Shopping 

Social media companies have been rapidly evolving their livestreaming business models over the past two years, adding a new line of revenue. Live shopping initiatives now deliver finely curated content and a wide range of shoppable videos to billions of users, becoming destinations for entertainment and commerce. Social media platforms are leveraging influencers and creators to drive consumer engagement and purchase conversion. 

• On June 13, 2022, Pinterest TV announced that it is elevating its live shopping strategy by working with lifestyle content platform Tastemade (which has more than 300 million active viewers across the US, Latin America, Europe and Asia Pacific. Pinterest TV will add 50 new Tastemade live shows along with shoppable links and alerts. The partnership will connect the creation skills of Tastemade’s team with Pinterest’s collection of product profiles to increase shopper engagement.
• On June 16, 2022, YouTube hosted its second Beauty Festival 2022 (#BeautyFest), which was a shoppable event for the first time. Featuring 40 beauty brands and seven exclusive drops, the two-hour show comprised several live episodes—covering product showcases, makeup competitions and beauty challenges. Many influencers and celebrities participated in the festival, such as Jennifer Aniston, Hailey Bieber, Tracee Ellis Ross and Ashley Graham. YouTube has been committed to developing live shopping and other commerce integration features this year, such as by partnering with Netflix to promote Pat McGrath Labs’ “Bridgerton” makeup collection in May, offering shoppable livestreams during Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in April and enabling collaborative streaming features via “Go Live Together” in March. 

[caption id="attachment_151391" align="aligncenter" width="550"] Hosted by YouTube’s Head of Fashion and Beauty, Derek Blasberg (left), the Beauty Festival featured a live on-stage shower with Tracee Ellis Ross (right) as she put her latest Pattern Beauty products to the test
Source: YouTube[/caption]  

• On June 23, 2022, Twitter announced its collaboration with Shopify to help merchants drive shoppers to their websites to complete a purchase. Online businesses that integrate with Shopify’s e-commerce system will be able to show up to 50 items for sale on their Twitter profile in the US. Twitter’s user base grew 12% last year to 214.7 million worldwide, which offers marketers a sizable group of potential shoppers.

2. Online Marketplaces Enable Connected Live Shopping Experiences

Online marketplaces are adding live shopping functionality for merchants to build captivating and connected shopping experiences.

• Amazon has been offering up to $9,000 a month to popular TikTok creators with large followers to drive revenue on Amazon Live, according to technology publication Input. To support social interactions on Amazon Live and augment its influencer program, Amazon convened more than a dozen high-profile creators from Instagram, TikTok and YouTube to an in-person workshop in Mexico last month, facilitating a sense of community among its creators.

[caption id="attachment_151392" align="aligncenter" width="550"] Sivan Ayla, a social media creator, hosted a workshop on Amazon’s influencer program at a recent paid getaway in Mexico
Source: Amazon Influencer Program[/caption]  

• On June 14–15, 2022, Etsy launched its first virtual “The Etsy Market Live,” featuring a select group of sellers. The platform invited vendors to share stories and showcase their lifestyle products, and viewers were able to purchase items and interact with sellers during the live experience. The handcraft marketplace skews toward consumer discretionary products—the niche status could be a pressure in the short terms but an interactive livestream shopping program could benefit gross margin in the mid-to-long term by elevating consumer’s trust in their purchases.

[caption id="attachment_151393" align="aligncenter" width="550"] The Etsy Market Live’s dedicated webpage
Source: Etsy[/caption]  

• On June 22, 2022, e-commerce retailer eBay launched a dedicated live shopping platform, eBay Live, which focuses on selling trading cards and collectibles and increasing engagement among the collector community. The first event featured a selection of vintage items, such as a 1995 Topps Finest Michael Jordan M1 Red Bordered Refractor PSA 9 MINT and a 1998 Kobe Bryant Skybox That’s Jam PSA 10.

[caption id="attachment_151394" align="aligncenter" width="550"] eBay Live’s dedicated webpage
Source: eBay[/caption]  

3.  Brands Use Immersive Games To Connect with Young Consumers

Brands are increasingly tapping immersive gaming platforms such as Fortnite and Twitch to capture young audiences. By being active in the gaming space, retail companies hope to build stickiness with young viewers as well as explore monetization opportunities through branded, virtual merchandise.

• On June 15, 2022, soft candy brand Sour Patch Kids promoted a livestream shopping campaign on Twitch. The event gathered four popular video-game streamers—Athena, GernaderJake, JonSandman and Rizzo—to compete in a “Fruit Fight.” To encourage consumers to vote for their favorite creator-flavor pairing and purchase limited-edition boxes with creator-customized packaging, the brand provided a chance to win a $10,000 grand prize. 

[caption id="attachment_151395" align="aligncenter" width="550"] Twitch streamer Athena hosted the first two-hour live session on Twitch
Source: Twitch[/caption]  

• On June 21, 2022, meal-kit company HelloFresh held an “Unleash the Feast” live cooking competition series on the Amazon-owned Twitch platform, offering opportunities for viewers to win prizes and receive promotional HelloFresh meal kits by interacting in the comments feed and casting votes for their preferred winner. Each 75-minute episode featured three popular streamers competing head-to-head in cooking tasks, with the goal centered around preparing a HelloFresh meal. Feast Master Chef Tricia Wang provided her culinary expertise and advised the contestants during the cooking challenge.

[caption id="attachment_151396" align="aligncenter" width="550"] Soe Gschwind (lower left), Guy Blaze (upper left) and Chef Tricia Wang (lower middle) presented the first episode “A Dozen Emotes” with three contestants on June 21, 2022
Source: Twitch[/caption]  

• On June 30, 2022, automobile manufacturer Honda unveiled Hondaverse, an immersive virtual world consisting of custom-built maps in Fortnite on Twitch. The company also launched three livestream events to engage with gamers. Twitch streamer SypherPK hosted gaming challenges for participants to win prizes.

[caption id="attachment_151397" align="aligncenter" width="550"] The Hondaverse is built around the new 2023 Honda HR-V
Source: Epic Games[/caption]  

Other Notable Livestreaming Events 

• On June 11, 2022, Indian e-commerce platform Myntra launched a livestream shopping campaign that featured 750 international and local brands, in the lead-up to its biannual fashion festival. Influencer Ayushman Khurrana, attracted more than 25,000 customer engagement in one session.
• On June 13, 2022, private education group New Oriental turned its teachers into bilingual livestreaming hosts, promoting agricultural products—combining live selling with knowledge sharing. The livestreaming campaign generated ¥63 million ($9.4 million) in gross merchandise volume and attracted 17 million followers on Douyin by the end of June 17, according to New Oriental. 

[caption id="attachment_151398" align="aligncenter" width="550"] Teachers from New Oriental introduce agricultural goods through livestreaming
Source: Company website[/caption]  

• On June 14, 2022, Sputnik, a Russian state-owned news agency, held a livestreaming event with live broadcasting provider Dimoba on LinkedIn. Host and TV presenter Amélie Bitoun was joined by four French influencers during the one-hour live session, introducing various home-improvement and electronics products. The session used a 3D and customizable virtual setting, allowing the multiple presenters to appear on screen together without physically being in the same place.

[caption id="attachment_151399" align="aligncenter" width="550"] Hosts Anne Launois (left), Amélie Bitoun (middle) and Kevin Sierra (right)
Source: LinkedIn[/caption]  

• On June 15, 2022, German fashion brand Karo Kauer held a live shopping fashion show featuring its latest looks, in partnership with tech partner Dept Agency. Consumers could shop the looks they saw on stage in real time through the brand’s website or mobile app.

[caption id="attachment_151400" align="aligncenter" width="550"] Karo Kauer’s shoppable fashion show
Source: Company’s website[/caption]  

• On June 16, 2022, US mass merchandiser Walmart partnered with US TV streaming provider Roku to pilot a new livestream shopping feature. Roku audiences can click through Walmart ads in livestreaming sessions to be guided to Roku’s checkout screen. Walmart then confirms the order with an email notification and fulfills the order. The partnership builds on Walmart’s video commerce technology and Roku’s OneView ad-buying platform.

[caption id="attachment_151401" align="aligncenter" width="550"] Products promoted by Walmart are shoppable during livestreaming on Roku
Source: Roku[/caption]  

• On June 16, 2022, French restaurant equipment and material supplier Ecotel celebrated its 50th anniversary by promoting a live shopping series in tech partnership with Caast TV.

[caption id="attachment_151402" align="aligncenter" width="550"] Ecotel’s latest livestream shopping session
Source: Company website[/caption]  

• On June 17, 2022, German supermarket chain Lidl ventured into live shopping by establishing a series of themed livestream sessions on its dedicated Lidl Live channel in Germany. The first show kicked off by introducing surfing equipment and sportswear on the retailer’s website as well as via the Lidl Plus app and the company's social media accounts.

[caption id="attachment_151403" align="aligncenter" width="550"] Lidl HR Manager Christiane and Lidl Buyer Christof promoted products from surf brand Mistral
Source: Company website[/caption]  

• On June 18, 2022, Alibaba’s e-commerce platform Tmall orchestrated a customized livestream shopping event, “618 Star Collaboration Night,” with content determined by a consumer vote on social media platform Weibo. Brands and retailers such as Clarins, L’Oréal, Procter & Gamble (P&G) and Unilever took part in the event, which featured 50 celebrities hosting live sessions. The hashtag “618 Star Collaboration Night” accumulated over 5 billion views across social channels.

[caption id="attachment_151404" align="aligncenter" width="550"] Honor (left) and Clarins (right) launched the votes on Weibo for online users to choose which livestreaming programs they would prefer to watch during the 6.18 Star Collaboration Night
Source: Weibo[/caption]  

• On June 20, 2022, Swiss supermarket chain Migros launched its first live shopping series,Do It Live BBQ Sale.” Hosted by gardening consultant Andi and grill expert Patrick Brun, the session demonstrated the latest grill equipment and a variety of tools to set up outdoor cooking devices properly.

[caption id="attachment_151405" align="aligncenter" width="550"] Grill expert Patrick Brun (left) and Andi (right) host the Migros live shopping series
Source: Company website[/caption]  

• On June 23, 2022, Japanese apparel manufacturer and retailer Uniqlo Singapore hosted a live shopping session to take audiences on a virtual tour of its new store in The Clementi Mall, Singapore. Led by Uniqlo staff member Rachel Gong and Alan Kho from Ngee Ann Polytechnic’s radio station Radio Heatwave, the event underlined the store’s key services, upcoming collections, exclusive offers and recommendations for students and office staff.

[caption id="attachment_151406" align="aligncenter" width="550"] Hosts Rachel Gong (left) from Uniqlo Singapore and Alan Kho (right) from Ngee Ann Polytechnic’s radio station, Radio Heatwave
Source: Company website[/caption]  

What We Think

Leading social channels, marketplaces and brands have been transforming their operations and strategies to drive consumer engagement through live shopping. 

Implications for Brands and Retailers

• Social media platforms are tying livestream shopping events to themes or holidays to drive engagement from target audiences and create a sense of urgency for customers to tune in and make purchases.
• Brands and retailers can create entertaining and authentic dialogues with influencers and celebrities to tap engaged follower bases and established communities.
• Retail companies should adjust their strategy with a test-and-learn approach to incorporating gaming into their livestreaming campaigns—a channel that can enhance a brand’s reach among younger, digitally savvy consumers.  
• Brands and retailers should encourage audience participation to drive excitement around a livestream—such as through challenges, games and polls on social media and during livestream sessions.