DIpil Das
Livestreaming Latest, November 2021
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 October 4, 2021, livestreaming app NTWRK announced plans to invest in original shows to drive up the platform’s organic engagement. The platform distinguishes itself through its polished, high-production-value approach, with curated in-studio production in its Los Angeles office. Besides professional multi-camera setups, the company has a team of 35 people working on individual shows, such as sneaker show “Soled Out” and sport trading cards series “Wild Cards.”
- On October 4, 2021, Danish live shopping software-as-as-service (SaaS) company ELISA raised an investment from family-owned investment company Heartland, which has also invested in Zalando, ASOS and Klarna. ELISA intends to further its growth in Europe, according to the company.
- On October 6, 2021, leading European payments and transactional services company Worldline announced a partnership with live shopping company Livescale. The collaboration will seek to boost the adoption of livestream e-commerce and its seamless in-video checkout service across social media and websites.
- On October 7, 2021, Newegg Commerce Inc. began piloting its app-based, interactive livestream shopping experience. The platform, called Newegg Live, gives customers access to exclusive deals available only on mobile during the livestream while they interact with hosts in real time.
- On October 10, 2021, Coresight Research held its second annual 10.10 Shopping Festival, in collaboration with an array of partners, brands, retailers and charities. In partnership with livestream tech companies Firework, Smartzer, CommentSold and Ghost Retail, Coresight Research offered a livestreaming-focused shopping program with a wide range of products from 26 retail partners, including Guess? Inc., Macy’s and Neighborhood Goods. Business partners and shoppers enjoyed shopping while supporting charitable causes and giving retailers a boost ahead of the holiday season. Charity partners for the event included the American Heart Association, National Breast Cancer Foundation and Soles4Souls.
- On October 11, 2021, Macy’s revealed that its new-look app will feature livestream shopping capabilities. The new live shopping experience, “Macy’s Live,” will be a weekly live shopping event in which customers can interact with Macy’s stylists and experts during the stream.
- On October 12, 2021, Swedish live shopping platform Showroom onboarded Swedish DTC fashion brand Norrsken on its platform. As the platform expands its range of brands and influencers across the fashion, beauty and cuisine sectors, businesses continue to join the bandwagon.
- On October 14, 2021, live shopping tech company Bambuser unveiled its “Phygital Solutions” to allow physical shopping malls, stores and hotels to implement digital live video shopping services. The company aims to provide a wide range of flexible live shopping solutions, allowing both online and offline businesses to integrate livestreaming.
- On October 14, 2021, Indian short-form video platform Roposo launched its live shopping capabilities, with a focus on creator-led content. Backed by Bengaluru-based advertising tech company InMobi Group, the platform has already enlisted 250 DTC brands, and has a monthly active user base of 30 million and a creator base of over 500,000, according to the company.
- On October 20, 2021, Alibaba launched the first pre-sale period of Singles’ Day During the shopping festival, online marketplace Taobao Live is featuring 700 influential key opinion leaders (KOLs), celebrities and brand representatives in livestream sessions. (Look out for our upcoming report on livestreaming during Singles’ Day.)
- On October 21, 2021, social media-led shopping platform Shop LIT Live launched its new web player, which allows customers to join livestreams and purchase directly through a web browser. By removing the need to download the app, customers can now enjoy the livestream shopping experience on their preferred channel—and by meeting the customer where they are, Shop LIT Live can better reach new audiences.
- On October 25, 2021, CJ Onstyle, the fashion and culture branch of Korea's CJ Group, announced a partnership with the group's entertainment and media affiliate, CJ ENM, to launch a new form of live shopping show on YouTube. Putting customer interaction at the forefront, the show will feature real-time price negotiations between host and consumer before items are sold.
- On October 27, 2021, Shoppertainment Live, the Philippines' pioneering livestream shopping network, opened seven new “Livestyle” studios in order to produce dedicated live shopping shows for consumers. The investment offers convenient livestreaming production services for advertising agencies, multinational companies active in the region (such as Unilever and Del Monte) and e-commerce giants including Lazada and Shopee.
Three Trends We’ve Seen Recently
1. Tech Giants Are Testing Longer Live Shopping Events Live shopping instantly telescopes the customer journey from discovery to purchase. The established norm is that sessions last 30–60 minutes. However, leading tech platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and YouTube are upending that paradigm, and plan to test longer live shopping sessions in order to attract shoppers ahead of the peak holiday shopping season.- On October 11, 2021,Meta announced that Facebook and Instagram will host holiday live shopping programs from November 1, with daily live shopping experiences and exclusive drops and deals from brands such as Benefit Cosmetics, Cocokind, Macy’s, Paintbox Nails, Tanya Taylor, Ulta Beauty, Vuori and Walmart. Shoppers will be able to complete purchases directly on the company’s apps using Facebook Pay. In addition, from November 5, these live shopping segments will highlight #BuyBlack Friday, an initiative to support Black-owned businesses, offering deals and gifts to users who make purchases on either Facebook Shops or Instagram Shops.
- On October 19, 2021, YouTube announced a new week-long live shopping event that will launch on November 15. To kick off the event, influencers the Merrell Twins will share their holiday picks from Samsung, Verizon and Walmart. The company ran its initial live shopping experiment earlier this year with shoppable on-demand videos, and further tested live shopping events with its “Small Biz Day” this summer. For its upcoming event, the platform has worked with top creators to test new live shopping features: YouTube beauty creator Simply Nailogical, for example, launched her new nail polish collection to 2.8 million fans via her channel. The shows allow shoppers to tune in live, review new products, receive limited-time offers, and get their product questions answered through live polls and interaction with creators and other viewers.
A shoppable livestream hosted by Simply Nailogical Source: Company website/Youtube[/caption] 2. Brands Are Amplifying Their Visibility Through Partnerships By keeping a predictable but ambitious weekly rhythm, many brands are increasing viewership numbers. Working with retailers or dealers now offers an opportunity to build on that growth and multiply a brand’s reach.
- On October 21, 2021, French DIY retailer Leroy Merlin returned to live shopping in partnership with AEG, a German electronics brand. With tech support from French company Caast TV, Leroy Merlin highlighted products from certain brands including Bosch and Syntilor as “pro choices.” Shot in a technician’s workshop, the livestream featured close-up demonstrations. A record of all viewer questions and feedback was recorded and made available in replays. The videos were also integrated into each relevant product page.
Leroy Merlin’s live DIY product demonstrations Source: Caast.tv [/caption]
- South Korean automobile manufacture Hyundai has seen positive feedback from live video chat services in many countries since last year. One dealer and distributor, Hyundai Bahrain, began offering 24/7 one-to-one live shopping consultations on its website earlier this year. The company developed the live consultation services with tech provider Whisbi, connecting customers with individual sales agents via live video calls. The store agents are able to showcase car features for consumers on the video call and share the corresponding product links. Since it deployed these tools, the company reports that it has seen its sales increase by 80%.
- On November 5, 2021, multinational electronics company LG launched its first Spanish livestream in celebration of its 25th anniversary, in partnership with tech company OnLive. The livestream featured various viewer interactions through surveys and polls, and viewers were able to win coupon lotteries.
LG’s 25th anniversary live shopping session Source: OnLive [/caption]
- French beauty brand Yves Rocher debuted its weekly live shopping events in France and Germany earlier this year. The brand experienced close engagement with consumers and has extended the strategy to Turkey and Scandinavia in partnership with tech firm Spockee.
Yves Rocher’s Turkish (left) and Scandinavian (right) offerings Source: Company websites [/caption]
Other Notable Livestreaming Events
- On October 3, 2021, L’Oréal Paris staged the fourth edition of its annual fashion show in Paris. The event took place both online and offline, and was simultaneously livestreamed around the world on its Instagram account and TikTok.
L’Oréal Paris’ shoppable products on its TikTok livestream video Source: TikTok [/caption]
- French toy retailer JouéClub plans to organize two live shopping per month after its successful livestream in October. It launched a themed live shopping event on its Facebook page: The 30-minute show focused on Christmas toys including Disney Princess dolls, Pokémon and Lego Super Mario, which were available with time-limited discounts. The event generated 4,400 comments and 12,000 viewers.
JouéClub’s October live shopping session Source: Facebook [/caption]
- On October 14–21, 2021, fashion retailer C&A held a sequence of live shopping events on its app in Brazil. The first event was presented by Brazilian influencer Raphaela Palumbo and brand associates, and gave a detailed presentation of men’s and women’s apparel, offering exclusive discounts.
Local influencer Raphaela Palumbo presenting items with brand associates Source: Company website [/caption]
- On October 20, 2021, watchmaker IWC launched a livestream shopping session on its LinkedIn Live page. Hosted by in-house manager Elisabeth Gruender, the show featured IWC watchmaker Florian Salzer presenting the assembly process of the IWC Perpetual Calender watch with live close-up footage. Salzer gave a detailed explanation of each piece’s function, and more than 300 viewers were online asking questions regarding techniques, materials and the working environment. Besides learning about the luxury product, audiences had an opportunity to learn about the brand story and craft.
Watchmaker Florian Salzer (left) demonstrating the process of assembling the IWC watch Source: Company website [/caption]
- On October 25, 2021, L’Oréal Paris launched a new live shopping series, “30 Minutes of Beauty,” with Portuguese retailer Continente. The first show kicked off with brand ambassador Cristina Ferreira, makeup artist Inês Franco and presenter Carolina Patrocínio sharing tips about their respective beauty routines.
What We Think
Companies that harness the potential of live shopping campaigns, focus on storytelling and get their products into shoppers’ virtual carts are more likely to capture the loyalty of emerging market consumers. Implications for Brands and Retailers- As tech giants experiment with longer-format events with a range of brands and creators, brands must recognize the value of expert creators to provide informative content for retaining viewership—novelty is no longer enough.
- Given the complex livestreaming tech setting as well as the development time, brands that are able to forge partnerships with retailers and distributors to lower the costs of production will benefit.