There’s a massive shake-up coming to ecommerce — and you’ll want to get ahead of it!
Let’s say you’ve got your online store, you’re doing well with social media, ads and paid traffic — things look great. Did you know that a big shift is coming to our shores?
“Live shopping” (aka live commerce) has taken China by storm, growing at a head-spinning rate of 280% from 2017 to 2020. Now, accelerated by recent global events, growth in this area is projected to reach $423 billion by 2022.
In the US, new live commerce options are rolling out across platforms like Instagram, Amazon and TikTok, with more to follow.
It’s time for Australian e-retailers to prepare themselves for this huge new shopportunity. Let’s look at the best ways you can do that.
Top 5 Ways to Get Your Business Ready for Live Shopping
1. Pick the right social media mix for your business
Australian live shopping is on the cards for Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Amazon and more, but you don’t want to try to conquer every platform all at once.
Instead, carefully review your ideal customer demographics by generation. Apply your findings to selecting the top two social platforms for your niche. With the speed of change in social apps, this may require repositioning your current strategy as customers age in, or out, of your best market ranges.
2. Align with how your customers use social media
Content from brands can come across as white noise if it’s not tailored to what customers really want to see on their social platform.
Consider why they are there — is it entertainment, education, news, creativity, other? — and ensure your content aligns closely with their expectations from your presence on these specific social platforms.
3. Ensure your store’s tech is tied-in properly
Each social platform has different integration requirements to get the most out of them. If you’re not tech-savvy, you’ll want to consult with a developer or tech team to ensure your platform/s have the following in place and firing:
- Tracking: Pixels and API integrations to capture user visits and actions.
- CRM: Can your CRM be integrated with the social platform to identify customer data to better personalise advertising?
- Catalogues: Do you need to set up a catalogue feed to the social platform to automatically populate products? For example, Instagram shopping requires a catalogue feed from your Facebook Business account in order to begin setting up this live shopping feature.
- Shipping integration: Streamline your order fulfillment process by integrating your store with the Transdirect eCommerce Shipping API. Fully automate your quoting and booking system to enhance the customer experience, saving you and your customers time and money.
4. Level up the video content for your social media channels
Live shopping hinges on high-quality video content, so get ready to enhance the way your products are presented. After all, the immersive experience is what makes live shopping so appealing for consumers.
Use video in creative ways that show your products in their best light, such as:
- Unboxing: A great way to convey the feeling of receiving that new product.
- Construction: What makes your products special? Show close-ups with a focus on quality details.
- Assembly: Does it need to be put together? If so, what’s the best way to do that?
- Performance: Show products doing what they do best — how do they solve your customers’ problems, or delight them, or help them achieve an outcome?
- Movement: This is particularly important for fashion and accessories; show how items perform in different conditions, like how fabric flows or fastenings function.
- Testimonials: What do people love about your product? How do they use it?
5. Master the social media live features available in Australia
Tiktok Live, Instagram Reels, YouTube Live — each major social media platform has a live feature that’s available to Australian users right now. Although they may not be directly shoppable like the US and China yet, it’s clearly just around the corner.
Increasing your market share means building your brand in these spaces, and getting ahead of the pack today. That takes a fair bit of savvy to publish, interact, engage and provide what your customers want.
With a customer-first approach, you can meet your audience where they’re at and get the insights and feedback to make live shopping a winning option for your ecommerce business in the months ahead.
Transdirect is here to help you grow
As more and more consumers turn to online commerce to fill the gap left by the traditional retail experience, optimising your customer experience has never been more important.
We’re here to help with the shipping and fulfillment side of that experience — grow your business by offering customers the best couriers at the best rates, with Transdirect!
