Live & Video Shopping is one of the fastest-growing trends in the eCommerce world. Are you considering starting Live Shopping but unsure whether to go live on your website or social media?
In this article, we’ll answer that question by exploring the advantages and differences between these two broadcast channels.
Indice
Going live on owned websites
In Europe, the current trend shows a growing interest in live broadcasts directly on websites, as they offer more integrated and immersive experiences.
Thanks to their integrated shopping features, websites allow consumers to seamlessly access product pages, easily browse catalogs, and complete purchases with fewer clicks compared to social media. Additionally, the picture-in-picture feature enables users to perform all these actions without leaving the live stream page.
The gradual phase-out of third-party cookies on Chrome has accelerated the trend of brands hosting live sessions directly on owned websites, allowing them to collect first-party and zero-party data.
Enabling Live Shopping on your website also allows you to create a dedicated landing page where not only live broadcasts are streamed, but replays of past live sessions are also stored.
Going live on social media
Social platforms offer high visibility and engagement, enabling brands to reach users beyond their core community. Additionally, social platforms provide easy-to-use live streaming features that require no digital training or specific technology.
However, live sessions on social media don’t provide the same integrated and optimized customer journey as live streams on owned websites. To make a purchase, users are often required to leave the live stream and follow an external link.
While Facebook and Instagram have disabled their Live Shopping features, TikTok has introduced TikTok Shop in Asia and some Western countries like the UK and USA (with a beta version announced for certain European countries in summer 2024).
Image source: TikTok
So, where is it better to go live: on your website or on social media? The truth is, you don’t have to choose just one channel. There’s a feature called multistreaming that allows you to broadcast on multiple platforms simultaneously.
Multistreaming: why go live on social media and your website simultaneously
Multistreaming is a feature that enables you to broadcast a live session on multiple platforms simultaneously. For example, you can go live on social media, your website, and other owned channels like your app.
This approach offers several advantages in the context of Live & Video Commerce:
- Increased visibility by leveraging channels with higher engagement rates
- Broader audience reach
- Interaction with your target audience on their preferred and familiar platforms
The power of Live & Video Commerce is amplified by multistreaming: by broadcasting on social media, you can direct viewers to your website for a more immersive and integrated experience.
An international example of multistreaming is the Sephora x Haus Labs live event held in March 2024. This live session combined multiple formats, from beauty tutorials to an interview with celebrity and pop star Lady Gaga, the founder of Haus Labs, and was broadcast simultaneously across several European countries on both Sephora’s website and social channels
There are also several examples of multistreaming in Italy. One such example is Carrefour, which hosts live sessions in-store and broadcasts them on both social media and its website and app. This is a perfect example of an omnichannel strategy that combines digital and physical touchpoints through Live Shopping.
Keyword: omnichannel
Whether it’s live on owned websites or social platforms, an optimal strategy for Live & Video Shopping is always grounded in an omnichannel approach..
This strategy integrates multiple channels to provide customers with a seamless shopping experience, both online and offline.
Ultimately, it allows brands to enhance customer engagement, improve the overall experience, and collect first-party and zero-party data.
Conclusions
Live & Video Shopping is an effective tool for attracting, engaging, and nurturing users, but it’s essential to use the right channels.
At the heart of a successful Live Shopping project is the development of an omnichannel strategy that can reach users across multiple touchpoints through multistreaming.
LET’S TAKE IT LIVE TOGETHER!
