A Retailers Guide To Streaming

For more than 10 years China’s retailers have been streaming live shopping sessions to so much success, it’s now become a core part of retailer’s business model in much of Asia, reaching nearly five trillion yuan in 2023 in live stream sales and is forecasted to surge to 8.16 trillion yuan by 2026, if fashion retailers want to stay in the game, they're going to have to catch up so here's a guide to getting started with live stream selling.

As the fashion system struggles to find its footing amongst a litany of criticism, unexpected economic hardships caused by political instability, trade wars, and now accusations of bad practices across major brands, there is an opportunity for independent labels to protect themselves from industry headwinds by digging into their narratives and connecting with consumers to build authentic engagement and community.

The United States’ live e-commerce market size was expected to double in size over the next three years, and although the country’s economic future seems uncertain, the format is expected to continue being adopted widely by Western retailers.

This means that in order to stay competitive and reach other markets, brick and mortar retailers will need to embrace the QVC-like opportunity or risk being left out of conversations and ultimately, risk stifling sales.

Western fashion-centric cities like New York, Copenhagen, Paris, Milan, and London have an advantage with a surplus of small and independent brands that come from all over the world to showcase and launch there. Consumers looking for style indicators and fashion and apparel trends trust these cities first which designers and entrepreneurs know, awarding a distinct brand capital to these newcomers, while separating them from fast fashion retailers like Shein, Amazon, H&M, and others.

In order to prepare your brand or retail store for live stream selling there are some considerations to be made.

PREPARE YOUR BRAND FOR A LIVE STREAM SHOPPING

• Which platform or platforms to use?

• How do you want to sell, in other words: what format makes sense for your audience and buyers?

• Which items do you want to highlight or sell?

• Who will respond to comments and questions during the feed?

• What equipment will you need?

• Who manages and uploads the content after the stream has ended?

Platforms

There are multiple platforms now including Instagram and Facebook Live, YouTube, Buywith, and Shopify that can connect directly to your brand’s e-commerce site. Instagram and Facebook require registration and to be accepted onto their e-commerce system which then allows the streamer to feature links directly in the stream to the product on screen. Big cloud conglomerates like Amazon also have a Live selling feature but there is a process of becoming an Amazon seller and there may be extra fees.

Format

There are several formats by which to sell on a livestream that usually include more than one person like a host and a model to demonstrate the product. Some examples of popular formats include interviews with an expert, allowing content creators or influencers to co-host, or style demos.

Products

Use data-driven insights and your unique knowledge of your customer base to select no more than 10 products that may include best sellers, products from a new campaign, or special season sales. Offering exclusive discounts and benefits for Live shoppers is also recommended.

Engagement

In addition to the actual live session streaming, there should also be someone ready to respond to commenters and buyers questions and comments during the session. Depending on the platform, recordings of the live stream are usually uploaded for future shoppers and reference but doing this also adds to the brand capital, allowing customers to return for products and comment. 

Set-up

Every brand is different and while some may have space to permanently dedicate to live streams, many do not have room for the equipment it requires like cameras, tripods, computers and the product itself. Some retailers may choose to hire a dedicated streaming crew or eventually have their own production staff in store. Live streaming mostly requires a lo-fi, small set-up or can even be done with a high quality smart phone camera, but in all cases there is still a requirement for a certain amount of space needed.

Content Management

After the stream has ended, recordings are often uploaded to the brand's various platforms with links and descriptions for reference. Something important to consider before starting your live stream is what aspect ratio in which it should be filmed. Even if using a smart phone it’s important to consider what other platforms to which the final recording will be uploaded like portrait for Instagram or for YouTube SHORTS for example, or landscape for a YouTube channel. 

However you plan to connect with your audience, what’s important in sales and in cultivating long-term relationships is authenticity and a perception of passion for the product. The key to competing with large cloud retailers and fast fashion mammoths is to give a face to the brand and meet consumers where they are, not only share your narrative but be receptive to the feedback and commit to evolving with theirs.