Live shopping is a multi-billion dollar business platform with a rapid rate of growth. Being an accessible platform, live shopping is the fastest way to build a market for your products and garner a brand identity. Being a star business idol is just a few steps away, and all of this has been possible thanks to the existence of live shopping. This platform is made for the next generation and the resultsā show no signs of slowing down. Launched in China by TaoBao, live shopping has become a global phenomenon in almost no time. Instagram, the shoot-n-post platform from Facebook (or should I say, Meta) is the latest and perhaps the biggest social media platform to offer the chance of equipping your own business with the fruits of live shopping.
Instagram offers users the following benefits when promoting their business through live shopping:
- Educating your target audience: By sharing reviews, showing product demonstrations and hosting question and answer sessions with viewers to build trust and confidence.
- Unveiling new products: Through live sessions, reels or videos in real-time, helping to generate a buzz and create a demand for your product.
- Collaborating with other creators and influencers: By teaming up and featuring them in your live sessions, or featuring yourself in their live sessions, helping to enlarge your audience and drive sales.
How To Boost Sales With Instagram Live Shopping:
Instagram, as a shopping platform, differs vastly from the conventional idea of online shopping that is seen in apps like Amazon. The whole idea of being able to present your product through a live broadcast, rather than simply listing it, is what makes the idea so exciting and hot-selling. Take advantage of this nature and help to boost your sales with the help of these tips.
Revealing a product after building up the hype:
When you can go live, why not announce the arrival of a new product during the session? You can drop hints as to what it might be, or what its specifications will be, without going too deep into the details. This will undoubtedly generate curiosity in the minds of your viewers, leading to an interactive questions and answers session. Instagram also allows users to set launch reminders for products or collections to help build the hype and help viewers tune in as soon as the launch event starts.
Tutorials and how-tos:
Product ideas are becoming so innovative that it is hard to imagine how they were conceptualized. Doing a live demo on Instagram’s live stream showcasing how to use the product and how to extract the maximum potential is something that will not only be educative, but also attract even more customers. Seeing the live demonstration is bound to convince unsure viewers to make the purchase since it will instil confidence as the live stream will act as an instruction manual. This also provides the channel and opportunity to gather feedback and make an even better product in the future. If you don’t know how to post on Instagram from PC or go live you can read Instagram how to tutorial at BeingOptimist.
Feature flagship or top-selling products:
Top-selling products constitute the image of your business. Promote them by featuring them often in your live streams. You can do feedback and comments stream, ask for suggestions, provide discounts on those products and involve your audience more.
Spontaneous live streams:
The propaganda for live streams should always be planned out and pre-scheduled. However, there should always be room for spontaneity. Spontaneous announcements, offers, interactive sessions and flash sales bring realism and relativity over the digital border which will help you to connect with your audience and keep them engaged.
Collaboration with influencers and other businesses:
Cross-promoting is a powerful tool when it comes to live streaming on Instagram. An influencer brings a lot of new followers and potential customers in touch with your brand and products, helping to boost sales. Two or more businesses are frequently seen hosting joint live streaming sessions, positively catering to a wider audience.
The platform of Instagram live shopping is a very useful tool. Unfortunately, it is limited to only western users for now. Moreover, it is not a dedicated live shopping platform. Orko’s Appointment, an indigenous virtual shopping mall, is a powerful place to have your business listed. Not only does it provide a dedicated solution for live shopping, but it also features a full-fledged virtual shopping marketplace, helping you to reach out to actual customers looking for things they need to buy.
