Livestream shopping (also known as live video shopping) is used by brands to promote and sell products through

livestreams Livestreaming is streaming media simultaneously recorded and broadcast in real-time over the internet. It is often referred to simply as streaming. Non-live media such as video-on-demand, vlogs, and YouTube videos are technically streamed, but ...

on digital platforms, often in collaboration with

influencers An Internet celebrity (also known as a social media influencer, social media personality, internet personality, or simply influencer) is a celebrity who has acquired or developed their fame and notability through the Internet. The rise of social m ...

. The aim is to provide

consumer A consumer is a person or a group who intends to order, or uses purchased goods, products, or services primarily for personal, social, family, household and similar needs, who is not directly related to entrepreneurial or business activities. T ...

s with an immersive and interactive experience, allowing them to ask questions and buy products during the livestream. It started in Asia in 2017 and then expanded to the rest of the world over the following years.

Terminology & phenomenon

Live streaming is a type of streaming that allows, through the

Internet The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...

, to transmit or receive a particular content while the event is taking place: in this case the event is a live presentation of a product followed by consumers from different locations. Livestream shopping consists, indeed, in livestreams on digital platforms (

e-commerce E-commerce (electronic commerce) is the activity of electronically buying or selling of products on online services or over the Internet. E-commerce draws on technologies such as mobile commerce, electronic funds transfer, supply chain manageme ...

) or

social media Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social medi ...

(

Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...

Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...

etc. ) in which an influencer promotes a product or a brand. While the influencer promotes, people can watch these livestreams and they can ask questions live, they can chat or buy products from the shop. In this way, the activity of

shopping Shopping is an activity in which a customer browses the available goods or services presented by one or more retailers with the potential intent to purchase a suitable selection of them. A typology of shopper types has been developed by scho ...

is translated from offline into the digital world. The aim is to make sure that consumers get completely involved in the live sale that may take place on the other side of the world, without the necessity of being there physically. Other terminology for the same phenomenon: * shopstream; * livestream e-commerce

Shopping in contemporary society

Influencers and their contemporary role

The Internet has had a considerable impact in many spheres, including communication and

consumerism Consumerism is a social and economic order that encourages the acquisition of goods and services in ever-increasing amounts. With the Industrial Revolution, but particularly in the 20th century, mass production led to overproduction—the supp ...

and it is considered to be one of the most influential media and a key element in

globalisation Globalization, or globalisation (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), is the process of interaction and integration among people, companies, and governments worldwide. The term ''globalization'' first appeared in the early 20t ...

.Bognar, Z. B., Puljic, N. P., & Kadezabek, D. (2019, June 13). IMPACT OF INFLUENCER MARKETING ON CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR. 42nd International Scientific Conference on Economic and Social Development, 308 The arrival of

social networks A social network is a social structure made up of a set of social actors (such as individuals or organizations), sets of dyadic ties, and other social interactions between actors. The social network perspective provides a set of methods for a ...

has changed the behaviour of consumers, connecting users and making them participate and active,

prosumer A prosumer is an individual who both consumes and produces. The term is a portmanteau of the words '' producer'' and ''consumer''. Research has identified six types of prosumers: DIY prosumers, self-service prosumers, customizing prosumers, coll ...

s, both consumers and content producers. In this context the concept of e-marketing, or

digital marketing Digital marketing is the component of marketing that uses the Internet and online based digital technologies such as desktop computers, mobile phones and other digital media and platforms to promote products and services. Its development duri ...

, has made its way, that is applying the concepts of marketing through the internet technology. Kotler states that the electronic marketing is "''the effort of the company to inform, advertise and sell products and services via the Internet''". This new type of

marketing Marketing is the process of exploring, creating, and delivering value to meet the needs of a target market in terms of goods and services; potentially including selection of a target audience; selection of certain attributes or themes to emph ...

allows to identify a more precise target, customizing the experience of each user making it more dynamic. Segmentation is a very useful tool for directly targeting consumers who, thanks to the Internet, are increasingly informed and therefore it becomes more difficult to attract them through traditional media. Social media has transformed communication, allowing interaction and engagement between members of a community through messages, sharing photos and videos in real time and globally. This environment allows the consumer to create and share creative, informative and fun contents. The media therefore offers an opportunity for companies to reach new markets and new broad customer targets. The concept of digital marketing gives rise to several subcategories, including

influencer marketing Influencer marketing (also known as influence marketing) is a form of social media marketing involving endorsements and product placement from influencers, people and organizations who have a purported expert level of knowledge or social infl ...

Celebrities Celebrity is a condition of fame and broad public recognition of a person or group as a result of the attention given to them by mass media. An individual may attain a celebrity status from having great wealth, their participation in sports ...

have always been used to promote contents, increase brand awareness or brand perception. In influencer marketing, however, celebrities are chosen from the world of social media, which, thanks to their knowledge, skills or personality, can become online opinion leaders and thus influence directly or indirectly the decisions of consumers. ''"Influencer marketing is the virtue and the science of engaging people who have influence on the Internet to spread the message of a specific trend and its targeted audience in the form of sponsored content"''. Therefore, influencers can help to attract new potential consumers, create brand awareness and improve the

brand image A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create an ...

. Choosing influencers with the right persona and matching picture style is crucial. Whether the influencer can influence users, i.e., whether they have private domain traffic, they must have loyal fans. The anchor, the user, and the goods are based on the interaction of the scene and need to form a "field" following the established script-controlled plot, leading to many transactions. Consumers tend to perceive the messages advertised by influencers as more reliable and convincing than conventional

advertising Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a product or service. Advertising aims to put a product or service in the spotlight in hopes of drawing it attention from consumers. It is typically used to promote a ...

, thus ensuring a higher economic return ( ROI) for companies. In fact, influencer marketing is based on the confidence and trust of consumers acquired by the opinion leaders over time.

Pandemic boost

The

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

and the consequent lockdowns had a significant impact on the use of social networks and consumption. The ephemeral content in particular was consumed more during the pandemic. This fact has been exploited by marketers to reach and connect to consumers, being the only way to communicate with them. Brands have therefore tried and are trying to adapt to this decisive change. In China, since live commerce had a significant boost during the pandemic, consumers have found livestream shopping as an important interactive experience.

Value and volume

According to Alibaba, the largest online retailer in China, the sale worth from its live-streaming commerce business during the Single’s Day Shopping Festival hit ca.20-billion-yuan (ca. $3 million) in November 2019. In 2020 the number of live streaming consumers in China reached 526 million. Moreover, the rivalry was not only among livestreaming ecommerces but also among influencers on social media (like TikTok). Livestream shopping represents a bridge between entertainment and online shopping, that's why this phenomenon has the huge potential to become the new norm for e-commerce in China.

References