According to the evaluation of Vaimo, one of the movers and shakers of digital commerce, livestream shopping events are the future of online sales. In Asia it accounts for two thirds of virtual sales, while in the US revenues generated via this technique have skyrocketed in the past couple years. The sky’s the limit! Even more so, since sales via livestreaming is still a relatively new concept in the Western hemisphere. Therefore, there’s plenty of yet unexploited territories and room for gaining advantage.

Now’s the time to deploy those seemingly tiny but immensely significant practices that launch you in front of your competitors before livestream shopping events conquer more markets. Let’s not waste more time! Below we’ll fill you in on our tried and tested tricks that we highly recommend using to get ahead of the competition.

Useful tactics BEFORE livestream shopping events

1. Carve it into the calendar.
   Let your followers know in time that a session is coming up. Notify them via newsletter, blogpost or social media post. The aim is to reach as many people with the news as possible.
   
   
2. Analyse feedback.
   Gather as many questions and comments about your products and the service from previous streams as possible. If you haven’t answered them yet, chances are they’re about to pop up during your next live.
   
   
3. Rule out distractions.
   If you’re streaming from mobile, mute all notifications and calls that might derail your session. Same goes for desktop notifications accompanied by sound effects and pop-up windows. Also, it’s recommended to use a tripod or similar alternative for video stabilization.
   
   
4. Pay attention to your surroundings.
   Choose a bright spot and make sure you have a clean and organized background, preferably without focus-stealing elements.
   
   
5. Prepare a schedule.
   Determine the topics you want to cover during livestream shopping events and stick to a logical order to avoid jumping back and forth between products.
   
   
6. Use external assistance.
   It might be useful to have someone check technical accessibility during the stream along with reading questions and comments.

Tricks to use DURING livestream shopping events

7. Wait up for latecomers.
   Although you had notified your followers on the exact starting time of the stream, there’s always going to be people running late. So, it’s advised to set the session off with a few minutes of introduction, during which viewers can arrive and catch up.
   
   
8. Keep eye contact.
   We cannot stress the importance of this tactic enough. Stop staring down or at yourself. Instead, look directly in the lens during livestream shopping events. This way, visitors will feel like you’re talking to them, which also enhances active participation.
   
   
9. Personalize the experience.
   Greet your viewers, call them by name while answering questions, and welcome latecomers the same way. Moreover, encourage them to leave comments and share how much you appreciate their presence.
   
   
10. Dedicate time on comments.
    It’s crucial for followers to see that you devote time to responding to questions and reacting to comments. Naturally, you can turn this function off if you’re not a fan of bi-directional communication, but never neglect feedback.
    
    
11. Exploit the pros of multi-platform options.
    Kick off your live on your social media channels simultaneously to reach a greater audience. The more the merrier!
    
    
12. Keep to the schedule.
    People’s time and attention have become extremely valuable and difficult things to win. Thus, it’s essential that livestream shopping events don’t exceed the pre-set timeframe. Your stream should be easy to digest, efficient, informative and conversational. Furthermore, we recommend introducing your featured products in the beginning, until the headcount is at its peak.

Post-streaming top practices

13. Check the statistics.
    Exploit one of the greatest advantages of livestream shopping events, which is immediate conversion rate accessibility. Analyse sales and user engagement to discover what could use some improvement in the future.
    
    
14. Sustain communication.
    Reach out to your audience after the live, thank them for their participation and encourage them to join your next session too.
    
    
15. Log your experience.
    Jot down all your experiences during livestream shopping events to be able to benefit from them at your upcoming events.
    

There you go, we’ve equipped you with all the necessary know-how that will contribute to the success of your future streams. 

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