The worst kind of live shopping is the kind that just never happens. But even though the interest and demand for live shopping have exploded, there are still organizations that won’t get down to action. Flowlife is a company that, after some discussions, dared to take the plunge and did it with great success. Their marketing manager, Alexander Hosby, talks about why they finally chose to work with live shopping and what insights they’ve gained.
Most companies that do live shopping do so for other reasons than increasing their sales. Instead, it’s the immediate connection to the customer that’s intriguing. Flowlife brings recovery and well-being into the spotlight by creating high-end massage guns and various accessories. Live shopping has now become a natural part of their marketing mix.
– We started discussing live shopping two years ago, but we weren’t ready to take the plunge. Now, it plays a prominent part in our customer journey, where we want to be top-of-mind from the idea phase to a potential purchase. We want to be a driving force that makes the live shopping experiences something more than it traditionally is, says Alexander Hosby.
Flowlife sees great potential in having live shopping complement the traditional customer support. It allows customers to ask their questions in real-time instead of calling in or sending an email. At the same time, the customers also learn more about Flowlife’s products.
– Our target group wants to see demonstrations of our products. Thanks to live shopping, we can show different areas of use and provide the same experience digitally as we would in the store. We want to create a shopping experience in your living room, office, or wherever you are, says Alexander Hosby.
There are two common misconceptions about organizing live shopping: First, it’s the fear of something going wrong. Second, the concern of it not benefitting the organization and its customers, therefore not paying off. These worries come from the fact that live shopping is a relatively new way of selling and marketing. But Flowlife believes that more companies should adopt a progressive mentality:
– You have to dare to think, “let’s try it and see how it works.” It’s the only way to evaluate whether it was a good investment. Companies that want to be relevant must dare to be agile and brave, implement new ways of thinking and find clever strategies for it, says Alexander Hosby.
During live broadcasts, anything can happen. Think about live TV shows and galas. Sure, they’re probably not always bang-on flawless broadcasts. But that’s also the charm of it! The same goes for live shopping because customers appreciate the immediacy.
It doesn’t have to be a polished live shopping event unless you want it to be. You shouldn’t be afraid of mishaps or misspeaking – that’s human. Modern customers demand proximity, lowered thresholds, and transparency, and for that, live shopping is a terrific tool, says Alexander Hosby.
Flowlife collaborated with the hockey platform HockeyTutto and the sport’s profile Patrick Ekwall in their first two broadcasts. Flowlife says that the initial nervousness about live broadcasts has now subsided, and looking forward, they’ll value keeping their calm.
– Our live shopping has gone very well, even though we’ve never worked with live broadcasts before. We look forward to seeing how it develops and how we’ll tackle any challenges in the future. We want to continue to offer a combination of collaborations with well-known sports profiles as well as sharing our knowledge and inspire our customers throughout their buyer’s journey, says Alexander Hosby.
In addition, Flowlife will continue to develop their preparations before the events. They will also market their broadcasts a little earlier than before to reach a bigger crowd and review how to make the most of the recorded broadcast. That way, the live shopping event can continue to provide value and conversions.
Hungry for more knowledge? Get the expert’s advice on how to improve your live shopping event!
As said before, live shopping is a great tool for improving long-term customer relationships. But if the goal is to reach a specific target group, a long-term strategy is required. Alexander Hosby encourages other businesses not to put all their efforts into a single event. Instead, dare to lower the bar a little and mix it up.
– We believe in getting a good mix of straightforward and lavish broadcasts. If you host a highly successful live shopping that you put a lot of effort into, you don’t always need to surpass it. Instead, you can do the opposite and take it down a notch in the next one. That way, you can peak again. That’s more sustainable. For us, it’s not about always hosting the flashiest live shopping. Instead, our goal is to educate about recovery as much as possible – whether the target groups are paddle players, elite athletes, or new parents with tired arms. To ace your mission, you have to adapt your live shopping accordingly.
