Forced digital advancements have allowed the events industry to reach audiences amid the global pandemic. Now, "hybrid" events combine the best of in-person and virtual formats: They offer engaging face-to-face connections and immersive online experiences that can compel previously inaccessible audiences.
New research from LinkedIn, based on interviews with more than 1,800 marketers across 13 countries, shows how rapidly things have changed. Of these, 85% had held a virtual event in the last year and 28% said that between 91-100% of their events are now virtual.
Although 75% of the marketers surveyed want to continue to host virtual events over a year from now, 78% said they wanted in-person events to return once it’s safe to do so. Despite this, the move towards completely in person events is tentative. Event marketers are anticipating that in the near future events will be 40% virtual, 36% in-person and 24% hybrid events that combine the best of both worlds.
As opposed to a one-time, face-to-face interaction, a digital live stream event environment delivers content to both live and on-demand audiences. This allows organisers to deliver the concept of the "continuous event" to generate ongoing engagement with a core audience even after the live event ends.
Several key events will be exploring this innovative new hybrid approach including London Fashion Week, London Wine Fair and Watches and Wonders in Geneva. Vital advancements in interactive video technology could see brands harness live stream shopping to connect businesses and consumers throughout their 2022 events and beyond.
London Fashion Week 2022
Running from Friday 18 to Tuesday 22, February, the event will be a physical-digital hybrid, with catwalk shows, presentations, appointments and events from over 131 designers.
This is not LFW's first hybrid event and certainly won't be the last. Advancements in live stream technology mean that viewers are given a front row seat to the shows from home. Events can be accessed via the website as this new, accessible and inclusive format has given emerging creatives a crucial platform to reach new audiences. As a result, hybridisation has made fashion week even easier to explore.
Last year, LFW explored interactive and shoppable video options with the luxury accessory brand, SEVDA LONDON. Presented by the British Fashion Council, the form of streaming commerce features women modelling the brands latest handbag release. The viewer can click on the products to find out more and the option to "SHOP" with the call-to-action. Consumers can also click to reveal the side bar that shows the whole collection to shop the video.
2022 could see LFW explore more immersive digital formats. Live stream shopping has been a highly talked about subject throughout 2021 and into 2022 with viewers tuning into their favourite designers in real-time to shop the hottest collections from streams. This conversational, entertaining channel not only connects designer brands with customers but creates a community for fashion enthusiasts to discuss, learn and engage.
Watches and Wonders Geneva 2022
From March 30th to April 5th 2022, the city will be the epicentre of the watchmaking world for the first physical edition of Watches and Wonders Geneva.
The event has been maintained digitally over the last two years and has confirmed how important gathering watch industry experts at the event can be in generating business and dialogue.
This year, W&W Geneva 2022 will have a hybrid format, with both a physical event, for those attending in Geneva, and a digital version, via the watchesandwonders.com platform. New product presentations, new launches, keynotes, panel discussions and talks can therefore be followed on-site, but also remotely, via the online platform, either live or in replay.
Almost 40 watch and jewellery Maisons representing the main industry players will be present. Alongside the prestigious brands and leading Maisons, the Carré des Horlogers will play host to 15 independent artisan-creators. Guests will have an opportunity to discover or rediscover each brand, by literally touching the exceptional pieces on show for the very first time.
The event poses a key opportunity for brands to utilise live stream shopping technologies. As a hybridised event, customers could shop in person and online with streaming commerce giving at home viewers a fantastic window to connect with the event and purchase exclusive pieces in real-time.
London Wine Fair 2022
The organisers of the London Wine Fair have revealed that 2022’s spectacle will take place as a hybrid event for the first time, with a combination of live and digital elements in May.
Retailers and brands will be able to buy, sell and discover wine, browse virtual stands by producer, importer, grape type, region and wine name and order samples to their door.
There will also be unmissable tastings and masterclasses. Plus, the intelligent AI-powered matchmaking platform ensures brands and consumers can make meaningful connections.
"We are now looking forward to this year being a real milestone both for The Fair, celebrating its 40th live event, but also in terms of how physical and virtual elements can dovetail to make a really ground-breaking event. From speaking with our exhibitors, we know there is a huge appetite for getting back to Olympia and back to normal trading and we look forward to delivering a really special 40th London Wine Fair in 2022.” Said Hannah Tovey, event director of London Wine Fair.
Live stream shopping experiences have the ability to transport consumers virtually to events. Brands can learn more about Winemakers and find their perfect product thus replicating the benefits of in person events, online with streaming commerce.
The latest shoppable video in our collaboration with Swarovski celebrates all things love; and what better way to celebrate Valentine's Day than with a new piece of jewellery? Check out the video here.
We are very proud to share Swarovski's latest shoppable video! The brands has taken a digital-first approach to its ecommerce site by integrating Smartzer's shoppable & interactive technology, bringing their content to life and connecting it with their commerce. This progressive approach is something that many brands from a plethora of different industries are taking, from implementing interactive videos, to hosting live shopping events on their site. There has been a shift away from social media that pulls the focus back onto brands' websites as a core destination for selling, whilst Instagram, Facebook etc serve their purpose when it comes to awareness & discovery.
Execution:
Swarovski used our cutting edge interactive video technology to create an entirely clickable campaign. Viewers could click to explore the models looks, and were able to add the featured products directly to their cart in a specific size and/or colour. The fun & colourful Valentine's video content became even more immersive through video interactivity as viewers could browse all the featured products via a scrollable side carousel where they could 'shop the look'. They were also given a second chance to shop via the replay screen with a product summary carousel.
Results:
Smartzer's interactive video platform enabled Swarovski to create a video with the following features:
Clickable overlay with product hotspots
Product popups with look information and buy now CTA to directly Add To Cart
Single & multiple product popups with name, size/colour choices and pricing information
Seamless Ecommerce integration (SFCC)
Valentine's Day campaign delivery
API integration with up to date product information
Recap shoppable product carousel at the end of the video
Conclusion:
Video content marketing is evolving, and brands need to keep up with the ever changing digital demands of the modern day consumer. Customers not only enjoy shoppable formats, but they now expect them, plain video just isn't cutting it anymore, they want the best experience possible! As a result, many big brands like Swarovski, Ralph Lauren and Bloomingdale's are jumping on the interactive video trend to direct customers to their favourite products to buy. Using interactive video platforms for the key moments such as Valentine's Day (or new collection launches, stylist sessions, make up tutorials, ad campaigns, repurposed social media content etc) can turn shopping into an immersive and super engaging experience!
To learn more about Smartzer's offering, click here!
- Jan 28, 2022
STREAMING COMMERCE COMBINES TWO OF OUR FAVOURITE THINGS: ENTERTAINMENT AND SHOPPING
The live shopping industry is booming in China, set to rake in a colossal $480 billion in China this year. Although the US has a lot of catching up to do, the industry is set to generate $11 billion in comparison.
There is plenty of scope for this to change, however; platform giants, Facebook, TikTok, Amazon, Twitter and even Pinterest are pushing streaming commerce solutions hard!
But what is the appeal of live stream shopping?
Social media platforms have become an entertainment hub with the average user spending 2 hours and 27 minutes a day or more on platforms alone. This figure is still set to increase with game changing new eComm advancements such as metaverse malls and NFT social platforms like Discord. Realistically, people are bored and spend a considerable amount of time online looking for mental stimulation of socials both at home and at work. So unsurprisingly, the daily scroll has become a key part of human routine.
A customer could be scrolling through Instagram and see a notification from one of their favourite brands telling them to head to their eComm ASAP to shop a latest drop. This time sensitive call to action drives the intrigued customer to the site to shop the hottest products within a limited time frame. The thrill of the exclusive, real time live shopping experience pushes the consumer to make an impulse purchase.
You can imagine that fashion and beauty products are popular across these live shopping channels, but fitness, homeware, tech and even DIY have proved to be hot commodities for streaming commerce consumers.
What makes these shows popular isn't just shopping alone. Rather, it’s the entertainment, the fun, the interest, and the engagement that an interesting and passionate influencer brings to a space. The instinct to buy is secondary to the content. If the content is attractive to the viewer, then they could be compelled to purchase.
Just three years ago streaming commerce was almost nonexistent in the west, and was a small corner of commerce, just 3.5% of all retail e-commerce, in China.
In 2021 it was a $300 billion segment in China at just under 12% of retail sales. In 2023, eMarketer estimates it will be 19.4% and worth over $600 billion. And if we look towards the U.S, the live shopping industry will grow to reach to $25 billion by 2023. It is safe to say that live shoppable video technology will become more familiar to a range of audiences in the West with the capacity to become the new norm.
Live Shopping: Micro Trend or Timeless Classic?
For those worried about live streams ability to stick around, they only need to look to multi-national companies like Google (YouTube), Amazon Live, Meta (Facebook and Instagram) and TikTok to see confident and heavy investment in shoppable video technology.
These solutions are modernising what we have seen previously with QVC. The goal is no longer just to sell, but to achieve a social connection and sense of community with viewers. This personable approach has redefined the "customer" from a sales target to a human being.
But it is not just about gigantic corporations as impressive, competitive tech start-ups are emerging from the wood work. Interactive video platforms like Smartzer and NETWRK are transforming brands ability to sell online with shoppable video technology. Huge house-hold name brands like Chanel, Levi's, Samsung and more are entering the space to reach even more qualified audiences.
Elma Beganovich says that with streaming commerce:
“You’ve now basically opened yourself up to a whole lot of consumers that otherwise wouldn’t have considered you or given you more than two seconds of their time,” she says “The type of customers ... that are driven to these live streams ... they’re ready to ... give you a chunk of their time.”
With the digital world growing at an excitingly fast rate, it takes some imagination to envision how shoppable video technologies will look in ten years. However, right now, the future looks bright for live shopping and could become as normal to us as scrolling on social media.