HOW SHOPPABLE VIDEO SOFTWARE HAS GROWN IN 2021

Today, it can be hard to keep up with technological advancements, but it has been hard to mistake the rise in shoppable formats within video content marketing this year alone.

At the start of the year, most of the world was still under some sort of restriction as a result of the global pandemic. Shops were shut, bars and clubs closed and international travel was prevented across many countries. As a result, brands and businesses have been forced to adapt to new ways of communication and online selling in order to make any sort of profit.

One of the newest trends to emerge has been live stream shopping and shoppable video. This social commerce style of shopping creates a more engaging, personable and friendly experience.

Shoppable video has provided a welcome break for shoppers who are bored of the endless stream of un-interactive marketing material online. More and more brands are seeing the benefits of being able to provide direct links to buy within their social content and e-commerce pages. Video interactivity has been proven to draw in a viewer and reduce user drop off to convince a sale and drive informed traffic.

Just check out JD Sport's star studded campaign, just in time for holiday shopping:

With live shopping, hosts appear on social media and e-commerce sites to discuss their favourite products with a large online audience. The beauty of live stream shopping is the rawness and authenticity of the content. There is nothing more honest than appearing in-real-time to viewers to display unfiltered products. The honesty of live streaming allows the customer to feel confident and reassured to buy and by incorporating influencer hosts, brands can drive even stronger revenue.

Live stream shopping has supported many brands this year, with global tech giant, Samsung, delivering a series of exclusive, discount events:

Interactive video platforms like Smartzer have been a key driving force to the rise in shoppable video popularity.

The solution provides a seamless and simplistic way for brands to add up to date product information to dynamic marketing video content and create live stream events that draw huge audiences and leave viewers amazed. This cross platform solution allows brands to monitor video and event analytics across social media and e-commerce. Businesses can see everything from click through rate, engagement rate and right down to individual product popularity. This provides a strong ROI and allows for easy measuring of KPI's.

Now, as the year draws to a close, huge social media corporations are following suit with their own in-house formats.

Twitter has announced the launch of their live stream shopping feature, set to debut at the end of November 2021 with Walmart as their first streamer.

While watching a Live Shopping stream on Twitter, people can take several actions that make the shopping experience on Twitter seamless, such as:

• Check out the Shoppable Banner and Shop Tab on the Live event’s page.

• Toggle back and forth between the Latest Tab and the Shop Tab throughout the live stream, allowing them to be a part of the conversation as they check out products.

• Continue to watch the live stream on the merchant’s website within an in-app browser, so they don’t miss a thing while making a purchase.

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Pinterest launched their live stream shopping feature in November 2021 with Pinterest TV.

The live stream features a sequence of 30 minute shoppable programs hosted by creators on Pinterest. Recordings of these shows can be accessed after the airdate to give viewers a second chance to learn and buy.

Pinterest live streams will cover a variety of subjects including fashion, food, beauty and home. Viewers can learn key information about products including price, composition, discounts and sizing all while asking the host questions. Not only this, but hosts of streams were able to boost their following on Pinterest following these shows.