TikTok Shop may not be upon us as imminent as reports suggest, however that doesn’t mean live stream shopping hasn’t already hit the Australian ecommerce ecosystem.
“Live Stream is emerging. It’s only going to go faster as TikTok shop gets here, get on board now,” said Dan Ferguson former CMO of Adore Beauty, at the online Retailer Conference last week
Live stream shopping is exactly as the name suggests, marketing products via a live stream. Since covid this avenue of advertising has proved to be extremely successful for some brands.
A company that has reaped the benefits from live streaming is Motto Fashions, who streams to upwards of 500 live viewers a day. But it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows for co-owners, mother-daughter duo, Faye Browne and Lauren French.
The duo tried anything to save their company after Motto Fashion’s doors were forced shut overnight during the pandemic. With their backs against the wall Lauren decided to give live streaming a go. From that moment Motto Fashions has been live-streaming fashion shows, every day at 4pm, showing off new ranges and the best way to style them. Perfect for people looking for fashion advice and just wanting to know how a certain piece of clothing looks on the human body.
The duo have now built a rock solid community of 77.3k people that absolutely love the brand.
Other businesses who are harnessing the advertising potential of live streaming include:
- The Marshallow Co. – A Wyong-based confectionery company that handcrafts marshmallows on TikTok LIVE before shipping orders from Sydney’s Central Coast to around the world.
@themarshmallowco How we make Choc Strawberry Marshmallows 🍫🍓 #marshmallows #chocstrawberry #handmade #candymaking #squishy #visualasmr ♬ Happy Whistle – Sound Gallery by Dmitry Taras
- Seb Gower – A New Zealand based artist who paints, and sells, artworks via TikTok LIVE
@sebgowerart That’s our three primes, red | yellow | blue. Now we go wild with highlights. #painting ♬ Anti-Hero – Taylor Swift
- RAD Rolled Ice Cream – An ice cream company in Hervey Bay QLD who utilises live streams to show off and sell its satisfying rolled ice cream.
@radrolledicecream The Ferrero Frenzy (Ferrero Rocher) is always a popular choice at RAD Rolled Ice Cream! Let’s Roll!🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟#radrolledicecream #radrolled #ferrerorocher ♬ pdubcookin shake it to the max flip – Pdubcookin
TikTok Shop
TikTok in June rolled out TikTok Shop in Japan, adding shopping features directly into its short video app. The new TikTok Shop allows users to buy products showcased in videos and livestreams without leaving the app, covering items from cosmetics and apparel to home electronics.
The platform plans to introduce a dedicated shop tab in coming months, letting users browse products and shop directly from brand pages. It follows launches in Indonesia, the UK and elsewhere.
However, there are no imminent dates of TikTok Shop being rolled out in Australia.
But that doesn’t mean advertisers can’t prepare for it, or even utilise the live streaming features that are already out there.
Ferguson explained his best tips for live streaming and being prepared for the imminent future.
“Find the knowledge and passion in your business that could fuel its own channel,” he said.
“What do people passionately argue about with good humour in your business? Who is the expert on an obscure subject and likes to talk about it a lot in your business? Who is just really charismatic and engages people and would be great in an online channel? And start experimenting!”
