Selling clothes online used to be a much more passive process. You set up an online shop, have listings for various items, and people would come, make a purchase, and that was it. Today, live selling has turned the process into a dynamic, engaging process that can really reap huge dividends if done correctly. Facebook live sales are a particularly strong platform for this new brand of marketing, thanks to Facebook’s wide reach.
Why you should start selling clothes live
This is the first big benefit in selling live: you can take advantage of a platform with a huge audience. Facebook’s live video is an excellent choice due to its wide reach. The built-in support for payments makes it even more convenient for both you and your customers.
Live video sales are very popular because when it comes to social media content, instant streaming video is king. A study from Livestream shows that 81% of internet users watched live streaming content more than any other kind of content in 2016. Live shopping, in particular, is very popular because of the benefits it offers both the sellers and the customers.
For the seller, live video sales are great because they let you offer video content and connect to users in ways that normal online shops don’t.
It’s a cost-effective video strategy – video is one of the most popular forms of content online today. Producing video can be an expensive and time-consuming task, but live sales streaming is a very cost-effective strategy that’s easy to do on a budget, and still provide engaging content. The expectations for Facebook Live videos are different from YouTube videos, and don’t require fancy cameras, editing or much set design. It’s more about how you connect with the audience, interact with them during the live, and offer good products that give value to your followers.
It creates hype and excitement around selling – the live video format means that you are offering a limited-opportunity window for customers to interact and purchase a product. There is a strong psychological marketing ploy in play here. Limited time windows encourage customers to purchase during the live. The very format of the live sale acts on the human impulse to avail of something before it’s over.
It keeps you in the minds of shoppers – video content is proven to be more appealing and easier for people to take in. Moreover, viewers remember content from video better than any other medium. Facebook Live videos are watched three times longer than regular videos, up to 75% of the video.
On the customer end, shopping live has the following benefits.
It brings customer service back into online shopping – when shopping online, customers traditionally just use the website and put the purchase. There is an appeal in the simplicity of this process, but at the same time, they lose the ability to interact with the seller. In brick and mortar shops having a salesperson changes the experience in a huge way for the shopper, allowing them for assistance in finding the right size, getting a shoe in a different color, and the like. Online shopping loses this customer service aspect, but live sales bring that back into the equation. In many ways, live sales are like marketing and customer service rolled into one: easy, convenient event.
It lets customers get live assistance quickly – a study from Roosit shows that 57% of customers will abandon an online purchase if they can’t find a quick answer to their questions about a product. 44% prefer to have the questions answered by a live person.
Where do I set up shop?
Currently, the most popular platform for live sales is Facebook. Most sellers are making use of Facebook Groups to create communities and amass followers for their brand. They then hold regular live sales events on these groups. It’s a very effective technique and can easy to get started with.
Create a public group on Facebook with your branding and invite people to join. As you host more events word of mouth will spread and you’ll get more followers looking to participate in your live sales. You can also join other Buy and Sell groups that allow sellers to go live.
Here are some examples of sellers doing lives selling clothing and apparel. These should give you a good idea of how to do a live sales event, and the techniques sellers use to engage customers.
Here’s a good example of live selling using BeLive. You can use the live shopping list to showcase products. Plus, you can add your logo, frames, and brand colors.
What should I be selling?
Before doing your live sale, you should prepare the products you will be selling. You must have the actual product or samples on hand; you can’t rely on mockups. Clothing and apparel are very popular for live sales, and you can get started once you have them ready.
Assign numbers to the products. This helps you keep track of the order of the items as you go through during the live. It also makes it easier for customers to buy. It’s similar to how auction houses prepare lots for the customers. You can prepare notes and an outline as well so you don’t get lost during the live.
Most clothing products are good for Facebook live sales, but there are a few things to take note of. In general, you should be honest in the presentation of the products. The presentation should not be overly sexualized, especially for items like lingerie and underwear.
For a more comprehensive discussion on what you can sell and how you should do it, please refer to our previous article on Facebook Live Sales.
In the end, selling clothes live is the perfect way to recreate the department store and boutique experience online. Unlike static online shops where you find pictures of the clothes at best, a live sale lets customers see the clothes in real time.
Want to learn more about selling items live on Facebook? Join our Facebook Group that will help you with your live video sales strategies and connect with other sellers.
Be.Live lets you create a professional and engaging live show in minutes. Learn more on how you can turn engagements into actions that can help grow your business.
