Live Commerce’ becomes a trend in Brazil

In the fashion world, “live commerce”, selling products in which people can ask questions and make the purchase online on the spot, is nothing new. But with the covid-19 pandemic, this sort of “reality show” of the shopping world has spread its tentacles to related markets and also to some very different ones. Today, live commerce is already successful in cosmetics, decoration, and even automobiles.

The model was imported from China, the birthplace of live commerce, where it handled about $200 billion in 2020. Research and Markets estimates that the global “social e-commerce” industry will make $600 billion by 2027.

The Mimo platform emerged in the midst of social isolation. The idea, according to president Monique Lima, matured when she realized the challenges of her sister, who owns a shoe store. “Without doing any media we had 300 people in the first live and 600 in the second, with great engagement,” says the former advertising executive who founded the company with Etienne Du Jardin. With friends, they got an investment round. Among the supporters is also advertising executive Nizan Guanaes.

Within a few months the platform attracted brands such as Ri Happy and Dolce & Gabbana. We understand that it is possible to sell everything by live,” says Monique. According to her, the consumer now values the delivery of the product at home. At the same time, you want the personal relationship, and live equates that account.

The French brand Givenchy is another one that has surrendered to “shopstreaming” in Brazil. The first digital sales venture was at the beginning of the year, when it took advantage of a launch and made a reality show with a makeup artist to demonstrate the products.

The idea, according to the director of Givenchy in Brazil, Marjorie Pilli, was to bring skin care and makeup products, something more visible to be accompanied by the video, but the live ended with the exhibition of the brand’s flagship perfume. “It was the way we found to delight the consumer.” The initiative, made alongside the e-commerce Época Cosméticos, from Magazine Luiza, led the brand to think about having an e-commerce in the country.

Dermage, of dermocosmetics, made the pre-sale of one of its live launches in May and granted benefits to customers, such as free shipping. The company has enlisted skincare experts and an influencer – in one hour it had 3,000 hits. Online sales, according to marketing coordinator Jéssica Lopes, doubled that day. “We see this as an opportunity for launches and for important sales dates.”

Fashion designer Martha Medeiros says she felt “inside the client’s house, interacting with her.” According to Martha, the return has been better than expected, especially with the sale of household items such as glasses and American sets. The next step will be to conduct a live directly with the lace-makers – thus taking out the middleman, in a joint action with communities and associations.

The founder of the consultancy Varese Retail, Alberto Serrentino, says that around the world the phenomenon has exploded into pandemic, with the new way of shopping created by the giant Alibaba. “They’re the ones who developed this way of integrating content, media, entertainment and buying.” He explains that the difference with home shopping channels, such as Shoptime, “is the interactivity and the way in which the dynamics of the event are interfered with by the consumer.

Grupo Soma, owner of brands such as Animale and Farm, launched its live commerce a year ago, when its stores were closed. Since then he has made about 50 lives. The group managed to leave aside the QR-Code, traditional in this type of sale, so that the customer can drag the products seen in the live to the cart and complete the purchase.

Soma’s technology director, Alisson Calgaroto, says that the modality brings together a series of complexities that must be equalized for the product to be satisfactory. It also allies areas outside of e-commerce itself, such as communication and marketing: after all, spending hours live requires good scripting to prevent the customer from getting bored and giving up watching and buying.

“Every e-ecommerce should have this strategy on the radar”

Many performance marketing agencies are specializing in the strategy to apply to their clients. AGX introduced the novelty to its customers and the adhesion is good, although it takes a long time from planning, to production, to the actual execution.

One of the ecommerces served by the agency, Tess Concept, has already started planning to implement the strategy. Roberto Neves, founder of the brand that has been in the market for 30 years, has good expectations. He bets that this will be the best way to be close to the customer, even virtually. This feeling he had pre-pandemic when he could see a very strong engagement of his customers with his brand.