One of the leading e-commerce names in Southeast Asia today is Shopee (Shopee Pte Ltd). The company was founded in 2015 in Singapore primarily as a C2C (customer-to-customer) marketplace.
As it expanded its reach to other countries in Asia (Malaysia, Thailand, Taiwan, Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines), South America (Brazil, Mexico, Chile, and Colombia), and Europe (Poland and Spain), Shopee updated to a hybrid business model to include B2C (business-to-customer).
It now has seller centers in Mainland China, Hong Kong, Japan, and South Korea and is also expected to launch in India and Argentina.
Shopee boasts a “social-first, mobile-centric” platform where buyers can browse and shop for items, as well as communicate with sellers directly.
Livestreaming encompasses several activities broadcasted over the internet and can be private (for select watchers) or public (for everyone).
Between 2019 and 2020, livestreaming watch hours saw a 99% growth, from 1.9 billion to 3.4 billion hours. The biggest livestreaming platform, Twitch, has so far recorded 9.3 billion watch hours for live videos.
Businesses saw how livestreaming can help highlight, demo, and sell their products through the different platforms and social media sites that started offering the service.
In 2019, Shopee got into the live selling game with Shoppe Live. Initially offered in Singapore, the Shopee live selling feature is now available to sellers and customers in other Asian territories. It was introduced to cater to “the growing demand for video content” and bring brands and retailers closer to their consumers.
The company intends to “foster long-term engagement” with users, and Shopee Live is one way to do that. This initiative has resulted in users spending more time on the app, making their online shopping more interactive in the process.
Much like a regular livestream, users can directly ask and engage with sellers in real-time through live selling in Shopee and even complete their purchases without leaving the stream. Even if it’s only available for mobile for viewers, participating sellers have already seen an increase in sales up to 75% with it.
Shopee sellers that tried live selling saw an increase in sales up to 75%
It’s worth noting that the introduction of Shopee Live overlapped with the global pandemic that compelled people to stay at home. Sellers were able to capitalize on the consumers’ need to buy necessities and other items without going out.
If you’re a seller looking to start Shopee live selling, you can utilize the following functions:
In most countries, Shopee sellers with good standing and have at least one active listing on their shops already have access to Shopee Live. But if you’re one of those who do not, you can register for it. Once you’ve filled out and submitted the Shopee Live registration form, it may take five working days before the application can be approved.
Apart from eligibility, having these things beforehand will streamline your live selling on Shopee.
Choose the items you’re going to highlight and add them to the livestream feed. Outline their key features and other facts, such as prices and discounts if you are offering any, so you don’t forget to mention them. Of course, don’t forget to do inventory. Make sure there are enough stocks, so every customer gets what they purchase.
A general idea of how the program will go will keep the stream on track. The script should explain the products in detail while incorporating promos, discounts, and other offers. As per Shopee, the basic livestream flow is as follows:
The essential equipment needed for a livestream includes the following:
If you’re using a standalone camera connected to the internet, make sure to have a speaker along with the microphone.
Before going live, it’s only reasonable to test all equipment to know if they are working properly. Also, even if all the equipment is fully charged before going live, prepare extra batteries and chargers still.
Do a dry run to check if the audio and video are clear from the viewers’ perspective. If you’re using a mobile device’s front camera, note that the video capture will be mirrored. In addition, set notifications to “Do Not Disturb” to avoid disruptions during the stream.
It’s also worth checking your background. Even if you do not have the means to do a full production, ensure that your environment is appropriate and you have everything you need within reach.
Once you’ve passed the seller eligibility and prepared the necessary equipment for the livestream, you can follow these steps to begin your Shopee Live.
While a mobile device is a convenient way to access the Shopee app and start a livestream, sellers can also go live using their desktop or laptop. Here are the steps.
https://live.shopee.co.id/pc/login
https://live.shopee.com.my/pc/login
https://live.shopee.ph/pc/login
https://live.shopee.sg/pc/login
https://live.shopee.tw/pc/login
https://live.shopee.co.th/pc/login
https://live.shopee.vn/pc/login
Here are other things sellers can do while livestreaming via desktop.
You need to interact with your audience during the livestream as it is the fastest way to convince them to buy from you. Here are the guidelines to do just that, as well as some tips:
While streaming is indeed an excellent way to connect with an audience, merchants would like to close sales through it at the end of the day. Here are some ways Shopee Live allows conversions and sales.
Focus on one main topic or category of products during the stream. Ensure that your items are within Shopee guidelines (this could vary from country to country); it would also help to know if there are specific products that are not allowed to be sold in your country.
Introduce the items one at a time, and give viewers enough information to learn more about them. As much as possible, interact with it so that people will know how to use it.
Make sure that the products are in the Shopping Bag so that viewers can purchase without leaving the stream. Add more if you see a demand for a particular item or some viewers not part of your planned target audience are present.
Keep in mind that the sequence of products cannot be edited once you’re live. The last ones added will appear at the bottom of the list.
Increase buyer conversions by offering livestream-exclusive prices. You can add Livestream Sale items in the Shopping Bag, and they will appear at the top of the list. The sale ends once your reserved stock, or the stock allocated for the stream, runs out or when you terminate the stream.
If you’re offering permanent voucher codes, make sure that they are displayed throughout the stream. Add them in the Shopping Bag before going live.
Other vouchers you can offer are the 30-second Giveaway and Follower Prize. The former will be displayed for 30 seconds during Live and disappear once fully claimed or if closed manually. The latter is a promotion for eligible shoppers that will pop up for 10 seconds after they join the stream.
Remember that 30-second Giveaway vouchers cannot be used for the permanent display and vice versa.
In an auction, you pick either a random watcher or the one with the fastest finger to win livestream-exclusive deals. Once you start an auction, an In Progress card will be displayed. It will change to End Round once the set time expires.
Here are more tips on how you can attract viewers and make them participate in your auction:
You cannot make any changes to the rules once the auction is ongoing. You can cancel it by clicking X on the top right of the auction card.
There are two general reasons why your Shopee Live may abruptly end.
Poor internet connection will make the stream laggy or lead to bad quality. Other problems you may encounter include unclear or no sounds, a black screen with no sounds, or a black screen with sounds.
The host may either try to reconnect to the current livestream or end it and set up a new one.
Shopee live selling rules imply that offensive activities or languages such as the following merit dismissal of the stream, warnings, penalties, or even a ban:
Upon discovery of the violation, the Shopee admin may immediately terminate the live stream without warning. The audience will only see that the livestream has ended.
If the Shopee admin chooses to issue a warning, it will pop up on the seller to warn that their content is violating Shopee Live policies. If the host does not heed it, the admin will terminate the livestream. The pop-up will dismiss automatically if the issue is addressed.
Through Shopee Live, sellers increase awareness of their shop and products, gain new followers or customers and directly communicate with them, and boost sales through a streamlined way to shop.
The obvious downside is you need a Shopee seller account to utilize the service—the same goes for viewers who need to download the app.
Even then, merchants don’t own and have no control over the data they collect and, therefore, have no other way of reaching out to customers; they are even discouraged from doing so outside the platform as per Shopee live selling rules.
For brands that want to scale, it’s not ideal to be confined to just one app or be limited in promoting the business and products. A live stream shopping app like Flux Panda will allow sellers to go live in more than one streaming or social media platform, and consumers don’t even need to download any more apps to watch them.
Flux Panda offers multiple features to help manage not only your store but also your viewers’ information to help with promotions and in capturing leads. You’ll regularly receive automated, clearly written reports about your channel’s performance so you can make the right decisions and scale easier.
Want to learn more? Contact us at sales@fluxpanda.com