Style Code Live, a hybrid of QVC and HSN, was Amazon's first launched at live streaming shopping, which it debuted in March 2016.
I assume you are familiar with Style Code Live. What do you mean by "no," wait? Did you not watch the Amazon presenters pushing their line of fashion-related products? That could help to explain why, in May 2017, Amazon unexpectedly discontinued it.
This is Amazon's second try at live-streaming in a format similar to QVC: Amazon Live. You're the host, though, this time!
Assuming you are an Amazon seller, that is.
In this article you will learn:
- Amazon Live: What is it?
- Who is able to promote their products with Amazon Live?
- Where Can I Watch Live Streams on Amazon Live?
- The Amazon Live User Guide
- The Best Practices From Amazon For Your Livestream
- Conclusions
Amazon Live: What is it?
With Amazon Live, sellers may present their own livestreams for customers on the platform, thereby helping to "promote discovery" of their products.
You guessed it—a section named Amazon Live—is where you may find the videos on the main menu of Amazon.com.
Shoppers can watch live videos or recently live content after clicking Amazon Live.
They can purchase the goods seen in the video using either approach, but if they watch live, they can also interact with the hosts by chatting and asking questions.
Additionally, consumers can choose to "Follow," which allows them to "stay up to date with the influencers, brands, and interests they care about on Amazon," according to the official description from Amazon.
In addition to receiving updates about your brand's channel, shoppers who follow you may also get alerts when you livestream using the Amazon Live Creator app (more on the app in a moment).
Who is able to promote their products with Amazon Live?
Only Brand Registered merchants and vendors on the US marketplace are currently able to access Amazon Live. It is not available for purchase or streaming on other Amazon marketplaces.
Where Can I Watch Live Streams on Amazon Live?
According to Amazon:
"Livestreams are available in several places on Amazon.com and the Amazon.com app for customers to find. Livestreams can be seen on the product detail pages of the brand that is livestreaming as well as in other places where Amazon customers peruse content. It is also possible to set up the livestream to appear on your Amazon Store. You can find all of the livestreams on Amazon.com/Live as well as under "Amazon Live" on the Amazon mobile app."
The Amazon Live User Guide
You must download the Amazon Live Creator software in order to live stream your videos on Amazon.com (you can do that here). You will need to have an Apple device because the software is currently only accessible on iOS.
You'll be presented with options for logging in once you download and launch the app.
After that, Amazon will request your seller central account username and password in order to establish a connection with you and determine precisely which goods are linked to your business.
You will reach this location after that.
... and be set to upload your very first live video! Sort of. It goes without saying that you'll need to prepare beforehand, decide what to say, and—above all—determine how to keep your audience interested. Amazon provides a whole section on "best practices" for doing just that, which I'll get to in a moment.
When you're finally ready to "go live," just click the plus button (bottom, center) to bring up this screen, where you can choose the start time and title for your video.
You may also add things here that you want viewers to be able to purchase straight from your broadcast.
You will get a list of all the products linked to your brand to select from when you click the large yellow "Add products" button. To proceed, you must select at least one.
After selecting "Save," you'll return to this screen.
You'll see that you now have two additional choices: interact with viewers and enhance your livestream.
You can "extend the reach" of your livestream by paying with Boost your Livestream. Additionally, Engage with Viewers essentially provides you with a link that you can provide to your social media followers or email list so they can follow along from any location.
You just need to select "Preview" after determining whether or not to boost, and you'll be going live in a matter of seconds.
All that's needed is a click of the "Go Live" button to bring an unparalleled live event to the world of Amazon!
Readers with keen eyes who managed to avoid my insane sales pitch may have noticed a small “advice” within the advice: Avoid clicking through to Amazon.com.
Attempting to steal Uncle Jeff's clients is obviously a massive no-no—as with everything Amazon, even when live broadcasting.
With thousands of hours of footage being livestreamed every day, I'm not sure how precisely Amazon would police this, but I'm sure they have a method, so take this as warning.
The Best Practices From Amazon For Your Livestream
The highlights of Amazon's "best practices" for live streaming video through their creator app are provided here. The document can be read in its entirety here.
- Stream for at least half an hour at a time; the more time you spend streaming, the more viewers you'll get to see and interact with.
- Urge customers to engage with your channel by asking questions, clicking the reaction buttons, and subscribing to your brand to receive updates.
- Make use of calls to action and don't forget to sell and reiterate important messages. If you've added more products, list them in the carousel below and emphasize their salient features and advantages. Don't be scared to revisit your points and reiterate them because viewers will be joining and leaving during your livestream.
4. Interact and engage with your viewers as they ask questions and press response buttons by interacting with them in real time.
5. Demonstrate your items in as many creative ways as you can to show them off in action rather than merely telling about them.
6. Share your livestream with audiences outside of Amazon — Expand the audience for your livestream by sharing it with audiences outside of Amazon, such as your email list or social media followers, using the link within the app.
7. Think about using an encoder for your streaming - this gives you more control over the audio and video quality of your feed, enables you to use numerous cameras, graphics, and overlays. Here are some videos that cover everything.
8. Give your viewers an incentive to buy immediately by livestreaming when your products are on sale and offering a promotion. Nothing accomplishes this more effectively than a brief promotion or flash sale.
CONCLUSIONS
In China, livestreaming shopping is very popular on e-commerce sites like TaoBao, so there is clearly potential.
And with their dominance in e-commerce and massive prime membership, Amazon seems to be the best person to succeed in the United States.
It will take time to see if American viewers take to it as well, but because Amazon Live is still relatively new and free at the moment, it seems like a tool that any seller trying to establish a brand should give a try.
Additionally, brands can get creative in order to expand the reach of their livestreams if they don't already have an email list or an audience of their own on social media. Some ideas include paying an influencer to broadcast a livestream from your channel to their audience or even collaborating with a company that sells products that are related to yours and already has a following.
