Live Shopping/Shoppable Videos on own Website vs TikTok6 min read

Live Shopping and Shoppable Videos are fast becoming a favored online selling method, showcasing significant benefits for online retailers. Deciding between hosting Live Shopping & Shoppable Videos on your own Ecommerce Website versus TikTok involves critical considerations.

In this article, we’ll explore why you should opt for a dedicated Video Commerce Platform to activate Live Shopping and Shoppable Videos within your own Website and Apps, rather than limiting yourself to TikTok. This choice is pivotal in maximizing direct Buyer Engagement and leveraging full control over your Sales. Lets Compare Live Shopping/Shoppable Videos on your own Website vs TikTok.

Easy Adoption

Website/ Apps: Using a user-friendly Platform to create and manage shopping shows and shoppable videos makes it easy for anyone to get started in no time. With intuitive tools and a streamlined interface, you can effortlessly set up and launch engaging live shopping events and shoppable videos that captivate your audience and drive sales.

Try out Channelize.io Video Commerce Platform with the easy-to-use Dashboard to create and Host Apps to go Live.

Statistics to note: 95% of our Clients have reported being able to launch their first Live Shopping Show/ Shoppable Video within a day of onboarding.

TikTok: While popular, TikTok’s platform can be complex to navigate for new users, and its interface is tailored more towards social engagement than direct eCommerce functionality.

Cost Efficiency

Website/ Apps: You can host Live Shopping and Shoppable Videos on your website to avoid hefty commission fees charged by social media platforms. This preserves your profit margins and enhances direct engagement with your Buyers

Statistics to note: By avoiding TikTok’s 15-20% commission fees, Brands save an average of $20,000 annually on a $100,000 Sales volume.

TikTok: TikTok charges about 15-20% in commission fees on Sales, which can greatly reduce your profit margins. These fees add up quickly, especially for small businesses or those with high sales volumes, making it an expensive option compared to hosting live shopping events on your own website. This financial burden, combined with the disrupted shopping flow, can negatively impact your overall revenue and profitability.

Deeper Level Analytics & Data Ownership

Website/ Apps: Offering Live Shopping and Shoppable Videos on your own site provides deeper insights and data ownership. It tracks key metrics to measure a show’s success, including engagement KPIs (total comments, reactions) and performance KPIs (duration, peak viewers, etc.). You can also export Buyer data for retargeting campaigns.

Statistics to note: 100% data ownership with Channelize.io allows for more effective retargeting campaigns, leading to a 30% increase in Repeat Purchases.

TikTok: Does not give access to first-party data of buyers. This limitation severely hampers your ability to gain insights into customer behavior, preferences, and purchasing patterns. Without access to detailed analytics and customer data, it becomes challenging to create personalized marketing strategies, target specific customer segments, and retarget effectively.

Take advantage of our all-time Free Plan and get started with Live Shopping.

Control on Buyer Experiences

Website/Apps: Eliminating social media distractions by hosting live shopping and shoppable videos on your website allows you to control the brand and buyer experience. This keeps Buyers engaged and facilitates impulse purchases without the need to leave the Livestream or Shoppable Video.

Statistics to note: On average, Conversion Rates are 25% higher for Live Shopping Events hosted on a brand’s own website versus TikTok.

TikTok: Requires buyers to leave the livestream to make a purchase, which disrupts the seamless shopping experience and can significantly hurt conversion rates. When customers have to exit the live video to complete a transaction, it increases the likelihood of distractions and Cart Abandonment.

Selling Restrictions

Website/ Apps: You can sell anything on your own website when you host shopping shows or Shoppable Videos. You have full control over your product offerings and the content of your shows, without having to navigate the complex rules and regulations imposed by platforms like TikTok. This freedom allows you to cater to your audience’s needs more effectively and expand your product range without limitations.

‍TikTok: TikTok has several rules governing what can and cannot be sold on its platform. Selling food products is “invite-only”, and a range of documentation is required to be submitted and reviewed before selling beauty products and electronics. For those looking to sell certain products, TikTok live selling is therefore not possible. 

Building Email List

Website/Apps: Your website provides the opportunity to capture valuable customer data, such as email addresses. By offering incentives for signing up for your newsletter, you can build a targeted email list for future marketing initiatives.

TikTok: On TikTok, there are limited opportunities to capture customer data directly. The platform does not facilitate easy collection of email addresses or other personal information for building an email list. This restricts your ability to engage in personalized email marketing, which is crucial for nurturing customer relationships and driving repeat sales. Without this capability, your marketing efforts on TikTok are less targeted and potentially less effective in the long t

Cross-Platform Retargeting

Website/Apps: Selling through your website enables broad retargeting strategies. For example, by simulcasting live video streams of their shopping shows on multiple platforms, brands can attract followers and expand their audience, leading to increased sales.

TikTok: TikTok’s retargeting is confined to its platform. You can’t leverage cross-platform retargeting capabilities, limiting your reach and reducing brand visibility. This restriction may lead to missed conversion opportunities compared to a comprehensive retargeting strategy.

Purpose and Intent

Website/Apps: Live shopping and shoppable videos on your website are designed with the primary intent of selling. Visitors to your site are already in a shopping mindset, leading to higher conversion rates as they actively seek to make purchases. This focused approach ensures a more effective sales process and better customer engagement.

TikTok: TikTok is an entertainment platform first, with 78% of users primarily using the app to find funny or entertaining content. While it can help grow a brand’s audience, most people do not come to TikTok to make purchases. As a result, the likelihood of converting viewers into buyers is lower since few users are actively shopping while on the app.

Brand Building & Recall

Website/ Apps: Elevate your brand recognition and recall by hosting live shopping and shoppable videos directly on your website. Buyers are more likely to remember your brand when they experience it in a dedicated space, helping create a lasting brand image.

Statistics to note: Shoppers are 50% more likely to remember and prefer brands that host live shopping on their own website versus social media platforms. One of our clients experienced a significant increase in brand recall and Buyer loyalty.

TikTok: While it can enhance brand visibility, the transient nature of social media content can make it harder to build lasting brand recall.

Read More: Use Cases of Shoppable Videos for Ecommerce.

Custom RTMP Support

Website/ Apps: Allows you to use third-party live streaming software with features like overlays, media sources, video capture devices, and image slideshows to make your shows more engaging. You can use external cameras or webcams and go live with various video aspect ratios, such as 9:16 and 16:9. You can also go live with a pre-recorded show.

Statistics to note: Brands using these features have reported a 35% increase in Buyer Engagement due to the enhanced production quality and interactive elements.

TikTok: Does not offer the same level of flexibility and customization for live streaming. You are also limited in terms of video aspect ratios and cannot easily switch between different camera feeds. Furthermore, TikTok does not offer the ability to go live with pre-recorded shows, which can be a significant limitation for brands that want to ensure high production quality or need to manage scheduling constraints.

What’s more?

Some of the other notable benefits of conducting Live Shopping and Shoppable Videos on your Website and Apps over other platforms are as follows:

1. HD video quality and lower latency gives the best experience boosting engagement.

2. Leverage recordings (Past Shopping Shows) for post-live engagement and more sales.

Conclusion: Live Shopping/Shoppable Videos on own Website vs TikTok

Channelize.io Video Commerce Platform has proven highly effective at creating a sociable and personalized way to sell online, with elements encouraging impulse purchases. Hence, brands worldwide are choosing Live Shopping and Shoppable Videos on their ecommerce websites over TikTok, utilizing Channelize.io to provide customers with exclusive shopping shows.

This approach not only enhances the shopping experience by offering clarity and immediacy but also leverages the full potential of Video Commerce directly within their own websites and apps, avoiding the limitations and broad competition found on TikTok.

To facilitate the whole process of integration, we show our clients a full demo of our Video Commerce Platform and demonstrate how to Integrate it (Book a Demo). Clients can also refer to our Help Center and Blogs to add Live Shopping and Shoppable Videos to their E-commerce Platform. How Beneficial!