What’s new? November 2022 Livestream Shopping Updates by Channelize.io ---- 6 min read

Livestream Shopping is a truly transformational Sales + Marketing Tool for Ecommerce Brands, and we are thrilled to see the results our customers are achieving with our Live Stream Shopping Platform. In this update we have rolled out the much-awaited Multi-host Selling feature of our Channelize.io Live Shopping Platform which will take your live selling game to a whole new level. 

So let’s waste no more time and dive right into the Livestream Shopping Updates by Channelize.io.

Multi-host Selling Feature

Can’t get your favorite hosts or influencers in the same room for a Livestream Shopping Show? That’s a problem of the past! Channelize.io’s new Multi-host Selling feature solves this challenge by enabling hosts and guests at different locations to host a live shopping show together. 

Helps you double the engagement in your Shopping Shows! Doesn’t it?

Use-Cases & Benefits

Collaborations

• Multiple influencers can join in and move-out in a Shopping Show.
• Collaborating with a brand ambassador to launch a seasonal collection. 
• Hosting virtual makeup classes with beauty experts located at different locations.
• Collaborating with a celebrity to give fitness tips while promoting your health supplement.
• Having multiple live shopping hosts can increase the impact of shopping shows, such as having a product expert demonstrate a product while a sales expert encourages shoppers to purchase.

Specialist Interviews

• Dermatologists can be invited to Shopping Shows involving Skin Care Tips, etc.
• Fitness brands can host Interviews with Physiotherapists.
• Co-founder can be invited for sharing client testimonials and brand stories.

Other Use-cases:

• High Profile Invitees, like Celebrities can be invited to just make an announcement and move out.
• 2 Brand Specialists or Founders located at different places can co-host a Shopping Show.
• Partnering with Key-Opinion-Leaders (KOLs) to host shopping shows, then leveraging their social media following to promote shopping shows.
• Co-host a show with a team member to give buyers access to behind-the-scenes footage into how a certain product is made. This ultimately enhances the trust factor.
• An industry expert can be a guest host for a Q&A session to help viewers clear up their doubts.

Ultimately Brands can also boost Average Order Value and minimize Product Returns by collaborating with multiple livestream shopping experts/hosts that work with each-other to increase impact of Shopping Shows: product experiences that convert, replying to buyer questions, entertaining buyers, increasing the trust factor of your products & brand, etc.

Brands can thus expect Higher Sales Conversions and Engagement Metrics from this new highly interactive experience offered by Channelize.io Livestream Shopping Platform.

How does it work?

1. Production Dashboard > Create a Show: Brand Admins will be able to select a Host and Co-host for their Shopping Shows.

2. Each Host will have to login via the iOS or Android Host App. Both hosts will be able to see the same show, which would allow them to Go Live.

3. Host will be able to Go Live and start the show by following the steps mentioned here.

4. Co-host must then send a request to the Host to join the show, and only after the request is approved can the co-host go live. So, the Primary Host has an upper hand compared to the Co-Host.

5. As soon as the Co-host goes live, the main stream in the Live Shopping Show will be auto-split in a 50-50 ratio. This will allow buyer audiences to see both host and co-host.

6. The show will end normally using the End Show button and only the primary host will have the permission to end the show.

Note: This feature is only available for Host Apps. Our RTMP Support feature already allowed multi-hosting via video conferencing softwares like Zoom, etc.

Collapsible Chat & Products in Mobile Interface

We realized that a lot of buyers are watching Shopping Shows, and shopping from them via their Mobile Devices. All our Buyer Interfaces for Live Shopping are mobile responsive, and provide amazing shopping experiences to buyers on their mobile devices too.

The screen real-estate on mobile phones is very important. Not only should buyers be able to watch Shopping Shows well on their mobile phones, but they should also be able to order the promoted products easily.

When we recently released our new Buyers Interface, we decided to revamp the user experience of Shopping Shows on Mobile Screens as well.

Our Buyer Interfaces for Mobile Browsers have been updated to allow buyers to Collapse / Expand Live Chat and Promoted Products during Livestream Shopping Shows. This will allow buyers to have a better viewing experience while a host demonstrates or showcases products.

The collapsed live chat/products experience allows for a live show to be full screen when watching in portrait mode, and this offers a clean and seamless experience to buyers. 

On the other hand, the expanded version of chat and products will enable buyers to participate in live chat and add products to the cart during a live shopping show.

Read More: Channelize.io releases new capabilities for Ecommerce & D2C Brands to win with Live Shopping.

How does it work?

1. Chat Expand / Collapse: 

1. The default view of Chat (expanded / collapsed) can be controlled with a setting. Admins simply need to add the setting: defaultExpandMobileChat: true in the templates/page.channelize.default.liquid file and save the changes. 

2. If the setting is true, buyers will by-default see an expanded form of the floating chat and they can easily hide the chat by clicking ˅ Hide button as shown in the screenshot.

3. If this setting is set to false, the floating chat will be collapsed by default. Buyers can easily expand the chat by clicking the ^ Chat button as shown in the screenshot.

Note: Chat Expand/Collapse setting is only available for Shopify Brands.

2. Products Expand / Collapse 

On Mobile Screens, the Promoted Products are visible in a very easy to navigate Carousel form. By default, these products will be visible for buyers and they can collapse or expand them with a single tap of a button during a live shopping show. 

More Livestream Shopping Updates 

Ability to Edit Past Livestream Shopping Shows

With this useful feature, Brand Admins can now edit information in their Past shows like Title, Description, Promotional banner image. 

Sales from Previously Ended Shopping Shows have been a big revenue generator for Brands using Channelize.io. Past Shopping Shows are like Product Guides, Shoppable Videos, and a rich repository of content for Brands. As we have made it easier for you to manage them, you can now explore more possibilities with past shows, and generate more sales from them.

Read More: Top 5 Features to Maximize the effectiveness of your Live Shopping Shows to generate more Sales.

Channelize.io Production Dashboard: Chat Optimisation + Minor Improvements

Chat is a big engagement driver for Shopping Shows. It helps brands connect and engage with their buyers effectively. 

The Production Dashboard enables Brand Admins to Moderate Chat, Pin Message, and do a lot more for their Live Shopping Shows. Keeping this in mind, we have made improvements to the performance of our Live Chat for Admins in the Production Dashboard, and made it smoother and faster!

In Summary,

What makes livestream shopping click is the dose of personal connection and human touch it brings to digital commerce, which is lacking in traditional online shopping. Live shopping is more than just a trend—it’s a win-win strategy that benefits both Brands and Shoppers. 

And we at Channelize.io are continuously working to make our Livestream Shopping Platform better and reach new heights for our amazing Clients. 

We will also be launching a bunch of other exciting Features very soon! Stay Tuned!