As TikTok and Instagram continue to prove the power of video commerce, Toronto beauty brand Three Ships has embedded live shopping events directly into their own retail site.
Live shopping is like Twitch meets the Shopping Network: retail-focused livestreams gaining traction as a low-cost, high-reward marketing approach for commerce and direct-to-consumer brands looking to drive community and conversion.
“I do think it’s easier to get into than most people realize,” said Three Ships co-founder Connie Lo. “You probably only need two or three hours to figure out the platform and run a test live.”
“They don’t trust Hollywood, high-production static produced content. It’s got to be authentic and real.”
Lo described her company’s embrace of the tactic at TechTO’s recent Commerce Toronto event, where she chronicled her path from making handmade beauty products in her kitchen to a recent collaboration with Disney. Lo was part of a lineup of retail-focused founders that included Shopify’s Daniel Debow, and SRTX founder Katherine Homuth, who recently described her efforts to modernize Canadian manufacturing on The BetaKit Podcast.
Three Ships first tested a live shopping event in 2021, with a pre-sale for a product launch held during the pandemic.
“It was so chaotic,” Lo recounted. “We got a $20 Amazon tripod and we used my iPhone. We had one customer service person manning the questions that were coming in. And we did $20,000 in one hour.”
Trey Geiger of video commerce company Firework joined Lo at the event, describing what he sees as an industry-wide shift toward shoppable short videos.
“Firework isn’t here to compete with TikTok,” said Geiger. “But we think there’s a really interesting opportunity to make websites for brands that are less of a traditional wall of text, by putting video into the path to purchase.”
Both Geiger and Lo advised founders to differentiate how they use video on social platforms and their own sites.
Platforms like Instagram and TikTok are tools for brand building and reaching new customers, said Lo, and tend to feature videos that are short and trend-focused. By contrast, videos on company websites should be longer form and educational.
“When someone lands on our website, we think of that more as a warm lead,” said Lo.
Many live shopping events offer exclusive pre-sales, bundles, or exclusive guest speakers, making consumers feel as though they are getting something special for tuning in.
And, most importantly, these videos do not require high production values.
There are no fancy backdrops in Three Ships’ live shopping events. Lo and her co-founder often have printed notes on their laps, and Lo’s dog is occasionally heard in the background.
“You don’t need a big budget or experience,” she said. “I don’t think we’ve ever invested more than $100.”
Live shopping events are now a fundamental part of her company’s marketing strategy, built into the co-founders’ schedules and Three Ship’s product rollouts.
And while these events may seem casual, Geiger said that low-budget, relatable setups are increasingly popular with audiences than polished, high-production videos.
“That’s what consumers want,” said Geiger. “They don’t trust Hollywood, high-production static produced content. It’s got to be authentic and real.”
Feature image courtesy Sean Pollock for TechTO. Check out the full calendar of TechTO events here.