In 2019, Amazon launched its newest, shiniest feature: Amazon Live. While its earlier livestreaming efforts with Style Code Live ended up going out with a fizzle rather than a bang, Amazon Live has seen increasing success recently.
From a consumer perspective, shopping via Amazon Live can be a form of entertainment, creating an immersive and interactive experience — one that also proved indispensable during the pandemic when people physically couldn’t go out shopping.
Today, Amazon Live gives brands the opportunity to grab shoppers’ attention, build human connections, and make more powerful impressions with their products.
If you’ve been hesitant about tapping into the power of Amazon Live, now might be the time to give it a shot.
The Seller’s Guide to Amazon Live
- What Is Amazon Live?
- Inside Amazon Live: What Every Seller Should Know
- Top Tips for Sellers Who Want to Get Started with Amazon Live
- Make Amazon Live Work for You
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What Is Amazon Live?
Amazon Live allows e-commerce sellers to advertise and showcase products through Amazon’s livestreaming service.
Amazon offers a Live Creator app that lets merchants register their own “channels,” add any products they want to feature, and chat directly with shoppers as the audience posts questions or comments.
As a merchant, Amazon Live can help you:
- Establish a one-on-one connection with your shoppers
- Showcase your best products through an interactive experience
- Alleviate any fears or concerns your customers may have
- Grab attention and increase brand awareness
Now, for the big question: Do Amazon shoppers actually like live shopping?
All signs point to yes. For example, in China, livestream shopping is huge. Last year, it generated $300 billion in revenue accounting for 11.7% of total retail e-commerce sales in the country. In the US, we’re seeing a similar spike in livestream popularity.
According to Klarna’s 2021 Reopening Insights Report:
- 60% of shoppers said attending a livestream event improved their online shopping experience.
- 47% said they prefer livestream shopping to in-store shopping.
- Retailers who adopted livestream shopping saw a 53% week-over-week surge in traffic.
With livestream shopping, brands can alleviate customers’ fear of missing out, while meeting their needs for personalization, and keeping them up-to-date on new products. What’s not to like, right?
If you’re looking for ways to improve brand engagement, livestreaming can offer a solution that benefits both you and your customers. But there are some important nuances to getting it right.
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Inside Amazon Live: What Every Seller Should Know
As an Amazon seller, Amazon Live gives you three ways to engage with your audience and promote products:
- Amazon-Produced Live Shows
- Amazon Influencers
- Brand-to-Viewer (self-service) streaming platforms
Amazon Live Shows are produced by Amazon. They include a curated display of products from different brands, as well as testimonials and demonstrations. Expect to spend a minimum of $50,000 if you want Amazon to include your product.
But you don’t need featured videos to get your ROI out of this channel. Amazon Live is 100% free if you’re the one streaming, although hiring influencers or external video streaming producers can be worth the investment. For example, Kim Kardashian’s livestream for her signature KKW fragrances sold 150,000 bottles in seconds.
How do I get started with Amazon Live?
Whether you’re looking to do the livestreaming yourself or outsource it to a TikTok superstar, the first step is to create your Amazon Live channel.
You can do that by downloading the Amazon Live Creator app (although, at the time of writing, it’s only available for iOS).
Once you log in and select your brand (you’ll need to make sure you’re registered with the Amazon Brand Registry program first), you’re all set to upload your product listings and videos.
Two Options for Live Video
Option 1: Record and Schedule: You can film a video (Amazon recommends using something other than your camera phone for better quality), then upload it to your account on the Creator app. You can make the video public or schedule it for publishing at a time when your audience is most active. You can then use your Amazon Overview dashboard to track engagement rate and find a pattern to pinpoint your interactive sales peaks.
Option 2: Livestream in Real-Time: Livestreaming in real-time is probably the best option of the two. This option lets you immediately address viewers’ comments and concerns and gives you the option to engage one-on-one or one-on-few, which can lead to increased sales and brand loyalty.
Pro Tip: When livestreaming, have a second person to handle the live comments section. This way, you can focus your energy on engaging with your audience while your helper can give your customers undivided attention on any specific product-related questions.
As soon as you end your live session, you can view your key stats, including:
- Number of people who watched your stream
- Click-through rate
- Engagement rate
After about 24 hours, Amazon will also give you a breakdown of all the sales that occurred during your livestream. From there, you can use this data to analyze the kinds of livestreams work best for your brand.
When will my Amazon Livestreams start to turn a profit?
We’re not going to sugarcoat it. Your success with livestreaming might not start immediately.
It can take many sessions get the ball rolling with Amazon Live, especially if you started with zero followers.
Amazon influencer Scott Ayres witnessed this firsthand using his own experiment and even noticed that engagement increased as people watched past livestreams.
Though rare, sometimes your videos actually can end up being hits as was the case with sellers Justin and April Moore. Once they started livestreaming their products, they immediately raked in new customers, increased viewers, and even managed to surpass their previous year’s Black Friday sales by 52%!
Tips for Sellers Looking to Go Live
Getting set up with Amazon Live may only take a few minutes, but getting good at it can take a whole lot longer.
Here are some proven tips to help you succeed with Amazon Live:
- Curate Your Product List Thoughtfully: Products that appear first in your carousel, right below your video, get the most visibility. The order in which you place them is important.
- Use Practice Mode to Get the Hang of Livestreaming: The Live Creator app has a “Practice Mode” that lets you test the waters before you actually dive into the livestream. This is a great way to familiarize yourself with the features, test your audio and video settings, and get comfortable in front of the camera.
- Check Your Specifications: There are certain video and thumbnail specs that work best for Amazon Live. Amazon recommends using a thumbnail in a 16:9 ratio and a horizontal orientation for all videos.
- Leverage Your Social Media Networks: Before you start your stream, share an invitation link on all your social media channels. This will help drive viewership. This way, you can also connect with multiple audiences in one live event.
- Budget in Advance: The costs of livestreaming can creep up on you. You might find yourself buying new equipment, collaborating with influencers, or using Amazon-produced videos. All can put a dent in your allocated marketing budget, so plan ahead.
Make Amazon Live Work for You
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With a dependable funding partner on your team, you can keep your marketing game strong with tools like Amazon Live. Now, get that camera ready and start streaming. Your future customers are waiting for you!
