Why Should You Tap Into Shoppertainment in 2024?
One eCommerce trend that's slated to change the future of this market is shoppertainment. Over the years, shoppertainment has become increasingly popular among consumers and marketers alike as people seek more engaging shopping experiences online. Out are the boring and monotonous marketing campaigns trying to get people's attention, and are in highly engaging videos that entertain as much as they promote. In short, marketing today is about the user, not the brand behind it.
A recent TikTok study showed how shoppertainment is making waves in the eCommerce industry. The study found that videos on the platform led 89% of consumers to make a purchase they hadn't planned to make. Also, one in three customers wanted a more fun and entertaining shopping experience in general. These and other stats show how using entertaining videos and other engaging content can go a long way in connecting with customers.
Still wondering why shoppertainment is such a crucial investment today? Here we'll dive deeper into this trend and the many benefits you'll get from it.
The emergence of shoppertainment as a trend
A growing number of brands began adopting shoppertainment as a means to build relationships with consumers. But what exactly is this concept, and how did it begin?
Put simply, shoppertainment is all about creating an entertaining eCommerce experience that resonates with people. By entertaining audiences, brands can attract them and lead them more efficiently toward a purchase. You can use everything ranging from videos to techniques such as gamification to make shopping entertaining and highly engaging.
Shoppertainment's history is a little murky—according to some sources, the basic concept and coinage of the term "shoppertainment" goes back to as early as the 1990s. However, the concept as it's defined today likely starts with the Southeast Asian brand Lazada in 2016. During this time, China became the birthplace of modern-day shoppertainment, as it continues to expand across the globe. Today, it maintains a strong foothold in the eCommerce space as businesses seek new and exciting ways to engage consumers.
Why does shoppertainment matter so much for eCommerce in 2024?
Shoppertainment entails connecting with consumers in ways that help brands stand apart from the competition. Keep in mind that there are so many brands saturating the market, with people seeing up to a staggering 10,000 ads every day. If your brand is going with the same techniques that companies have used in the past, you're going to have a difficult time cutting through the noise.
Shoppertainment is the key to generating buzz and getting people involved with your products and services. The following are some specific benefits of shoppertainment that show just how essential this tool is to your brand strategy:
Increased customer engagement
Through the use of shoppertainment, you can significantly boost engagement among audiences. For example, videos that provide entertainment value through compelling visuals and audio will grab and hold viewers' attention. Livestream selling can also drive more engagement by allowing you to connect directly with viewers through Q&A sessions and interactive storytelling. These efforts will get people hooked on your experiences and potentially inspire them to convert to customers. You'll also be able to consistently engage your existing customers to encourage repeat business.
Better brand loyalty and awareness
Brands that use shoppertainment to their advantage also benefit from improved brand awareness and, ultimately, loyalty. A shoppertainment experience such as a unique way of using gamification could be a great way to build awareness and keep customers returning to you. For example, you might allow people to sign up for an account on your site or in your app to begin earning points on purchases and various interactions. These points would build up toward rewards, giving people a real incentive to continue engaging after initially coming across your brand.
Higher conversion rates and sales
Shoppertainment can also help increase conversions and sales. Using high-quality entertaining videos or other content, you can incorporate appealing offers and clear calls to action that actively convert customers.
You might use a video that showcases a product uniquely and enticingly. For instance, a model might wear a piece of clothing you're trying to sell, showing how it looks in different settings and with other complementary pieces of clothing and accessories. You could then include a clear "Buy Now!" button at the bottom of the video to take people to a checkout page. This type of content gives you plenty of opportunities to use shoppertainment to inspire more and larger sales.
Better customer satisfaction
Brands that offer a more fun and engaging shopping experience also experience better overall customer satisfaction. People will want to continue engaging with your brand if they get some real enjoyment during that engagement. They'll want to connect more directly with you and have a better time browsing and shopping online.
Because of this increased satisfaction, your customers will also be more likely to recommend you to others. This helps further boost brand awareness and loyalty.
Ensure authenticity
Using shoppertainment, you'll also have the chance to build more authenticity for your brand. Videos and other marketing materials can use entertainment and storytelling to create a more authentic experience than less connective efforts. For instance, you could release a video that explains your brand values and mission as they relate to the problems your customers face, using an audiovisual experience that builds a real emotional connection. While you might not want to get your audiences sobbing with sad content, appealing to them emotionally through shoppertainment—whether through humor or other emotions—can go a long way in showing that you're authentic.
5 stats proving that shoppertainment will shape the future of eCommerce
You might worry that shoppertainment is a fad that's going to disappear soon, but the fact is it's not going anywhere. If anything, shoppertainment is the future of eCommerce, which the following stats and many others prove.
Shoppertainment in Asia-Pacific will reach $1T by 2025
According to a recent "Future of Commerce" study from TikTok, the market for shoppertainment is going to have a huge impact on the eCommerce market in the Asia-Pacific region. While shoppertainment is seeing a surge in popularity worldwide, the market value for shoppertainment in this corner of the world will reach $1 trillion by 2025. The bulk of this money will come from investments in the food and beverage, fashion, beauty, and electronics industries.
63% of consumers want repeat exposure, and 34% remain skeptical of branded content
The same TikTok study predicting the future of shoppertainment in the APAC region determined that people are fond of repetition when it comes to brand exposure. Specifically, the study concluded that 63% of people want to see content from brands at least three to four times before continuing along the buyer's journey.
On the other hand, the study also discovered that a large chunk of people are skeptical of branded content, likely because of worries about authenticity. The study found that 34% of people are skeptical about branded content to the point where they're reluctant to make a purchase.
Emotional decision-making drives 40% of eCommerce transactions
Additional research from TikTok and Boston Consulting Group (BCG) identified a huge need for emotional connections regarding content. If brands want to build stronger relationships with people, it all comes down to their ability to appeal on an emotional level.
The joint research efforts concluded that emotions are behind 40% of eCommerce transactions during the decision-making process. Shoppertainment is critical in building this emotional connection, and there are many ways to go about it. For instance, you could work with popular influencers in your niche to produce video content that inspires emotional decision-making.
Even more research on the subject from TikTok found that direct social commerce shoppers are 1.3 times more likely to buy to uplift their mood or spirit compared to online marketplace shoppers. 28% of shoppers in this survey also stated that entertainment was the top reason for buying products directly through social media. These stats don't necessarily show why social media is crucial for connecting with consumers; rather, they show how engaging and entertaining content can boost sales, regardless of the platform you use. This means you may entice social commerce shoppers through your website or app with the right content and solutions.
Nearly half of UK and European consumers enjoyed shoppertainment during COVID
Although the Asia-Pacific region is likely to see the biggest surge in shoppertainment in the coming years, the UK and Europe are two other markets focusing more on shoppertainment.
A recent AliExpress study surveyed consumers in the UK and Europe as the pandemic impacted these regions. The study specifically found that 70% of all subjects were interested in shoppertainment, with almost half of them consuming more shoppertainment content because of COVID-19.
In addition, according to the study, the type of content that engaged people the most was live streaming video that featured relatable, short, and informative content with trusted, entertaining hosts. Also, this eliminates the need to rely on social media platforms to push shoppertainment videos.
83% of users prefer to see video ads from brands over other media
To get the best results from shoppertainment, you'll benefit from using short-form videos to connect with audiences. The TikTok-commissioned Nielsen Global Authenticity Study revealed that 83% of users want to see video ads in place of text posts or GIFs. This is because shoppers like short, snackable content that doesn't require much time or attention while engaging them more than basic ad formats.
Incorporate shoppertainment into your app or website with Storyly
With a better understanding of shoppertainment and its importance, you may want to know where to start with it. What tools can you use to harness the power of shoppertainment for your brand? Thankfully, you have plenty of options, one of which is the innovative Storyly platform.
Storyly can help you integrate a truly "shoppertaining" experience through the use of top-quality interactive video content. Using this platform, you can create shoppable video Stories that encourage users to buy your offerings directly through your video content. You can team up with influencers or tell compelling stories in your videos and include call-to-action buttons that lead people to purchase.
One of the new features you'll find with Storyly today is our in-Story checkout. What makes this feature different is that it gives your customers the ability to complete the checkout process with a single tap within your videos. This allows customers to easily buy products and services without ever leaving your videos. As a result, you'll eliminate the potential pain point of a complex, drawn-out checkout process that might otherwise hurt your shoppertainment strategy.
Storyly works on both your website and app, ensuring all content you create and publish reaches your audiences across platforms. In turn, you can keep people engaged with your brand at every point, encouraging them to move along the buyer's journey and stay loyal to you.
Conclusion
Shoppertainment is a relatively recent trend, but it's everlasting and likely going to influence the future of eCommerce for years to come. Using shoppertainment to connect with customers will help you maximize your reach, engage shoppers more effectively, and lead to more sales and loyalty in the long run.
If you are interested in creating shoppable videos to engage your customers, sign up for free or book a call today.
