The era of the digital live stream has just begun with the birth of two apps which are set to take the world by storm – Periscope & Meerkat and in case you haven’t yet come across these apps before then here is how it works:- download the app, pickup your phone, jump into the app and flick on the record button, the red light starts flashing and… ACTION!
You are now broadcasting to the world. Immediately you start the broadcast, your friends and followers will receive notification that their favourite performer (you) are on the world stage.. Now you must hold their attention, entertain them as they applaud through commenting or even, in the case of Periscope, blowing you love hearts. It’s like a video twitter, a social broadcasting tool for the new generation, a generation where the primary drivers of social are visual.
So what will these newly launched apps mean for retail? Well retailers are desperate to grab your attention and it’s becoming harder and harder. Many are now producing editorial content, user generated content and inspirational content in a bid to grab and then hold your attention. They churn out content that immediately it’s consumed the customer expects more or will lose attention and flirt with somebody else.
Will live-streaming be a way to entertain and educate this crowd on how wonderful your new products are? Well Burberry and Top Shop have been experimenting with live catwalks for a couple of years – at Top Shop in London’s Oxford Street customers were able to put on a virtual reality headset and watch a Top Shop catwalk as if they were there in person. Top Shop also started broadcasting their catwalk shows live on the internet. Burberry even teamed up with twitter to enable customers to request photos during their live show.
So as retailers try to grab the attention of the new generation whom possess a shorter attention span and will willingly flirt with anyone who will entertain her, will the retailers look to this new generation of live video apps to entertain her and whilst she’s watching inspire her to buy. Is live streaming to become yet another digital touchpoint in the purchase journey?
