A study conducted by Altavia ShopperMind with OpinionWay
Have you heard of ‘live shopping’, this online sales technique that allows social network users to buy products presented by a salesperson in a live video stream? Still little known in France, live shopping is becoming the new trendy shopping technique.
Altavia ShopperMind, the Altavia Group’s consumer trends observatory, has conducted a study with OpinionWay to gauge French people’s interest in this commercial phenomenon, which is already very powerful in other countries around the world, such as China.
28% of French people intend to use it in the next 6 months
Altavia ShopperMind’s study shows that the interest of French people, and in particular young French women, for live shopping is promising. Indeed, after definition, 24% of French people say they have already heard about the phenomenon, and 27% of those who have never used live shopping show an interest in it. 37% of French people express the intention to learn more about live shopping and, finally, 28% of them intend to use it within the next six months.
A sales method that particularly appeals to women under 25
The phenomenon seems to attract particularly young women (under 25). Indeed, 52% of them are interested in live shopping and 49% intend to use it in the next 6 months.
A phenomenon whose interest goes beyond the health context
How can we explain the strong interest in this phenomenon? In addition to the fact that it is a method of purchase that is generally considered innovative (69% of the French) and relevant in the context of the health crisis (70% of the French), it also combines the virtues of being practical and easy to access. It also adds an event-driven dimension that increases the appeal of this type of sale.
These characteristics are reflected in the diagnosis made by the young women interviewed: for more than half of them, live shopping inspires confidence, adapts to their needs, saves them time and contributes to improving their image of the salesperson.
For the retailer, too, live shopping is a godsend, as it is a new way to build relationships with his customer, and allows him to extend his catchment area to an international perimeter.
Substantial room for improvement
Few French people are able to spontaneously give a definition of Live Shopping: 87% of them declare having never heard of this mode of purchase. Moreover, the actual use of live shopping remains limited: 3% of French people have already used it at least once.
Generation Z, understood as the population under 25 years old, is an exception: 6% of them have already used live shopping at least once; and this percentage rises to 9% for young women under 25 years old. Thus, these women have used live shopping 3 times more than the rest of the population.
A phenomenon established in China
In China, the development of live shopping has surfed on the massive development of live streaming which increased by 183% between 2019 and 2020. This phenomenon, born in China, could follow the same path in France at a time when all digital practices are being reinforced.
By combining emotion and performance, live shopping is establishing itself as a consumer practice with very strong growth potential in France.
*Quantitative study conducted online for ALTAVIA by OpinionWay on February 3 and 4, 2021 among 1007 French people aged 18 and over.