As businesses struggle to find footing in a rapidly changing retail climate, Melbourne homewares brand,ย Stoned Crystals, has found a profitable way to recreate the traditional shopping experience online and increase sales by 134% since the temporary closure of their Elsternwick store.
Crediting Instagramโs live broadcast functionality, the social media platform is responsible for delivering a monthly return in excess of $180k for the brand by merging offline and online selling mechanics in a fully immersive, digital environment.
Stoned Crystals’ ‘Live Sales’ are conducted tri-weekly and structured by product category and focus. Providing a virtual in-store customer experience, the face-to-face broadcasts have become a significant hub for crystal-related news, lifestyle tips, styling tutorials, range previews, consulting, and selling.
โLive-streamed broadcasts are the closest thing we have to face-to-face selling in a physically disconnected world,โ says founder Ashley Bellino. โWhen done correctly, it can serve as a profitable income stream and allow brands to cultivate a digital ecosystem specific to their customersโ needs.โ
First conceptualised in 2017 and more recently refined to accommodate the imposed lockdowns, the success of Stoned Crystals’ live sales is attributed to a synergistic mix of purposeful merchandising, entertaining content, smart selling cues, engaging discussions, value-driven promotions, memorable hosts, and practice.
โIn a way, Instagram has transformed into something more intimate,โ said Ashley. โCustomers want to see what happens behind the scenes; they want to be part of a brandโs narrative and they want to know theyโre cared for well beyond the transaction.โ
Passionate about helping other small businesses thrive, Ashley shares the following tips in order to develop a profitable revenue stream using Instagram Live:
Make the move online:ย Lockdown has transformed the way customers now interact with brands soย developing a strong, reliable and consistent online experience is key. Adoptย a customer’s perspective and review your website, social media and digitalย strategies with them in mind. Is the path to purchase easy to navigate? Areย the visuals up to date? Are products clearly articulated? Putting in the prepย work now will optimise results following a live sale. The retail sector willย never look the same going forward so incorporating Live Sales as part ofย your digital strategy allows your business to be both proactive and reactiveย to new economic conditions.
Develop a plan:ย Instagram Live Sales is the closest thing to selling in person that technology can offer. Putting yourself out there might seem scary, but with enough planning and rehearsing, you will soon find a rhythm that suits you and your community. One of the key benefits of a Live Sale is that you won’t be buried in a feed of posts. Instead, all of your followers will be instantly notified. As with live TV, the unexpected can happen so itโs best to prepare a run sheet before any live sale. Know what you’re going to say and in what order. Assign dedicated roles to team members, know yourย angles and remember you’re talking with, not at, your customers. Treat aย Live Sale like any other conversation you would typically have in person with a potential or current customer.
Recreate the offline, online:ย In today’s digital age, customers want to be visually stimulated so it’s important to create a mood that represents the brand and transports the customer to world specifically created for them. This can be achieved through styling, lighting, sound, ambience and vocal delivery. Customers love the idea of virtually walking through a shop so replicating an atmosphere that closely resembles this experience works exceptionally well, particularly if you have the props and styling tools to replicate a display. If you have a service-driven business, think of ways you can physically depict your offering on camera.ย
Brand each stream:ย Many brands make the big mistake of cramming too much into a Live Sale. When it comes to maximising a return on this channel, less is sometimes more. Each Live Sale should relate to a specific need or group of products to avoid overwhelming the customer – especially if they’re new to purchasing on Instagram. As a result, it’s often ideal to run multiple Live Sales weekly and showcase products specific to a single category. In turn, this will allow you to brand each segment so customers come to learn a familiar shopping schedule with your business.
Introduce a selling mechanic:ย Although marketing your business and developing a rapport withย customers is important, the purpose of a Live Sale should be to sell. Asย such, it’s important to come up with a mechanic that works with yourย community and is easy to understandย – such as a unique number, code orย name. At Stoned Crystals, each crystal is assigned a number and captionย highlighting the stone type, its dimensions and its properties. If a customerย chooses to buy, they simply quote the crystal number with a purchasingย identifier – i.e. “MINE”ย – in the comments so a team member can review theย transcript, contact each buyer and send them a direct link to our website soย they can process the order securely.
Develop a connection:ย Customer service is important in real life as well as online. Although theย dialogue may appear one-sided, customers can comment in each Live Saleย in real time. Making the time to deviate from a run sheet and answer questions can foster an interactive forum which is one of the mostย attractive features of this digital marketplace. Operating in real time meansย you wonโt always be able to rehearse your responses and may be caughtย off guard. Look at this as a positive, however. People love candidย conversations and transparency. It’s always good to be responsive toย comments so you can constantly evolve your pitch and meet theย ever-changing needs of your customers.
Timing is everything:ย At Stoned Crystals, we conduct each Live Sale at different lengths andย speeds depending on the product focus. For a beginner, I would suggestย keeping it to 30-minutes or less. As you develop a rapport with customersย and learn which types of engagement works best, you can easily sell for upย to four hours in a single show. It is, however, best to schedule these at timesย that resonate with your target demographicย – which can include mornings, evenings, weekends or even specific holiday dates. If choosing to run an extensive and lengthy Live Sale, I highly recommendย developing an itemised schedule and sharing this with potential viewers viaย your socials prior. This will allow customers to tune in at a time relevant toย them.
Marketing is your friend:ย When times are tough, many brands choose to relax their marketingย budgets when in reality, they should be doing the opposite! Like anyย campaign, planning is key. Prior to commencing a Live Sale, develop aย calendar of dates and times you wish to show. For beginners, two-to-four weeks inย advance will suffice. From here, you can create a marketing program toย promote your shows and generate interest. If budget is limited, use theย resources you have available such as your website, social media feed,ย newsletter etc. For brands with a dedicated spend, online advertising canย provide a significant reach. Aligning with a top tier influencer can alsoย prove beneficial by tapping into new demographics and audiences.
Make mistakes:ย Unless you’re supporting your Live Sale with a significant marketingย budget, managing expectations is very important. The first showing may underperform. Accept the fact you might make a mistake (or two!) and letย yourself be vulnerable. People crave this human connection. Learn as youย go and take the time to evaluate each showing so you can constantlyย improve and find a winning formula for your brand. As a Live canย offer higher engagement than a traditional post, story or ad, rememberย that every minute you spend live is an investment. By discussing a productย in length and addressing frequently asked questions, you equip customers with the knowledge to make an informed decision and purchase via your website at a later date or time.
Have fun:ย COVID-19 has impacted the retail sector significantly. It has also providedย businesses with new opportunities for online growth. As a profitable salesย channel, Instagram offers an inexpensive way for brands to reach existingย and new customers. With the right planning, the right team, the rightย merchandising and the right mindset, a Live Sale can transform aย business. For Stoned Crystals, it has become a major revenue source andย has afforded the brand many new opportunities to double in size year on year. Donโt be afraid to beย yourself and remember there is no cookie-cutter approach. Find whatย works best for you and continue to evolve alongside your customers
Founded in 2015, Stoned Crystals is Australiaโs leading home dรฉcor, crystal styling and wellness brand specialising in premium, ethically-sourced gemstones from around the world.
Comments
Never heard of Instagram Live Sales. I need to look into this more. Looks like an effective way to engage with customers and provide the detail they would receive if they walked into a store and asked questions.