By: Narinder Mahajan, CEO and Co-founder ODN
In recent years, live commerce has become a powerful force in Indian retail, changing how people connect with brands and how they make purchase decisions. By blending the online and in-store experiences, live commerce is turning shopping into a personal, interactive, and engaging journey. As Indian consumers look for genuine experiences online, live commerce offers brands a chance to captivate their audience through real-time interaction, influencer partnerships, and multi-channel connections.
Building Interactive, Data-Driven Strategies
To make the most of live commerce, brands need to create interactive, data-driven content strategies that boost the overall shopping experience. By analysing customer behavior during live sessions, brands gain valuable insights into preferences, common questions, and times of peak engagement. This data allows brands to shape content across their e-commerce presences to fit viewers’ interests and increase engagement. Customers generally prefer targeted content based on data analysis because it feels more relevant and personalised to their specific interests and needs, enhancing their engagement and satisfaction with the shopping experience.
Effective Content and Real-Time Product Demonstration
Carefully planning content and selecting influencers are key to creating genuine and relevant live commerce experiences. Audiences respond well to relatable people using products in real-time, as it feels like a live-testing session, which builds trust. For example, lifestyle and beauty brands can benefit from partnering with micro-influencers who bring niche expertise and have engaged audiences, while broader categories may attract larger audiences through well-known influencers. Choosing influencers who align with the brand’s values and product offerings helps foster trust and boost engagement—essential drivers of conversion during live sessions. Additionally, balancing entertainment and education in these sessions is crucial, as it sparks interest and drives purchase intent.
Omnichannel Integration and Seamless Customer Experience
For brands active both online and offline, combining live commerce with omnichannel strategies can significantly improve customer experience. This is clear in approaches like Buy-Online-Pick-up-In-Store, which supports digital interaction while bringing more people into physical stores. By allowing customers to make purchases directly from live streams and select their preferred delivery options, brands can create a smooth shopping experience that brings together the ease of online shopping with the confidence of in-store purchases.
Refining the “Shopatainment” Experience
To engage consumers more effectively, brands should think about designing their live commerce sessions as “shopatainment” events—turning each stream into an interactive, memorable experience. Using varied formats like product tutorials, styling tips, seasonal lookbooks, and live Q&A sessions lets brands showcase products in ways that are both fun and informative. For example, timing live sessions around festivals or seasonal sales can turn shopping into a social event that consumers look forward to.
By thoughtfully using these engaging content formats, brands can build an interactive community around their products, boosting both customer engagement and brand recall—especially among younger, digitally-savvy consumers.
Live commerce is reshaping shopping in India by seamlessly merging the ease of online shopping with the interactivity of in-store experiences. Through live video sessions, customers can connect directly with brands, ask questions, and see products in real-time, building trust and boosting purchase confidence. This fresh approach not only increases customer engagement but also expands access to brands nationwide, making shopping more immersive and personal. As live commerce continues to evolve, it is set to become a key driver in India’s retail transformation, blending the digital and physical shopping worlds for a richer customer experience.
By riding the wave of India’s booming live commerce trend, brands are reshaping online shopping, redefining how Indians discover, engage with, and buy products.
