Why Using Entertainment Commerce in Ecommerce Can Work

With pandemics, lockdowns, and socio-political disturbances, we’ve seen established companies fall like dominoes. 

Amazon is one company that’s proven that even in the most troubling circumstances, you can get back.

The giant has seen massive financial gains during the pandemic period. It has fully capitalized on its eCommerce model, making it more optimized for the user experience. 

Now, how it managed to do that, and the moralistic arguments you might have to that aren’t the main focus of this post. 

What’s important is that Amazon showed how quickly people adapt to the situation, and how companies need to get on board with that adaptation. 

Pandemics And Ecommerce and The Changing World 

The mouthful adaptation we talked about before is digital technology. 

Consumers, seeing everything locked down, started to flock towards eCommerce stores. 

Of course, by that time, Amazon was the prime name in eCommerce so it makes sense that Amazon would rise to the top during the pandemic.

Because of the lessons learned by the pandemic, companies are now moving towards making their offerings more digital-savvy. 

A big part of that is making themselves relatable and entertaining to the audience. 

Entertaining. That’s the keyword here. With everyone just advertising their services out there, how can you stand apart from the competition? 

One of the answers, and one which warrants serious attention is the concept of video commerce and entertainment content mixed with eCommerce. 

Let’s give a couple of examples of where I’m coming from. 

The Netflix Effect

One of the best examples of mixing entertainment with eCommerce comes with the Netflix effect. 

It just shows how much an influential movie series or TV show can affect the purchase of a particular eCommerce product.

We’ve got two examples. 

Months before the writing of this post, we saw a hit Netflix show called Queen’s Gambit. Having themes related to chess, the series saw a rise in searches and sales for chess boards. 

Queen’s Gambit’s success is a prime example of how even a niche product can see a rise in sales.

Now, let’s talk about tracksuits. With the recent hype of the Netflix series Squid Game, we saw a rise in the sales of green tracksuits. A major plot element of the series, the tracksuits, all of a sudden, became a major selling item for companies.

While Netflix is the prime streaming service available all across the world, that isn’t to say that this effect is only exclusive to Netflix. Most movies and TV shows have this effect. 

The point of this is to show just how influential entertainment can be for commerce. With the right product placement, you can achieve a lot. 

The Rise of Live Streaming and YouTube

Live Streaming is on the rise. From YouTube to Twitch, and more, the platforms for broadcasting yourself are endless. 

While YouTube may not be a prime contender for live streaming, it’s a platform with a huge audience.

This trend isn’t just in the west. Eastern audiences are quite big on live streaming as well. Everyone, from hobbyists to professionals, and more can earn a living or a side-income through these platforms’ partnership programs.  

Through the program, of course, companies can advertise their products and services. These are displayed in a particular partner’s video. 

But with the recent reduction in Google AdSense payments, creators have found a workaround: sponsorships.

“This video is sponsored by X. Click on the link below to get a discount coupon”.

You’ve probably heard this in YouTube videos, and know the concept too. Some of the sponsors even advertise their products directly throughout the video as well. GFuel is a good example of a company that partners with YouTube and Twitch creators to advertise their products online.

In both the cases we’ve mentioned above, you can see a combination of entertainment mixed with the aspect of commerce. 

Sponsoring a YouTube channel, or a single video presents a win-win situation for an eCommerce store. 

Outside of YouTube, there are many other platforms you can use to promote your business. 

Platforms like TikTok, which has amassed massive popularity, also have a huge user base that you can use to advertise your products. 

As an eCommerce store looking to advertise its brands and products, you can use these influencers as a stepping stone. 

Of course, it will come at a cost, but considering how quickly Tik Tok and YouTube videos go viral, there are plenty of chances that you’ll start to sell more of your products through sponsorships. 

Using Video Content to Your Advantage 

Okay, let’s take an example of this where you cut out the influencer and become the influencer yourself. That is, use entertainment commerce to your direct advantage. 

You’re an eCommerce bookstore. You’re a brand name that wants to sell more. 

Now, you can get book sales and conversions if you follow a good enough technical SEO and content marketing strategy. But here’s the thing: the eCommerce market for books is already saturated and it’ll be hard for you to sell the products through a single channel. 

You decide to take the multi-channel approach and use platforms like TikTok and YouTube to promote your books. 

Through video reviews and analysis videos, you can start to gain traction for your YouTube or TikTok account. Of course, it won’t be easy when you’re first starting, but eventually, both platforms’ algorithms come to the rescue by showcasing your videos to a category of like-minded viewers. 

Besides the channels we’ve already discussed, there are also platforms like Instagram and Twitch you can use to promote your products. 

The only caveat to this is that you need to understand what you’re selling. The goal is to be knowledgeable about your product. 

This allows you to be unique on the platforms that you’ll be implementing your entertainment commerce strategy. The factor of “uniqueness” is very important to these platforms since it enables users to watch your content. 

The more engaging your content, the more your watch time and the more traffic you can get to your store. 

In the long run, not only can it get you more sales, but it can help you establish yourself as an influencer in your niche. 

The Future Is Entertainment Commerce 

Entertainment commerce is the future of eCommerce. 

There are ample opportunities for you to get started on the concept and it’s about time you do so. With the right entertainment commerce, you can get up and running with your eCommerce strategy quickly, and create new and innovative purchasing experiences. 

A good example of this comes from beauty YouTubers who try on new cosmetic products in their videos. They’ve specifically partnered with the likes of these companies to promote these products. 

In the middle of trying out the product, they’ll display a link in YouTube cards, and give users a way to purchase those products. 

Seeing the amount of traffic and views these YouTubers get, it comes as no surprise that this promotional method is a win-win for both the sponsor and the sponsored. 

While some strategies might just be confined to a particular region, entertainment commerce holds no such bounds. It’s a multinational concept that works whether you’re in Beijing, New York, or London. 

Why wouldn’t it work? With the market being saturated enough as it is for a variety of different products, it makes sense to be innovative. 

This comes under the major umbrella of influencer marketing. It moves away from the dull shopping experience and gives you beneficial returns in the long run. 

With entertainment commerce, it’s all about getting the much-needed traffic. Afterward, it’s all about conversion rate optimization and how you can convert the traffic into paying customers. 

If you’re looking to get your traffic converted, you need a high-quality website. Because of that, you can contact Codup’s eCommerce development services. 

This will help you provide the much-needed website experience for your incoming audience to convert.