Consumer behaviour has always been a moving target for brands and businesses alike. Now, with mobile devices blurring the lines between online and offline shopping, consumers can make purchases anytime, anywhere, while prioritising convenience, authenticity, and forging a genuine connection with brands.
This shift has fuelled explosive growth in Asia Pacific’s e-commerce sector, making it the fastest-growing market globally. Home to about 4.8 billion people, the region presents a US$1 trillion Shoppertainment opportunity for businesses to connect with an increasingly discerning audience.
Research shows that consumers increasingly trust recommendations from brands and influencers that they follow, with 79 per cent inspired to shop by content that emphasises the value of a product over discounts. In this changing landscape, four shopper personas have emerged that brands must consider:
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Bargain hunters, who actively seek the best deals to maximise value;
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Effortless shoppers, who prioritise convenience and efficiency;
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Inspirational shoppers, who discover and share new products, influencing others; and
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Purposeful shoppers, who value mindful consumption.
Understanding these personas is crucial, especially during year-round shopping events like Super Brand Days, single- and double-digit days, and major sales such as 11.11, 12.12, and Black Friday, when consumers typically make larger purchases than usual.
Drive consistent sales growth by building your Hero SKUs
The first step that businesses need to undertake in engaging these personas online will be to strategically develop products into high-demand, best-selling hero stock-keeping units (SKUs). These are products that gain popularity through organic discovery and endorsements by creators and consumers alike, achieving a minimum of 30 daily orders in the last month. Throughout the year, Hero SKUs are crucial for driving consistent sales growth and enhancing product visibility.
While local shopping seasons may vary, brands can depend on these SKUs to perform effectively during key shopping events, such as monthly campaign days and double-date sales across the region. This concept applies to all product categories, and helps to ensure that brands maintain a strong product offering that resonates with consumers.
Once these Hero SKUs are established, brands can take it a notch higher by utilising ads to reach high-intent shoppers and drive impressive sales performance – leading top-performing SKUs to achieve over 100 daily orders and advance to the ‘Super Hero’ stage of their product lifecycle through effective promotional strategies, such as TikTok’s LIVE feature.
Also Read: The evolution and regulation of social commerce in Indonesia: The TikTok Shop ban
A great example is Nestlé, one of the world’s leading multinational Food and Beverage (F&B) corporations, which has elevated its position as a leading brand in the industry through a campaign on TikTok. During TikTok Shop’s 4.4 Summer Raya Campaign, Nestlé leveraged a combination of campaign-exclusive product listings, extended livestreams, and strategic Shop Ads to showcase its agility and innovation in the digital marketplace. As a result, when compared with a F&B category benchmark, it emerged as the top brand, achieving a 1.9x gross merchandise value (GMV) uplift and a 2.1x order uplift for the 4.4 campaign.
The first step that businesses need to undertake in engaging these personas online will be to strategically develop products into high-demand, best-selling hero stock-keeping units (SKUs). These are products that gain popularity through organic discovery and endorsements by creators and consumers alike, achieving a minimum of 30 daily orders in the last month. Throughout the year, Hero SKUs are crucial for driving consistent sales growth and enhancing product visibility.
While local shopping seasons may vary, brands can depend on these SKUs to perform effectively during key shopping events, such as monthly campaign days and double-date sales across the region. This concept applies to all product categories, and helps to ensure that brands maintain a strong product offering that resonates with consumers.
Once these Hero SKUs are established, brands can take it a notch higher by utilising ads to reach high-intent shoppers and drive impressive sales performance – leading top-performing SKUs to achieve over 100 daily orders and advance to the ‘Super Hero’ stage of their product lifecycle through effective promotional strategies, such as TikTok’s LIVE feature.
Also Read: The evolution and regulation of social commerce in Indonesia: The TikTok Shop ban
Converting engagement into a sale with LIVE
Beyond growing products into high-demand, best-selling SKUs, livestream selling has proven to be another powerful driver of consumer engagement and purchases in SEA. A recent study with Kantar reveals that consumers online are 1.9x more likely to shop on entertainment apps as compared to non-users.
Therefore, having a fully integrated, seamless purchasing journey directly within the app, can significantly boost a brand’s sales. This means the entire transaction for a product can be conducted within the platform, eliminating the need for users to be redirected to an external website or apps.
Brands can leverage two key strategies to drive success in today’s e-commerce landscape. First, going ‘LIVE’ can accelerate order growth, delivering stable GMV and higher return on ad spend. On TikTok, LIVE generates over 40 per cent of the top-tier sellers’ GMV, helping brands expand their presence and engagement. Additionally, the adoption of LIVE Shopping Ads (LSA) can boost sales performance, with those using LSA seeing a 150 per cent increase in GMV after implementing the ad solution.
To maximise LSA’s potential, brands should participate in regular LIVE events, major events like Double Days and Payday, and smaller events like the Mid-month Sale. This consistent engagement across various LIVE formats can drive substantial sales growth and sustain momentum throughout the shopping cycle.
Also Read: Move over social commerce: The conversational commerce renaissance is here
Beyond growing products into high-demand, best-selling SKUs, livestream selling has proven to be another powerful driver of consumer engagement and purchases in SEA. A recent study with Kantar reveals that consumers online are 1.9x more likely to shop on entertainment apps as compared to non-users.
Therefore, having a fully integrated, seamless purchasing journey directly within the app, can significantly boost a brand’s sales. This means the entire transaction for a product can be conducted within the platform, eliminating the need for users to be redirected to an external website or apps.
Brands can leverage two key strategies to drive success in today’s e-commerce landscape. First, going ‘LIVE’ can accelerate order growth, delivering stable GMV and higher return on ad spend. On TikTok, LIVE generates over 40 per cent of the top-tier sellers’ GMV, helping brands expand their presence and engagement. Additionally, the adoption of LIVE Shopping Ads (LSA) can boost sales performance, with those using LSA seeing a 150 per cent increase in GMV after implementing the ad solution.
To maximise LSA’s potential, brands should participate in regular LIVE events, major events like Double Days and Payday, and smaller events like the Mid-month Sale. This consistent engagement across various LIVE formats can drive substantial sales growth and sustain momentum throughout the shopping cycle.
Also Read: Move over social commerce: The conversational commerce renaissance is here
Building connections for long-term success
Malaysian fashion brand ZUCCA made a strong impact during the 2023 mega sales by leveraging full-funnel solutions and Shop Ads, creator livestreams, and seller vouchers. This strategy led to a 19.4 per cent improvement in bidding efficiency for Shop Ads, an 8.3 per cent reduction in cost per acquisition, and a 9.5 per cent increase in conversion rates, helping ZUCCA expand its reach and engagement.
As consumer behaviour continues to evolve, it’s essential for brands to understand and address diverse consumer needs to capture and retain market share. Tailoring marketing strategies to incorporate LIVE, hero SKUs and creator partnerships will see better engagement with different shopper personas, building loyalty and fostering long-term relationships.
At the end of the day, having a multi-faceted approach focused on creating meaningful connections, will enable brands to thrive in a competitive market—not only by driving immediate sales but, more importantly, by building a loyal customer base for sustainable growth.
With the opportunities available today, brands have a unique advantage to propel their sales to new peaks of success previously uncharted. It is crucial that they remain agile and adapt to these digital innovations to meet shifting consumer expectations in the rapidly evolving landscape.
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Editor’s note: e27 aims to foster thought leadership by publishing views from the community. Share your opinion by submitting an article, video, podcast, or infographic.
Join us on Instagram, Facebook, X, and LinkedIn to stay connected.
Image courtesy: Canva Pro
Malaysian fashion brand ZUCCA made a strong impact during the 2023 mega sales by leveraging full-funnel solutions and Shop Ads, creator livestreams, and seller vouchers. This strategy led to a 19.4 per cent improvement in bidding efficiency for Shop Ads, an 8.3 per cent reduction in cost per acquisition, and a 9.5 per cent increase in conversion rates, helping ZUCCA expand its reach and engagement.
As consumer behaviour continues to evolve, it’s essential for brands to understand and address diverse consumer needs to capture and retain market share. Tailoring marketing strategies to incorporate LIVE, hero SKUs and creator partnerships will see better engagement with different shopper personas, building loyalty and fostering long-term relationships.
At the end of the day, having a multi-faceted approach focused on creating meaningful connections, will enable brands to thrive in a competitive market—not only by driving immediate sales but, more importantly, by building a loyal customer base for sustainable growth.
With the opportunities available today, brands have a unique advantage to propel their sales to new peaks of success previously uncharted. It is crucial that they remain agile and adapt to these digital innovations to meet shifting consumer expectations in the rapidly evolving landscape.
—
Editor’s note: e27 aims to foster thought leadership by publishing views from the community. Share your opinion by submitting an article, video, podcast, or infographic.
Join us on Instagram, Facebook, X, and LinkedIn to stay connected.
Image courtesy: Canva Pro
The post Elevating your e-commerce strategies with livestreaming and hero products appeared first on e27.
Consumer behaviour has always been a moving target for brands and businesses alike. Now, with mobile devices blurring the lines between online and offline shopping, consumers can make purchases anytime, anywhere, while prioritising convenience, authenticity, and forging a genuine connection with brands. This shift has fuelled explosive growth in Asia Pacific’s e-commerce sector, making it
The post Elevating your e-commerce strategies with livestreaming and hero products appeared first on e27. Community, Consumer, E-commerce, Entertainment, Marketplace, e-commerce e27