Your live selling advantage as a small business owner

Your livestream gives your audience a peek behind the curtain of your business and your products. Viewers get to see your homes and personal lives in the background. This intimacy is something that large brands and department stores cannot do.

And one way this advantage shows is through returns. Live-stream shoppers are 50 percent less likely to return an item than other online shoppers, according to Coresight data. That's because your shoppers view you as a real person and not a faceless corporate entity.

“I used to be really polished when we started,” said Hélène Desmettre, who streams from her basement in northern New Jersey. “I didn’t dare to be funny or go outside of my bubble. But now, it feels like I’m talking with friends.”

Studio-quality level filming is thus a turnoff. Your live sale is the opposite of a glossy QVC. Your live sale is authentic and much more credible. And that is why your viewers find you more interesting. Livestreams that are over-produced can detract from that all-important element of authenticity.

In fact see what Lisa Mason, a jewelry designer and former QVC host, has to say about livestream selling at home vs QVC:

“QVC is highly produced — we’re in a professional studio, there’s a director, a producer, backstage people, and we also have product that’s been decided for us; in essence, we are simply a presenter at QVC,” said Mason. “What is different with livestreaming is that [the host] gets to have more control, and it’s a beautiful thing. The presenter can present not just the product but their personality in their home setting. People love it, they love peering into your life, they love that connection.”

So use this intimacy and character to your advantage. Call out your viewers by name and thank them for joining.

Here's what a recent first-time shopper of a Facebook Live said “The live stream was more personal than regular online shopping. You can ask questions about the product. It let me know exactly what I would be getting.”

This is your advantage as a small business owner.