Live Selling 101: Essential Tools For 'That' Unique Experience

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Video Camera, Lenses, Gimbals, Gorilla pod, Monopods, Light Reflectors, Editing Console…

This endless list is most probably the answer you might get when you ask a professional videographer -

“What equipment do you need for live selling”

Some people who have an online store and have a towering passion for live selling often give up on their wish to go live. The above answer(or wrong answer!) is definitely one of the reasons for that. These people assume that live selling is a huge investment and it can end up burning a big hole in their pockets.

But is it really true? Do you really need all these live selling tools to become a pro?

The answer is a resounding NO!

Agreed, live selling is no child’s play. You are dealing with tons of viewers, and each of them could be your potential customer as long as their experience is vivid, immediate, and visually contextual. But that doesn’t mean you have to spend thousands of dollars on equipment to offer that experience.

All that you need is the right mentality and enthusiasm to conduct live selling, along with some basic live selling tools that are readily available. Here’s what you actually need if you plan to go live -

Smartphone

Not everyone will be able to invest in high-end cameras. Don’t hit the panic button yet; you have the most convenient solution to this problem with you; you just haven’t realized it yet. Just go ahead and start shooting with your smartphone!

Yes, you heard it right - that tiny little instrument in your pocket is the first thing you need for live selling. Most new-age smartphones come with excellent video capturing capabilities, and it creates an up-close and personal experience for the customer.

However, using a smartphone has certain downsides as well. The possibility of a shaky camera, bad audio, and bad lighting can occur while using a smartphone. These glitches can negatively affect the customer experience.

While conducting a live sale, it is important that you must present your products seamlessly. After all, a poor-quality video that lags or stutters won’t appeal to any of the viewers. It will eventually lead to drop-offs, which would affect the sale and your reputation. Luckily, we have a simple and affordable solution for that too, and it is called a -

Tripod

Once you have decided to use your smartphone to conduct a live sale, the next equipment you must acquire without fail is a tripod. During a time when mobile content consumption is at an all-time high, the last thing people want to see is a blurry and unsteady video.

A tripod will eliminate these problems by positioning and stabilizing the camera. You must also make sure that you are using a tripod mount to fix your smartphone to the tripod. The mount will facilitate both horizontal (landscape) and vertical (portrait) filming.

For optimizing your video for mobile views, it is advisable to shoot your sale in portrait mode. A tripod is an indispensable asset for anyone planning to conduct a live sale. Wide varieties of tripods are available in the market, and you can opt for the one that fits your budget.

External Microphone

How often have you gotten annoyed with disruptive static and echo while listening to something? Your viewers will feel the same if they cannot hear you properly while explaining the product features.

A key driver of a live sale is the explanation part, where the customers will be listening closely to you. As they cannot feel the product physically, they try to give more importance to the visual and verbal elements.

You can also choose a filming location that is extremely quiet without any background noise, which is the cheaper option. On the other hand, by getting an external mic, you can instantly improve the customer experience and provide them with crystal clear audio.

In summary, an external microphone is an absolute must-have in your set of tools for a live sale for delivering the best sound quality.

Lighting

Conducting a live sale is all about exciting the customers by showcasing your product’s features. How will you excite them if they are unable to see the product properly? Although most modern-day smartphones can shoot high-quality videos, even in dim light settings, using an external light source add to the appeal of the video.

Filming in a location with good natural lighting would be ideal, and some people might find it even authentic. However, even there, additional lighting will help you present your products more professionally.

Getting a ring light or a lighting kit should do the trick; both are affordable and convenient at the same time.

Live Selling Platform

Now that the hardware part is sorted, you need to understand the application that you need to go live. Luckily, most live-selling platforms are free for use. This includes Facebook Live, Amazon Live, and YouTube Live. However, these platforms often create a low intent to purchase for the viewers. Also, switching from these platforms to email to invoice turns out to be very tiring for most viewers, inducing drop-offs at various points.

However, if you are an existing Vajro customer, you need not worry about these cons. Vajro is tightly inter-wound with Shopify that ensures your users’ entire buying experience stays within the same platform. Your customers can view the products, add them to the cart, make payment, and finally receive an automated invoice, all within Vajro. Such a wholesome experience reduces drop-offs significantly.

To know more about Vajro’s live selling feature, click here.

Extras

You are almost there. A smartphone coupled with a tripod, an external mic,  sufficient lighting, and a platform like Vajro will ideally help you conduct a live sale. Nevertheless, there are some more essentials that you must not forget before venturing out into the world of live selling.

1. Good internet connection: At the end of the day, the audio and video quality will be as good as your internet connection. It would be best if you opted for a high-speed internet connection that will give you the most seamless stream.
2. Cleaning solution & wipes for your camera lens: We tend to forget how many times we touch our smartphones in a day. There are high chances of smudge marks or grease forming over the camera lens, which will make the video blurry. You must wipe the camera lens properly every time before a shoot.
3. Power Bank: You don’t want to be left red-faced in the midst of the sale when your phone battery suddenly runs out, do you? A power bank or a portable charger is the most basic equipment that you must possess as it will save you from several embarrassing scenarios and help you conduct smooth live sales.

Summary

In this new and unique age of digital experiences, producing live videos doesn’t have to be complicated. Your smartphone has all the prerequisites for a decent online broadcast. But it is also important to give a 360 degrees shopping experience for your viewers. Facebook live selling and Instagram live shopping might not be sufficient.

This is where Vajro can help. You can start a live selling session instantly right from your Vajro dashboard and go through a one-of-a-kind selling experience! Using Vajro, you can also bring that added value to your content production efforts and deliver an experience that your viewers always longed for.

To get started, talk to our experts now.

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