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Shopatainment is a term coined by Andreessen Horowitz’s Connie Chan in one of her recent articles ‘Shopatainment: Video Shopping as Entertainment’. Chan describes this new phenomenon as “when sellers leverage video over photos to sell products, and where buyers browse seller videos as if they’re switching TV stations, looking for entertainment.”
These upgraded buying experiences make shopping fun for the customers and are particularly attractive for Gen Z, the true digital natives. The most digitally and technically advanced generation is eager to construct a lifestyle based on their favorite brands. Millennials are at the forefront of live video shopping, which is already an industry in itself in Asia.
Chan draws a striking parallel between Asia and the U.S: live shopping is already a $137 billion industry in China while total digital ad spend in the U.S. only added up to $135 billion in 2020. Chan predicts this movement is not a fad but a groundbreaking development successful online retailers will have to adopt in the future. Live video shopping platforms such as Bambuser are spearheading the movement by providing the software for businesses entering the next phase of ecommerce.
The author also lists her own key takeaways on how to claim your future space and be a thought leader in the shopatainment business. Besides investing in the production, the most innovative retailers need to emotionally connect with their customers and focus on great storytelling. “In the coming years, I believe we’ll see a video shopping revolution, one with multiple winners and a full-fledged ecosystem to support it”, concludes Chan.
Read the full article on Andreessen Horowitz
