As many PR professionals know, the sector is constantly evolving. For an agency, it is essential to stay informed about new trends and anticipate them. Take influencer marketing as an example: a few years ago, it was practically unknown, and today, it has become a cornerstone of public relations.

One of the top rising PR trends in 2024 is social commerce, which has a projected worth of $1.7 trillion dollars for the year (source).

To support our client MUST’s recent store opening in downtown Toronto we tapped into this trend by partnering with beloved media property BlogTO to launch a live shopping event. Live shopping has been popular in Asia for quite some time, with about half of South East Asia’s population saying they watch a livestream at least once a week (source) but is growing across North America. Brands like Facebook, Twitter/X, Amazon, Shopify and Walmart Canada are all launching live shopping streams. BlogTo launched live shopping on June 4^th 2024, and MUST was the first furniture shop to partner with them.

Designing the experience

The primary goal was to create an immersive and engaging experience that would spotlight the new MUST boutique and its products. We worked closely with BlogTO to design a live virtual tour of the store, during which the MUST team would showcase affordable and stylish finds from their collection.

To maximize impact, we identified flagship products that best represent the MUST brand and could pique viewers’ interest. The idea was to allow the MUST team to share their expertise and passion for the products while interacting directly with online viewers.

Implementation

On the day of the event, the BlogTO team set up live streaming equipment in the MUST store in Downtown Toronto. The MUST team guided viewers through different sections of the store, highlighting the most popular and new items. The live stream allowed viewers to ask questions and receive real-time answers, creating a dynamic and authentic interaction.

We also used social media to promote the event in advance, posting teasers and reminders on MUST’s account. This strategy helped generate excitement and attract a larger audience on the day of the event.

Results

The live shopping experience was a resounding success. Here are some notable results:

• Increased Visibility: Viewers spent a total of 1,313,330 minutes watching, with an average watch time of 9 minutes, 50 seconds per user for the live video and 2 minutes, 45 seconds per user for the replay. The peak concurrent views of the live video reached 765. The video also generated 83 product clicks.
• Boost in Sales: The MUST store saw more than 15 new sales coming directly from the live shopping event, with a notable rise in sales of the products featured during the live stream.

This live shopping experience with BlogTO demonstrated the effectiveness of innovative public relations strategies. By leveraging current trends and creating engaging experiences, we successfully increased visibility and sales for our client MUST in Toronto. This case study perfectly illustrates the importance of staying at the forefront of PR trends and seizing opportunities to promote our clients creatively and impactfully.

If you are interested in similar strategies for your business, do not hesitate to contact us. We look forward to collaborating with you to create PR campaigns that make a difference.