Dive Brief:
- Last week, livestream shopping platform Buywith announced a partnership with Ulta Beauty, according to details sent to Retail Dive.
- Through the partnership, Ulta Beauty brand partners will be able to host live shopping experiences on the retailer’s website. It Cosmetics was the first to use the new offering with live events that began June 29 on Ulta’s site.
- The livestream partnership gives brands a new way to interact with Ulta’s customer base, which could help product discovery and expand brand reach.
Dive Insight:
Live shopping has existed for some time now with television programs like QVC and HSN. With social media and live video capabilities, in recent years live shopping has once again risen in popularity among consumers. Livestream shopping also saw increased engagement during the pandemic and retailers continue to experiment with it.
"We believe live shopping is an exciting touchpoint to engage beauty enthusiasts in meaningful, actionable ways,” Senior Director of Digital Innovation at Ulta Beauty Agustina Sartori, said in a statement. “Having found success with Buywith during the holiday season, it was a natural next step to experiment further and bring our brand partners into the programming where appropriate. We are excited to test, learn, and optimize in yet another touchpoint where beauty lovers are actively browsing."
According to a report by Coresight Research and Bambuser, the U.S. livestream shopping market is set to reach $31.7 billion by the end of the year. Retailers typically opt for platforms with livestreaming capabilities such as YouTube, Instagram, Amazon and a brand’s own site. Last year, Walmart announced an expanded partnership with the platform Talkshoplive consisting of eight new livestream events.
Buywith has worked with retailers in the past like Saks Fifth Avenue, H&M, Forever 21 and others, according to its site. The platform offers a dashboard for brands with stats such as the top items added to carts, real-time viewers and the average time spent per user.
Ulta has hosted livestream shopping events before the partnership, according to its site. Past sessions include one on “Gifts at Every Price Point ” hosted by influencer Amy Chang and “Holiday Travel Must-Haves" with the founder of hair care brand Rizos Curls, Julissa Prado.
According to its site, Ulta has another livestream shopping event on July 26 with Too Faced. Hosted by Too Faced Field Executive Melissa Yvette, the event will focus exclusively on lip and eyelash products from the brand.
