Is live-selling a panacea for retail restrictions?

Global real estate services firm Cushman & Wakefield has summarised a year of live-selling in Klif shopping centres as part of its Online2Offline project.

In 2020, more than 30 live-selling projects based on a mixed model (Facebook and Instagram) were carried out in Klif shopping centres in Warsaw and Gdynia to bolster retail sales in both locations despite considerable retail restrictions introduced throughout last year. More than a million unique users were contacted with a fashion offer, which boosted footfall levels and conversion rates in fashion stores whose retail offer was promoted. Retailers who took advantage of this form of promotion as part of the Tenant Support Programme, carried out by the Asset Services team of Cushman & Wakefield, included Pinko, Patrizia Pepe, Liu Jo, Deni Cler, Max Mara, United Colors of Benetton, Marella, Robert Kupisz, Martes Sport, Tous, N.Nagel, Apia, Charme, Marciano Guess, Elisabetta Franchi, Luisa Spagnoli, and others. Live-selling via social media accounts of both Klif shopping centres was very positively received by customers and appreciated by tenants.

-The live show in our Patrizia Pepe showroom was very positively received by our customers and employees. It was a modern way of promoting our brand and an excellent opportunity to present our collection – comments Katarzyna Warzała, Head of the Patrizia Pepe showroom in Klif Shopping Centre Gdynia.

-Livestreaming from a store is a superb and unique way of blending e-commerce with traditional retailing. Professional styling advice from a hostess of a streaming session is an added value – adds Dominik Gawroński, Retail Manager, GPoland Group, representing such brands as Elisabetta Franchi, Cocinelle, Luisa Spagnoli and Paul&Shark in the Klif Fashion House in Warsaw.

In 2019, Cushman & Wakefield was the first property manager in Poland to take measures to drive retail conversion rates in order to attract online traffic to offline shopping centres. Online2offine measures, and live-selling in particular, proved remarkably effective in marketing as they increased awareness of a unique offer in fashion lovers looking for inspiration online on the one hand, and translated into higher turnover levels in brick-and-mortar stores, on the other. Livestreaming cycles where stylists from both shopping centres promoted a limited offer of high-end brands and applied creative mechanisms converting internet users to shoppers frequently resulted in a double-digit increase in turnover in physical stores.

-We look to the future with hope as the activities we are undertaking in consultation with landlords and tenants are producing measurable effects and translating directly into higher conversation rates and store turnover levels. The future of retail is not only about omnichannel communication and e-commerce growth. For brick-and-mortar retailing, it is about providing unique experiences and additional services in shopping centres, as well as creating a comfortable shopping experience with an opportunity to collect items in a physical store at a convenient time. In 2020, amidst a difficult retail environment, we undertook a range of online2offline activities in shopping centres under our management to support tenants in their in-store sales through a hybrid model whose significant conversion element included live-selling via social media underpinned by the strength of recommendations from stylists and influencers. Klif tenants are immensely interested in such initiatives, which confirms us in our view that the focus both on online promotion and sales and on driving customers into physical stores is the right way forward. That’s why we will step up our activities in this area, offering shoppers a generous package of benefits – says Sylwia Wiszowata-Łazarz, Associate Director, Cushman & Wakefield.

Author:

Cushman & Wakefield

Last Updated on April 16, 2021 by Karolina Ampulska