ort-form videos and live streams of their favourite make-up looks, techniques and skincare routines, plus incredibly popular unboxing videos of beauty hauls.

Real people sharing content is part of the appeal. Live-streamed beauty routines enable others to find content creators with similar skin types and preferences. It can be challenging to shop for beauty products when you’re not familiar with a brand or how it will look or feel on your skin, and live streaming provides real-time interaction. Written reviews just aren’t the same.

The app’s community is predominantly female, with 65 per cent of its members aged between 16 and 24. On average, viewers are spending about 20 minutes a day in the app, watching and interacting with videos. During special sales events, the app generates more than $60 for every minute a host broadcasts live, data shows.

Recently, Supergreat raised $10 million to develop its platform further, as live streaming is fast becoming a preferred medium for watching content online. Brands and retailers are vying for the opportunity to be part of the app’s community, which enables viewers to shop the products featured in live streams and 60-second videos. 

Ulta Beauty joined the Supergreat app earlier this year as a way of experimenting with live-stream shopping. The brand sees this as an opportunity to connect with fans regularly and already hosts more than 25 live streams featuring beauty influencers. Supergreat also enables Ulta Beauty to take viewers on virtual in-store visits to inform shoppers about the latest products.

Gamification and edutainment

Various traditional marketing methods are becoming redundant, due to advances in technology and shorter attention spans. This is forcing brands to think creatively and prioritise engagement and the result is often increased loyalty and trust from their shoppers. 

A fun way for brands to stand out is by gamifying the purchase journey and incentivising visitors to interact with an app regularly to earn rewards. 

The Supergreat app encourages both content creators and viewers to earn Supercoins. This is achieved by participating in challenges: inviting friends to join the app, collecting views as a content creator, and performing audience interactions in live stream videos. The in-app currency can be used to redeem beauty products featured in Supergreat’s daily drops. This helps develop a self-perpetuating ecosystem of content creators, which is fantastic for viewers, brands and Supergreat. 

People engage more with video product reviews on social media than with text. Brands and retailers can educate consumers on the latest products and experiences their businesses have to offer in a shorter amount of time. 

ShopShare: Shoppable experts

Influencers have carved out a niche in marketing when it comes to spruiking products; however, there is still demand for advice and tips from experienced professionals. 

Australian fashion tech startup ShopShare has formed a community where stylists can create shoppable videos and mood boards. The online tool enables stylists to showcase the latest trends and styles by retailers you can purchase from directly. 

There are major benefits for the stylists, as ShopShare is currently the only place they can talk about trends and outfits while including items from retailers people can access either at a local shopping centre or conveniently online. The platform bridges the divide between fashion inspiration websites and e-commerce that has existed for some time. 

Power to the people

It’s clear why the beauty and fashion industries have been quick to adopt shoppable video and live streaming. These channels encourage high engagement and interaction while being community driven, highlighting the value of user-generated content. Anyone from anywhere can create content about products they like and dislike. It’s all about real reviews and opinions. Something many of us welcome when what we’re seeing and hearing online from brands and influencers may not be so authentic after all. 

Beauty fans are seeking genuine, unbiased product reviews. Young people want to express themselves genuinely and share their experiences. They’re breaking down assumptions that online videos need to be polished and highly edited to appeal to an audience. 

Shopping is evolving constantly to be multifaceted and inclusive. Platforms such as Supergreat and ShopShare are exactly what’s needed to bring all voices to the forefront. 

We’re in a new era of retail and shoppers are the ones in charge.