6 reasons why online shopping events will become increasingly relevant

Sep 12, 2023

As online shopping becomes more popular, online retailers are finding it increasingly difficult to keep up with a deepening competitive field. In order to stay competitive, they need to find new and innovative ways to bring in customers. One strategy quickly gaining popularity is hosting online shopping events. Online shopping events allow customers to browse and shop from the comfort of their own home, and they often offer great deals and discounts. These events are quickly becoming the preferred way for consumers to shop, and online retailers who don't offer this experience may find themselves left behind.

While online shopping events are nothing new, they are becoming more and more popular as time goes on. This is because they offer a convenient and hassle-free way for consumers to shop. In addition, online retailers often offer great deals and discounts at these events, which makes them even more appealing. As virtual shopping becomes more popular, online shopping events will become more relevant and key to companies' marketing strategies. Online retailers who don't offer this experience will be at a disadvantage.

If you're an online retailer, it's time to start thinking about how you can incorporate online shopping events into your marketing strategy. In this article we’ll explain 6 main reasons why it's a good idea for your business to start your venture into online shopping events, if you haven’t already.

1. Scalable

The easier, more sustainable and cost-effective it is for your company to replicate events or replicate content and the interactions it can have in different formats to suit the different needs of your customers, the more profitable it will be for your business. These platforms allow your marketing team to organize events in minutes and duplicate them as many times as you want without significantly increasing efforts translated into money or time.

2. Higher ROI and lower costs

Virtual shopping events also have the incredible advantage of saving a lot of your on-site event budget. You reduce costs in catering, hotel rental, booth, POP material, among other expenses. Also, since virtual shopping events lower your cost per customer, you have the opportunity to increase the number of attendees to your event and redirect your budget to expanding your digital marketing campaigns. This will help you improve your ROI metrics and expand your efforts to improve your conversion metrics.

3. Broader audience

Virtual events don’t just benefit you—they also benefit your attendees. Virtual events are highly accessible. They break geographical barriers, and, as we mentioned before, reduce many costs for attendees including the cost of admission and travel expenses. Attendees who previously wouldn’t have been able to attend an in-person event due to distance and budget restrictions will find it easier to attend an online event in the comfort of their own home. In addition, they allow or facilitate the participation of people with mobility disabilities. By being able to add subtitles, audio assistance or sign language in most of the formats of the event's content.

4. Content is king

With the optimization in time, money and logistics, your team will be able to focus their efforts on improving the content that will be shown during the event. In addition, you can anticipate the type of interaction you want your audience to have with the different formats in which you present your content, you can dynamize your event to increase the participation of your viewers with surveys, contests, quizzes, among others. What’s more, you can invest more time in the narrative sequence that will take your customers or potential customers by the hand during the event, allowing you greater control of the information they digest and retain their attention for longer. With virtual events you will have greater control of what you want to portray with your content, and it will be of great benefit if you accompany it with a good business strategy.

5. Better networking

Having a virtual platform for events at hand allows your customers to connect in the most convenient way for them, either through forums, calls or chats, in which they can participate in specific topics or more open sessions. These channels make it easy to follow conversations between all participants once a connection has been established. Moreover, connecting exhibitors with clients or sponsors is a key piece for your event, virtuality allows each attendee to know at their own pace each booth or each sponsor's guideline according to their topics of interest.

6. Real-time feedback

Contrary to a face-to-face event, holding a virtual event not only allows you to obtain data during the registration of the event, but you can also acquire metrics that will help you in your future events, such as real-time attendance, heat maps in the areas most frequented by attendees, the most downloaded content, the speakers with the highest participation rate among others. All these metrics will give your business analytics great accuracy and consequently it will improve your sales and marketing strategy.

Virtual shopping events, on specialized platforms, have allowed the development of new approaches towards interaction with consumers. It has become easier for your company to achieve its marketing objectives such as increasing brand awareness, generating new leads, increasing customer loyalty or creating new business opportunities with other companies, among others.

Also, they have become a sustainable sales strategy since they have allowed a reduction in costs derived from the logistics of a face-to-face event. If you're an online retailer, it's time to start thinking about how you can incorporate online shopping events into your business model. This is the future of online shopping, and those who don't adapt will be left behind. Don't let your business fall behind the times – start planning your online shopping event today!

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5 ways to promote your online event and attract your target audience

07 Nov, 2023

Organizing an online event can be a great way to connect with your target audience, promote your brand, and build a community around your product or service. However, with so many online events happening these days, you might be wondering how you can make yours stand out from the pack. So, it's more important than ever to make sure your event draws attention to and attracts your target audience. Here are some tips for promoting your online event: 1. Utilize social media Social media is a great way to promote your online event and reach your target audience. You can start by creating an event page on each social media platform that suits your business and include all the pertinent details such as the date, time, location, and a brief description of what your event is all about. Also, you can create a unique hashtag for your event and start promoting it on all your social media channels in the weeks leading up to the event. Be sure to also add and use other relevant and trending hashtags so that people searching for events like yours can find it easily. Additionally, consider creating promotional videos or graphics to post on your social media platforms. Paid advertising on social media to reach an even wider audience and is a great strategy to grab people's attention and give them a better idea of what your event is all about. When creating your ads, be sure to target them specifically to your target audience. 2. Send email invitations Email invitations are another great way to promote your online event and reach your target audience. Include all the important details about the event in the invitation, and make sure to personalize the message so that it resonates with the recipient. You can use paid advertising to reach an even wider audience by purchasing email lists, using a tool like Google AdWords or your clients contact email lists. Another great way to promote your online event is by sending personal invitations to people you think would be interested in attending. You can do this via email or even through direct messaging if you're connected with them on social media platforms. In your invitation, whether it is an email list or a personal email, be sure to include a link to where they can sign up for the event so it's easy for them right from the get-go! 3. Use other marketing channels In addition to social media and email lists, there are other marketing channels you can utilize to promote your event such as blog posts, traditional billboards, print ads, TV commercials, radio spots or flyers if you're looking to reach a local audience. These channels can be highly effective in reaching people who may not be active on social media or who don't use email frequently. Plus, they can help create a sense of urgency and excitement around your event that will get people curious and wanting to participate. Again, be sure to include all the important details about your event and try to make your marketing materials visually appealing. If you have a website for your business or organization, be sure to create a dedicated page for your event that people can easily find. 4. Collaborate with other businesses or organizations A great way to promote your online event is by teaming up with other businesses or organizations that serve a similar target audience. For example, if you're hosting an online seminar about starting a small business, reach out to local small businesses and see if they'd be interested in sharing information about the event with their customers or clients. Not only will this help spread the word about your event, but it will also give you some credibility since you're being endorsed by another business. 5. Offer Incentives Finally, don't be afraid to get creative in promoting your online event. There are endless possibilities when it comes to marketing, so try thinking outside the box and coming up with unique ways to get people interested in attending your event. For example, you could host a contest leading up to the event or offer discounts for early registration. One of the best ways to get people interested in attending your online event is by offering them something in return. This could be anything from a discount on products or services to freebie items such as eBooks or downloadable templates related to the topic of your event. Whatever it is, make sure it's something that will appeal to your target audience and incentivize them to attend. Event organizers now have more tools available than ever before when it comes to promoting their events. Utilizing digital channels is essential in today's age, but traditional methods such as print ads or TV commercials can still play a role in promotion. Moreover, being creative and outside -of-the-box will help make an impression on potential attendees. At the end of the day, what matters most is that the right people are interested in attending your virtual event! Remember, promoting your online event doesn't have to be difficult—just follow these simple tips and you'll be well on your way to attracting your target audience! Utilizing social media, sending email invitations, utilizing traditional marketing methods, collaborating with other businesses and offering incentives are all great ways to promote an online event and for sure you’ll attract attention from your target audience.

How to improve your inbound marketing strategies through virtual events

24 Oct, 2023

Virtual events are a great way to build your brand and generate new leads. They’re low-risk, cost-effective, and scalable, allowing you to experiment with new content types without worrying about the overhead costs associated with marketing campaigns. Events are a great way to give your audience a look at who you are and what you do. Virtual events can help grow your inbound marketing strategies. With the right setup, you can create engaging events with little effort and investment.

The rise of virtual events: why some industries thrive when the world shifts online

17 Oct, 2023

In a world that's increasingly driven by technology, it's no surprise that virtual events are on the rise. With so many industries embracing the power of the internet, it's only natural that more and more events are being held online. While some industries have been slow to adopt this new trend, others have embraced it with open arms. Here are four industries that have thrived as a result of the shift to virtual events. Education The boom of online learning has led to a period of adaptation where educators have had to get creative in order to continue providing students with the same quality content they would provide in-person. Enter: virtual events. Virtual events have allowed educators to host virtual lessons where, just like in the classroom, students can listen to lectures, participate in activities, and engage with their classmates. Here are a few ways in which virtual events have benefitted the educational industry: Increased access: Online learning provides greater access to education for students who may not have access to traditional brick-and-mortar schools. This includes students who live in rural areas, students with disabilities, and students who are unable to attend traditional schools for other reasons. Flexibility: Online learning allows students to learn at their own pace and on their own schedule. This can be especially beneficial for students who have other commitments, such as work or family responsibilities. Cost savings: Online learning can be more cost-effective than traditional education for both students and schools. For students, online learning eliminates travel costs, as well as material costs for bags, or school lunches. For the school, online classes reduce the overall cost of delivering education as they save money on physical printed assets, stationery, school-provided technology and more. Increased engagement: Online learning can help to engage students who may be disengaged in a traditional classroom setting by providing a more interactive and personalized learning experience. Some students also find it easier to engage with work in the comfort of their own home where they might not feel as much pressure as in a traditional classroom. Technology The tech industry is another that has seen great success with virtual events. In fact, many tech companies were already using online platforms to hold events before the pandemic hit. From promotional events to internal organizational events, the tech industry has widely benefitted from hosting virtual events. These benefits include: Increased accessibility. Online events make it easier for people with disabilities as they can participate from the comfort of their own homes. This can help to increase diversity and inclusion within the tech industry. Virtual events also provide higher access for international or faraway event attendees who otherwise wouldn’t be able to attend due to traveling time, planning or costs. Cost savings: Online events can be more cost-effective than traditional in-person events, as they eliminate the need to rent physical event space and can reduce the cost of logistics and travel for both organizers and attendees. Once again, these cost savings lead to greater event scalability and increased attendance. On the one hand, a higher number of attendees will be able to afford to attend the event. On the other hand, the company doesn’t have to worry about capping attendance based on physical space and other resource availability. Increased visibility. With increased accessibility and attendance comes increased visibility. Online events provide an opportunity for tech companies to showcase their products and services to a wider audience, often internationally to those in countries where that tech brand is still growing. This can help to increase the visibility of the company and its offerings and can also help to generate leads and drive sales. Improved engagement. Online events can be more interactive and engaging than traditional in-person events, as they often incorporate features such as live Q&A sessions and interactive polls. This can help to increase engagement and make the event more impactful for attendees. Marketing When it comes to marketing, virtual events have become a key marketing strategy for increasing brand awareness and loyalty. Here are a few ways in which virtual events have benefitted the marketing industry: Increased accessibility and visibility. We’ve covered these points in the previous industries but it’s with mentioning here too. In a profession that often places increased visibility, awareness and lead count as a key goal, virtual events have become an indispensable strategy in marketers’ toolbelts. Lower costs mean greater scalability and higher attendance capacity. Shorter event planning time. While an in-person event can take the better part of a year to plan (even just booking a venue well in advance can place your event date on the distant horizon), virtual events can take mere weeks to put together. This means marketers can create more frequent events throughout the year which increases the amount and consistency of communication they have with customers and allows them to create and put out more content that increases visibility. After all, smaller bursts of consistent engagement through the year are better than one giant event and then no engagement for the rest of the year. Event statistics and data. Virtual events offer marketers a great way to collect real-time data about their target audience before, during and after the event. By tracking attendees' behaviors such as enrolment, and attendance, as well as their engagement with event content, marketers can gain valuable insights into what type of content most resonates with their audience and make necessary adjustments on the fly or for future events. This level of data-driven decision making is invaluable for any marketing team looking to stay ahead of the competition. Hospitality The hospitality industry has been one of the hardest hit by COVID-19 due to restrictions on travel and large gatherings. However, even in these difficult times, there are still opportunities for businesses in this sector to thrive—and many of them have found success by pivoting to virtual events. Turning to online learning. One benefit the hospitality sector found during lockdown was the ability to harness its services into online learning classes. From cooking to workout classes, hotels took the opportunity to show attendees how to use new skills and start new hobbies. Fostering community. Some hotel events set up activities such as games for families, or special interest groups such as cooking groups or reading clubs. Hotels benefited from creating a flowering community around their brands. As the world becomes more technology-driven, it's crucial to remember that businesses in all industries can still thrive, even during times of crisis like the current one. By embracing new trends like virtual events, businesses can stay relevant, connect with their audiences, and keep operating when traditional methods are no longer possible or viable.