Facebook Live sales are all the rage right now, and it’s not hard to see why! They put businesses on a fast track for increased customer engagement, sales, and revenue. If you want to take advantage of this selling technique, you’ll need a few essentials to get started and a few more pieces for a professional setup.
Whether you’re just getting started or you want to step up your live selling game, here are our recommendations on what you need before your next live sale event:
Smartphone
You’re already logged into social media through your smartphone. Why not film from it? No fancy camera required!
If you’re looking to utilize all of CommentSold’s live selling features, it makes no difference whether you use an iPhone or Android. CommentSold works with both!
However, iPhones, with some of the best cameras and mics available to mobile devices, are our preferred pick. Either way, you might want to consider purchasing a smartphone that is dedicated to conducting live sales if you hold them regularly.
Our Recommendation:
Apple iPhones
Laptop
Laptops are useful for organizing your inventory, previewing your live broadcast, and reading incoming comments and questions from your audience.
The best part about laptops is that they’re portable, so you can place them anywhere where they are easily seen. We’ve seen some live sellers put their laptops on a shelf to keep it eye-level! Some connect their laptops to a large monitor or TV.
Our Recommendation:
We love Macs. However, we also recommend any computer that has processing power above an i5.
Lightning to Ethernet Adapter
The two most common interruptions of live sales are dying devices and slow internet. An all-in-one Lightning to Ethernet adapter will solve both of these problems. It supports data transmission at 10/100Mbps and comes with a charging port as well. With this device, you can kiss low-quality videos goodbye!
Our Recommendation:
Belkin Ethernet + Power Adapter with Lightning Connector
Lights
Good, even lighting is crucial to eliminate ugly shadows and make sure your product really shines. As an added bonus, they also make the talent look fabulous!
Ring lights are popular for live sales thanks to their gorgeous, soft glow. We suggest at least one 18″ ring light. LED panels are another great option. With LED, you’ll also want a softbox kit to soften the look.
Our Recommendation:
Neewer 18″ Ring Light Kit
Tripod
Few things are worse than watching a shaky video. That’s why you need a tripod! A tripod will stabilize your video and keep your hands free to show off your products.
If you have a Neewer ring light, you’re in luck! It has a built-in phone holder, so you can check this off your list! If you don’t, consider buying a telescoping tripod for adjustable height. Hit all your good angles!
Our Recommendation:
Regetek Aluminum 63″ Adjustable Camera Stand
Backdrop
Keep your video simple and clean with a backdrop. Backdrops provide a way to eliminate cluttered background that might distract too much from the customer’s shopping experience.
Plus, you can switch them out for different occasions or seasons. You can even take it one step further by creating custom-branded backdrops, so there’s no question who your customers are shopping with.
Our Recommendation:
Choose from an assortment of quality backdrops from The Backdrop Shop. The bigger the backdrop, the more room you’ll have to move around. Keep this in mind when shopping for one.
Don’t forget the support stand for your backdrop! We recommend the MOUNTDOG Studio Backdrop Stand.
Models or Mannequins
Although shoppers love live sales, there’s one significant disadvantage to them- they can’t try on the clothes on their screen. However, with a little help, you can model the clothing so customers can see how it fits and drapes on a human body. Your customers will appreciate your efforts for size inclusivity to help them find their perfect fit.
As a plus, models can also double as extra hands to help behind the scenes. If you’re short on models, mannequins can get the job done too.
Our Recommendation:
Use live models with different sizes.
Purchasing Instructors
It happens all the time. A customer is dying to buy what you’re selling, but they don’t know how to get your product in their shopping cart. Luckily, purchasing instructors provide a visual cue that makes buying a pretty straight-forward process.
Did you know? 85% of Facebook video is watched without sound! Without concise, visual cues for purchasing instructions, you could be missing out on sales.
The CommentSold Live Overlay will display clear purchasing instructions in a bubble above your talent. With or without sound, your customers will know exactly what to type to purchase an item every single time.
If you don’t have the Live Overlay, you will need to use identifier tags. You will still have to instruct customers to type “sold” before an identifying number. However, numbered tags will still arm you a quick, visual cue to make purchasing easier for your customers. You can DIY these with some card stock and a laminator, or you can purchase them premade.
Our Recommendation:
CommentSold Live Overlay
Auto-Invoicing Software
Your customers are carting items, but you need a way to get them to the checkout finish line. How do you do this? Well, you could collect all their email address, shipping details, tally their purchases, send them the invoice, and pray they’ll pay by the time you’re done with it all.
OR you could invest in auto-invoicing software, which will automate the entire process around the clock. With auto-invoicing software, customers can register with an account where they input their email and shipping information. The software will then automatically tally their purchases and send them an invoice to pay via Messenger or email.
Plus, it integrates with popular payment options like Square payments, PayPal, Stripe, and even Sezzle! With auto-invoicing, you can accept all kinds of payments quickly, and customers can get their purchases faster. It’s a win-win!
Our Recommendation:
CommentSold, of course!
Additional Hardware
You’ve got all the basics. Now go pro!
Scanner
A scanner is an entirely optional piece of equipment for live sales. However, you may want to implement barcoding sooner rather than later, so the option to use one is readily available.
You can get started with barcoding at any point before 50k a month, though it is highly recommended to start thinking of implementing it when you reach this threshold. By 75k or more, barcoding will be absolutely necessary for efficient supply chain management.
If you barcode and use CommentSold’s Live Overlay, you’ll want a scanner to sell certain products on the fly. You won’t need to create any product lists beforehand. Once you scan a product, it will send its purchasing info to the top of the screen. Just scan and go!
Our Recommendation:
Zebra/Motorola Symbol DS9208 Handheld 2D Barcode Scanner
Label Printer
If you plan to scan your items into your live selection, you’ll need to barcode them. But you shouldn’t just use any printer for your labels. Thermal printers offer your labels durability that inkjet printers cannot.
For this reason, we recommend using the Dymo 4XL. This thermal printer can print up to 53 labels per minute!
For higher volume shops, we recommend the Zebra ZR410. It’s the most efficient printer on the market and will help you maintain speed and efficiency while welcoming new product into your inventory and live sale selections. The Zebra will allow you to print 14 labels per second!
Our Recommendation:
Dymo 4XL or Zebra ZR410
Talent View
Wish you could see a preview of your stream, Live Sale inventory selection, and real-time comments? Facebook makes it hard to juggle all three at once, but don’t fret!
CommentSold has you covered with the Talent View. Here you can see all three at once! Now you can work the crowd and rock your sale from a single, centralized dashboard.
Our Recommendation:
CommentSold Talent View
The Takeaway
Some of the most successful businesses use live selling to expand their reach, skyrocket sales, and breed brand fanatics. Now you too can achieve the same success by using the right tools. Good luck and happy selling!
