Zara plans to introduce its successful Chinese live shopping model to the U.K., Europe, and the U.S. This expansion aims to boost sales and enhance customer engagement.
What Happened: Zara, a fast-fashion brand owned by Inditex, will introduce live shopping shows in the U.K., Europe, and the U.S. The move comes after the overwhelming success of the concept in China, Reuters reported on Monday.
The live shopping shows, which run for five hours each week, have been instrumental in driving Zara’s sales in China since their launch in November. This initiative is expected to launch between August and October.
Zara’s live shows on Douyin, a Chinese social media platform, feature models showcasing the brand’s products in a conversational and leisurely style, in contrast to the hard-sell approach of other hosts. The shows are streamed from a 1,000-square-meter space in Shanghai and attract around 800,000 unique viewers on average.
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The U.K., U.S., and other European countries, yet to be announced, will host live shows on Zara’s app and website, ensuring control over aesthetics. The ad-hoc live streams will focus on specific Zara Woman collections and will be hosted by two prominent fashion personalities. The shows will be shorter than those on Douyin, lasting 45 minutes to an hour, but viewers will still be able to interact in real time.
Why It Matters: Zara is entering a rapidly growing market of live shopping, a trend that has been gaining momentum in the US and Europe. Live shopping has become a way of life in Asia and is gaining traction in the U.S., thanks to companies like Verb Technology Company Inc., which operates MARKET.live, a live-stream social shopping platform.
This development also comes at a time when Zara’s parent company Inditex is facing competitive pressure from Chinese fast-fashion giant Shein. In response, Inditex has been quietly expanding its budget brands, with Lefties at the forefront.
Image by Manuel Esteban via Shutterstock
This story was generated using Benzinga Neuro and edited by Pooja Rajkumari