The return of teleshopping concept: the new streaming sale (1)

If you think of the concept of teleshopping, you probably think of sleepless nights watching the only thing on TV at that time of day. Very “practical" products for the most varied situations and with incredible discounts for the first ones to call.

At first glance, it seems that this is a very simple way of communication and it is difficult to see how it fits in with a sophisticated digital strategy... but it was all a matter of thinking it over and keeping the most interesting contributions to take it to an online sales environment.

Basically, it consists of creating something similar to a tv. report with the objective of highlighting the competitive differential virtues of a product. This is why they are also called infomercials. In addition, at the end of the broadcast of each spot, an offer and a method of purchase is added, which is usually on telephone. 

The definition we made in the introduction of the post is too broadly, almost comical. But the truth is that the irruption of this format changed to a great extent the way of advertising and selling. Although it may not seem like it, it took advantage of many of the virtues that later led e-commerce to become what it is today. In fact, in many respects, streaming sales are a direct descendant of teleshopping.

Does that sound like a very strong statement? Well, keep reading  and you will see that it is not.

The mass advertising market, in the end, is more about generating what has come to be known as brand awareness or notoriety than generating direct conversions, which, moreover, could not be measured effectively.

Teleshopping added the possibility of placing the order immediately, which meant that the concept of impulse selling reached a medium that was not intended for it (in fact, it is still a multichannel strategy, despite how current this term seems to us).

Another of the basic aspects of teleshopping is its ability to pose a need to the user and immediately propose a solution.

They do not sell a pair of slippers with a flashlight on the toe: what they propose is a solution for all those people who get up at night and do not want to go bumping into furniture and waking up neighbours.

It may seem a bit over the top - and it is - but at the same time it highlights the values of the product in a very effective way. After all, exaggeration is a staple in advertising.

In this respect, video streaming sales may be somewhat different. Still, in addition to using unboxings that show the product in all its glory, they also do something similar to small tutorials that show the use of the product in a real context.

What do you think? Well, of course, influencers  have not been invented today. There have always been influencers and teleshopping has used them masterfully.

Heavyweight champion George Foreman sold a grill, Chuck Norris sold you a home exercise machine to make you a tough guy and Mariah Carey, besides martyring us every Christmas with her popular Christmas carol, sold quality jewelry through this channel.

All the examples I have given are from global market, but there were also local celebrities such as Norma Duval and her passive gymnastic device. Or the famous Lorenzo Lamas, the king of beds, who sold mattresses on television.

This is one of the purchase drivers that infomercials have always made use the best. At the end of each video, they show us the full price, which is usually very high and out of the market for something we do not really need.

But then, with an abundance of graphic resources, that overprice is crossed out with a red cross or something similar, and it becomes half and you get an additional gift "worth hundreds of dollars" or a 2-for-1.

What is the condition? That you be among the first to call to buy on the phone immediately. If we call it scarcity", any e-commerce guru will tell you that it is commonplace in 2021 digital strategy.

Clearly, it is a trump card that is commonly played in video streaming sales. "Buy now!" "For a limited time!" "While supplies last!”

In a way, teleshopping merged television with telephone sales which, in turn, is the technological evolution of mail order, which was fully established in some countries (especially in the USA).

In that sense, it was not a revolution because, as we say, people were already buying from home. What happened is that it was able to serve as a showcase for the phone and allow sales by credit card in a more secure and efficient way.