Dive Brief:

• Video commerce platform TalkShopLive has expanded its Shoppable Simulcast product to Instagram, per details shared with Marketing Dive. The feature allows any TalkShopLive stream to be simulcast on a brand’s Instagram without eliminating the shopping component. 
• To showcase the offering, TalkShopLive teamed with Grammy-nominated artist Benny Blanco for a livestream on March 4 that was broadcast in partnership with Billboard. The stream was embedded across Billboard’s website and on its Instagram and Facebook pages.
• The integration of Shoppable Simulcast on Instagram follows TalkShopLive’s launch of the offering on Facebook. The move is an indicator of how some are looking to cash in on marketer interest surrounding the budding social commerce space. 

Dive Insight: 

TalkShopLive is tapping into interest around social commerce with the integration of its Shoppable Simulcast to Instagram. This year, retail social commerce sales in the U.S. are expected to total $82.82 billion, a 23.5% year-over-year gain, per Insider Intelligence. Though powered through TalkShopLive, the Shoppable Simulcast feature, which can be live on up to four pages simultaneously, could be a more approachable tactic for marketers seeking interoperability. 

Available for both retailers and publishers, TalkShopLive’s Shoppable Simulcast allows marketers to stream to multiple destinations at once. Once live, the Instagram and Facebook followers of brands will receive an alert prompting them to watch the stream and shop directly within the social platforms. Those who comment “buy” on the stream will receive a direct message or Facebook message with links to purchase a product without needing to leave the shopping experience. 

Promoting the Instagram integration, TalkShopLive in partnership with Blanco launched a stream promoting the star’s new “Open Wide” cookbook. The stream notably was shared by Billboard across its site and on Instagram and Facebook, along with being shared on Blanco’s Instagram and Facebook pages, TalkShop.Live and across TalkShopLive’s content distribution network, per release details. Together, the celebrity and Billboard tie-ups could help attract interest from marketers who are exploring the livestream shopping space.

TalkShopLive’s Shoppable Simulcast integration on Instagram notably follows the latter’s move to eliminate live shopping from its own offerings last year, though many marketers have still remained optimistic about the potential for livestream commerce. TalkShopLive has powered shoppable live-streams for a number of brands, including Walmart, Target and Best Buy. The company’s Shoppable Simulcast expansion also follows the launch of TikTok Shop last year. Already the most popular platform among teens, TikTok’s bets on the social commerce space, which some are betting will set a new category standard, could entice marketers to think about the strategy more broadly.