Department stores are jumping into “live commerce” by livestreaming services -- providing indirect shopping experiences -- to tackle weakened sales amid the COVID-19 outbreak, according to industry sources Friday.

Hyundai Department Store said it will run a livestream fashion show dubbed “2020 Digital Live Fashion Show” at 7 p.m. on Saturday. It is the first time a department store will run a fashion show without audience.

The online fashion show will be livestreamed on its official YouTube channel Hyundai Department Store TV and also Chinese ecommerce platform TaoBao and Shoppy, the largest online shopping platform in Southeast Asia.

In the show designed to promote brands from small- and medium-sized companies, 25 brands including Man.G and Holynumber7 will participate, and the designers will stand with some 30 influencers to explain the merits of their clothes.

“We seek to provide customers with a new (shopping) experience and update them on the latest fashion trends, while give opportunities for SMEs to introduce their new items,” a Hyundai Department Store official said. 

The livestream marketing is receiving some positive results amid the COVID-19 outbreak, as people get indirect shopping experiences at home.

Lotte Department Store runs “100LIVE,” a webcast channel on its online retail site Lotte Premium Mall. Similar to TV home shopping channels, it hired show hosts and influencers who offer a close view of products and actually try on the clothes and bags they are advertising to show the actual fit.

In February, the retail giant had all air purifiers in stock sold out and clothes refreshing appliances it had prepared, worth 100 million won ($84,000) on the livestream platform. The company said it decided to increase the number of monthly livestreaming shows by 50 percent to 60 times a month.
Lotte is also utilizing its online magazine, “DiscoverS” to show trendy makeup and fashion information to customers via the internet.

Naver, the leading search engine here, is also providing a webcast platform for all of its smart store sellers, and other retailers, on which they can advertise their products via livestream videos and chat with the viewers. 

Hyundai Department Store has also made an agreement to use Naver’s webcast platform to advertise products.

By Jo He-rim (herim@heraldcorp.com)