This week, Amazon introduced the ‘Amazon Live’ FAST channel, a new interactive live shopping channel.

Live shopping channels took off in the 1980s. After over half a century, they’re still going! With the introduction of online shopping, you’d think teleshopping would have started to dwindle. Well, Amazon doesn’t think so.

What is Amazon Live?

Amazon Live is a free interactive channel that lets customers browse, shop and engage with content they’re watching on the TV by using their mobiles. Instead of being a traditional shopping channel, it’s a live stream.

Live streams, in recent years, have started competing with the original teleshopping format. TikTok is probably best known for utilising live streams to sell products. The younger demographic is more likely to use their mobile phones for shopping, which is a huge portion of Amazon’s target market. So they’ve found a way to tap into the live-streaming format. In 2023, more than 1 billion people in the US and India watched Amazon Live streams. And does it work? Well, L’Oreal streamed a video promoting their new mascara, which had over 100,000 views!

The new FAST channel is designed to make shopping even more accessible, interactive and engaging.

What’s the new FAST channel?

On the FAST channel, items are promoted by creators, celebrities and brands on a live stream. Whilst products are being promoted on the live stream, customers can open their Amazon app to view and purchase the items, all using Amazon’s ‘shop the show’ technology. They simply type in ‘shop the show’ in the search bar and it brings up a carousel of the items being promoted. Quick searches make quick sales. That’s really the biggest difference from the traditional teleshopping channels. Customers don’t need to call a number to make purchases – it can all be done online.

Currently only available in the United States, Amazon Live can be viewed on Prime Video, Freevee, Fire TV and Amazon.com/live on desktop and mobile.

How can I sell my products on Amazon Live?

If you’re part of the Brand Registry or an Amazon Vendor with a published store on Amazon’s Advertising Console, you can use the Amazon Live Creator to make and manage your own live streams. It’s a free tool that you can use on your mobile app. It’s a great way to engage with your audience, increase brand awareness, and allow you to give in-depth details and recommendations about your products that you perhaps aren’t able to do as effectively on your Amazon product listing.

The live streams also offer a more personalised experience for your customers. They can leave comments and ask questions during your live stream, which you can answer immediately. This gives them a more positive shopping experience, increasing their trust in the brand and potentially encouraging repeat sales. If you choose to do the live streams yourself, the customers also get to see the face behind the brand. Trust is so important for a customer and business relationship.

Ultimately though, it’s all about making sales. By creating live streams, you can increase your brand engagement and get immediate sales, giving you real-time figures to work with. The Amazon Live Creator has built-in analytics you can track for each live stream performance. You could also look into collaborating with influencers on Amazon Live. They already have their own following, and if their target market is similar to your own, it’s a great way to promote more sales.

Where’s it all heading?

With programming available 24/7, it looks like Amazon will be continuing in its teleshopping era for now. They even have a new show launching in June on the Amazon Live FAST channel with one of their creators, Paige DeSorbo, promoting high fashion items. Creators have said it gives them a new and authentic way to connect with their audience.

So will it ever reach beyond the US? And is teleshopping on the way out? It’s always claimed that teleshopping is for the older generation, so if they can’t start attracting a younger market, it may be heading out the door. Customers like shopping to be made simple for them. Live streams are such an easy way of grabbing a customer’s attention. If they can purchase something in one click, they’re more likely to do it.

Check out our blog for more updates from the Amazon jungle!