Nordstrom Debuts Livestream Shopping Channel

Nordstrom is continuing its push to become a digital-first business with the Wednesday (March 17) debut of its livestream shopping channel.

As CNBC reported, the department store chain is one of many American retailers trying to tap into a trend among consumers in Asia: livestreaming eCommerce, as popularized by the Chinese company Alibaba.

“Shoppable livestreams, akin to QVC, have struggled to take off with Americans,” the report stated. “Experts say that’s partially because American consumers have been less receptive to the idea of buying goods via livestream and because the U.S. lacks so-called multichannel networks, or MCNs, that provide livestreaming services for businesses.”

Future livestreams by Nordstrom will include a tutorial on “how to wear Burberry runway looks,” a happy hour devoted to spring beauty trends and an interview with makeup artist Charlotte Tilbury, with each broadcast giving viewers the chance to interact and shop for the products mentioned on Nordstrom’s website.

“There’s so much opportunity for us to get closer to the customer,” Fanya Chandler, a senior vice president at Nordstrom, told CNBC. “We hope customers see this as an opportunity to seamlessly shop and participate in an informative and entertaining event.”

The channel’s debut comes two weeks after Nordstrom reported a 20 percent decline in fourth-quarter sales and an 82 percent drop in earnings, due to higher-than-anticipated merchandise markdowns, a rise in freight costs and COVID-19-related expenses.

In Feburary, Nordstrom announced a plan to “increase the velocity” of its digital business, along with a focus on smaller-format stores.

PYMNTS reported last year on the rise of “social shopping,” a trend that includes everything from Burberry’s launch of a social experience at its brick-and-mortar store in Shenzhen to Macy’s allowing customers to act as brand ambassadors, promoting the store’s products by posting affiliate links on their social channels.