Shopify sellers can now create shoppable videos and use live streaming to boost engagement and increase sales, following an agreement with Indian company Swirl.

With the integration between Swirl and Shopify, sellers will be able to access all the benefits of video commerce that come with the platform while retaining complete control of their database, their payment gateway and the customer experience.

Shopify sellers can create immersive short videos, share with customers with a single link, and build a collection of shoppable content and video catalogues on their own storefronts. They can also engage with customers live and answer questions and collect first party customer data and personal information through their lead capture tool.

Sellers will also get moderation features, real-time analytics and business intelligence on the performance of their video content and on customer behaviour. Sellers retain control of their payment gateways, but with shoppable Swirl videos, their path-to-purchase is reduced significantly.

This integration comes with the following functions baked in: white label URL; carousel-style shoppable videos on any web page; in-video add-to-cart and checkout; RSVP and calendar sync with reminders; lead capture with authentication; moderator account; UTM parameter integration; Facebook and Google pixel integration; and branded video player design.

The graph for livestream shopping has been soaring in countries such as China over the past few years. According to a Forbes report, the Chinese ecommerce market was at $305bn in 2021. In the USA it is $25bn and, along with other countries such as India, Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam, is showing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 46.4%.

“Post pandemic, the world has shown a great affinity to video shopping and ecommerce and, with the roll out of 5G globally, retail and D2C brands are realising the power of creating immersive phygital experiences on their own web assets that bridges the online-offline gap and reduces path-to-purchase,” said Kaizad Hansotia, CEO of Swirl.

With the integration of Swirl, Shopify merchants receive a full-stack live commerce offering that they can plug and play, with no need for tech investment or training. They can choose from one-to-many and one-to-one live shopping, and short shoppable videos.