Givenchy Beauty, QVC Turn to Facebook Live Shopping

Givenchy Beauty and QVC are making it Facebook official.

The two formed a partnership at the onset of COVID-19 to drive online sales while retailers closed their doors. In August, they took to Facebook to host a live shopping event featuring Givenchy Beauty expert Jessica Barlow and QVC program host Sandra Bennett.

The live event — which promoted Givenchy Beauty’s Prisme Libre Loose Powder, $58; Irresistible Perfume, $67, and L’Intemporel Blossom Beautifying Cream-in-Mist, $59 — led to an on-air direct sales increase of 20 percent versus the month prior, according to Givenchy Beauty. It garnered a reach of 143,000 — 63 percent higher than QVC’s average — and 47,000 views — 104 percent higher than the QVC average.

In a statement provided to WWD, Karin Tracy, head of industry at Facebook and Instagram, Beauty, Fashion, Luxury, Retail, called the Givenchy Beauty and QVC Live Shopping partnership “a model for how luxury and beauty brands can pivot online to meet their customers where they are through innovative products and partnerships.”

“It underscores the collaborative and creative nature of the Facebook Live Shopping offering, re-creating the excitement and community of an in-person shopping experience,” Tracy said.

Barlow, via a phone interview, said the sales generated from the event “represented a lot of new people who hadn’t seen us before.”

“Because [the event] directed people back to the QVC page, we saw a lot of sales that came from people watching and going to QVC and checking out our brand,” Barlow told WWD. Givenchy Beauty does not yet have an e-commerce site, but will soon launch one, she added.

The initial Live Shopping event increased online engagement, racking up 341 interactions and 147,000 impressions.

On Nov. 23, Barlow and QVC host Alberti Popaj will cohost a second Facebook live shopping event focused on fragrance and holiday gifts.

Elizabeth Choo, client partner, luxury at Facebook, said in a video interview that QVC has been “a great tester” of Facebook products. The live shopping phenomenon is a trend that will continue beyond COVID-19, she said.

“COVID-19 has become a testbed for how consumers will interact post-pandemic,” Choo said. “Because behaviors are being shaped now, I would anticipate and hope that live shopping is going to continue to be an avenue consumers turn to to interact with the brand from an awareness perspective, but also be able to purchase directly from. Consumers are going to be comfortable with the idea of watching a live stream and converting directly.”

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