202: Immersive Video To Engage Customers

Livestreaming and shoppable videos are among the fastest-growing channels in retail right now. But, bringing content and commerce together in an engaging way for consumers can seem daunting. With people, process and technology considerations, it’s important to plan and execute this complex change effectively. In this episode, Jason Holland from Firework, the global experts in shopping video solutions, joins to explain the opportunities and approaches in more detail.

Listen to this episode to discover:

• Why shoppable video and livestreaming offer new opportunities.
• How to get started with creating immersive and entertaining videos.
• Why your livestream trial may not be representative of long-term results.

 

Introducing Jason Holland

Jason Holland is the Chief Business Officer for Firework, the global leader in livestream and shoppable video on the open web. Since joining Firework in 2020, Jason has played an integral role in the company’s meteoric rise and global expansion. He draws on 20+ years of experience as a leader and driver of change within the digital, technology and media ecosystems.

At Firework, Jason is responsible for establishing a connected ecosystem of retailers, media publishers, and brands. He helps to create and host immersive, shoppable video content on their own websites and apps. In April 2022, Jason helped secure $150M in Series B financing led by SoftBank Vision Fund II – the largest live commerce round in history.

Prior to joining Firework, Jason served as Global Chief Operating Officer and Partner at Evolve Media LLC. During his 8 years at Evolve, Jason oversaw the internal and external global operations teams. Also, he played a critical role in the company’s private equity rounds and expanding the company’s footprint to markets such as Canada, the UK, and Australia.

Introducing Firework

Firework is the first video commerce platform built for brands and retailers. They empower brands and retailers to engage with customers directly through short-form, shoppable and livestream video on their own sites and apps.

Using this decentralized (rather than through other platforms) approach allows for greater ownership of the conversation, the distribution, the transaction, and, perhaps most importantly, the customer data.

Firework are building a team of the most experienced commerce experts across the globe and, in turn, are able to drive breakthrough engagement and sales results through shoppable and livestream video.

Which podcast episodes to listen to next

If you enjoyed this episode, here are 4 related episodes to listen to next. Firstly, check out episode 189: How Livestream Shopping Is Changing Retail where Oliver Banks explores the opportunities and trends in the market.

Next, try episode 190: The Livestream Shopping Operating Model where you can learn more about how to build up an operating model for a livestream operation.

Influencers are closely connected to content creation, and especially livestream or entertaining video content. To learn more about this topic, listen to Michael LeBlanc on episode 179: How Influencers Are Changing Retail.

And finally, creating immersive video content is only viable if you truly engage with it. This is similar to the perspective shared by Lee Woodard in episode 72: Being Digital vs. Doing Digital.