You’ve taken the plunge. Your live commerce business is off the ground, and a few sales have been made and fulfilled successfully.
At this point, you’ve already begun to experience some admin hassles, but you ask yourself, “Do I really need Facebook Live selling software? I’m doing fine without it, so why spend more?”
And you’re right, you shouldn’t be spending more on software that you don’t need.
Facebook Live Selling Software vs. Hiring More People
The purpose of Facebook Live selling software is to automate your monotonous tasks. You can either go for any software or hire employees for managing the chores. Let’s see how the two options stack up against each other.
Level of Support
Obviously, the software can’t help you tidy your store for the live selling session or help you in packing. If you already need staff to help you do that then it makes more sense to hire someone who can do both.
The software is only there to replace hiring more staff when your sales are growing rapidly.
Cost
Most live selling software cost between $50-200 a month compared to the S$7-12/hour a part-time worker charges. Though you would need to hire a few workers, it’s better to let them do what the software can’t – packaging and fulfillment.
Management
Which of the two is easier to manage: software or a team of employees? For me, it’s the former. No matter how much burden employees may take off your shoulders, managing them will still be … a burden.
Keeping the bias aside, having the software is a must, and so are your workers. Ideally, sign up for software that automates most of your monotonous tasks and leave the rest to your part-timers. This is the most cost-effective and efficient solution.
When’s The Right Time to Use Software?
Does it make sense to purchase a solution for a problem you never faced? No.
Therefore, we don’t recommend you to get a Facebook live order system until you get a hang of live commerce. It’s wise to wait and see what problems you run into and if the software solves them.
When you begin your live selling journey (link “how to kickstart you live selling journey” here), you’ll realize some formats work better for you. There’s no hard-and-fast rule here. For some auctions work like a charm; others find promo codes beneficial.
Once you know which formats suit you, subscribe to software that supports them.
Yes, not all systems support each live commerce format. Make sure the software you choose will allow you to stick to your ideal format.
Problems That FB Live Software Can Solve
Now, let’s discuss the common problems live sellers face and their solutions.
Order Capturing
An obvious one! Going through hundreds of spammy comments to find the people who ordered your product is a tiresome task- to the least.
A Facebook Live order system captures the comments with a pre-defined code (like “TPrawns+1”) as carts. It then sends customers a link in their inbox with the order already in the cart.
Support Multiple Live Commerce Formats
The whole idea of live selling is based on entertaining your audience. But doing the same thing every week would bore your audience. Routine sucks.
To keep your viewers engaged, you’ll have to introduce unique products and new formats. However, trying out a different format on a Facebook Live stream without software can be tricky.
The software enables you to conduct FB live shows of various formats like auctions and promo codes without boring your audience or increasing your workload.
Tracking the Stock
While you are live, displaying products to your viewers, it’s essential to know exactly how much stock you’re left with.
Though an assistant can perform this tedious task, it’s not as easy as it seems. Also, be prepared to see human errors destroying the buyer’s experience. Imagine the embarrassment you’ll have to go through if you refuse your buyer after they have placed an order.
Fortunately, you can use a Facebook live system to track the sold, reserved, and remaining stock.
Tallying the Orders and Invoicing
After ending your live selling session, naturally you’re tired but you can’t rest yet. You’ve two wearying tasks to do before you can rest: tallying the orders and sending invoices to the customers.
No worries! This, too, can be automated.
Software can help merge the order and payment functionality, so your customers are invoiced automatically. Keeping track of all the orders and invoices for you – either paid or unpaid.
What to Ask Yourself to Help You Decide?
Don’t know which software to opt for? Ask yourself these questions to get a definite answer.
What Tasks Do You Want To Automate?
Do you need to automate the entire process or a part of it? Make sure your selected software can automate all the tasks you plan to.
What Formats Are You Using?
As discussed above, unique formats can be a secret sauce of increasing sales (link “5 ways to boost sales” here). Whatever format works for you, your software should support it.
How Many Workers Do You Have?
Can your workforce handle everything from comment capturing to fulfillment? With the staff you have, how much help will you need from the FB live system?
Does Buyer Experience Matter To You?
A seamless buyer experience can go a long way towards improving your business and making you a standout. The right software can save your returning customers from the headache of re-entering the details, making the process smooth.
How Much Stock Can You Store?
Yes, this too can be a problem. Once your business has taken off, you can run short of storage space as receiving payments takes 2-3 days. This is especially true for items that need a controlled temperature.
Conclusion
FB Live Software is not a prerequisite for starting a live selling business, but for scaling it up. Only buy when you are ready to scale!
Want to know more about our Facebook Live Software? Contact us now.