Digitale Mediensysteme: Social Live Shopping Shows Strong Growth Potential in Austria.

Successful German Case Studies Presented at Launch Event with Austrian Retail Association: Exploring New Ways to Engage Customers in E-Commerce

Vienna, March 24, 2021 – Social live shopping is becoming one of the most powerful tools for customer engagement in e-commerce. In China, it already accounts for over 10% of online sales. The format allows for product launches and exclusive presentations exactly when customers are most interested — making it a highly effective activation tool.

During the lockdowns, European retailers also began to explore this emerging sales channel and launched their first initiatives. As a pioneer in the space, Digitale Mediensysteme GmbH (DMS) presented the topic during an expert webinar on Tuesday evening, attended by around 40 interested participants.

Rainer Will, Managing Director of the Austrian Retail Association, opened the session by emphasizing the growing role of online retail:

“E-commerce in Austria grew by 17% last year. Alongside the major players, exciting niche brands have also gained market share. We now have about 14,000 online shops in Austria. Key trends like staycations, cocooning, regional products, and sustainability are set to strengthen further. In the event of future lockdowns or ongoing restrictions such as mandatory masks in stores, social live shopping could become a crucial tool in guiding customers through the purchase decision process.”

Will highlighted Austria’s strong potential, as reflected in the Omnichannel Readiness Index compiled by the Austrian Retail Association.

Michael Buchacher, founder and CEO of DMS, shared his perspective on the trend:

“Social live shopping works from the couch — no masks, connected with friends, and completely COVID-safe. It fits perfectly into our service portfolio. We want to help this format take off in Austria and can support the retail sector at any scale. Projects are quick to implement, starting at just under €1,000. Professional setups typically range between €3,000 and €5,000. Most start with small-scale productions, but wide reach is key to success. What matters most is consistency.”

German success stories like Held der Steine on YouTube or The Deal Guy on Amazon Live show how even individuals can succeed with this format.

Marco Burkhardtsmayer, CEO of MuSe Content (a DMS partner), presented an example from a kite surfing brand. His agency also manages the format for Tchibo, where new product themes are presented every Wednesday evening in a live show:

“Tchibo and Douglas have launched very successfully in Germany. Thanks to strong customer engagement, the potential remains huge — thousands of participants are possible. You can hardly ask for more customer activation. There are large-scale event formats and more compact ‘lean shows’ for smaller product lines. We typically recommend streams of 20 to 30 minutes, as they deliver the highest retention. Some clients choose to speak only to their core customer communities — and achieve particularly high conversion rates.”

In the long term, entire media libraries can be built around this format. Webinar participants also got an exclusive look behind the scenes of a current live shopping campaign by a leading German fashion retailer. (See more at: fashionshow.breuninger.com – Live show on March 25 at 7 PM.)

About DMS.

Digitale Mediensysteme GmbH (DMS) was founded in 2004 and has since developed into a leading digitization partner for wow experiences in retail operations in the DACH region - always with the aim of inspiring: making digital matter. From its location in Vienna-Ottakring, the company is also active on a project basis in Italy, Slovenia and Hungary, a total of 13 countries.

A team of around 25 employees ensures that multimedia content in retail and service companies at the POS reliably reaches people where it brings concrete benefits. Digital signage, in-store radio and corporate TV solutions provide relevant information and contribute to a comprehensive brand experience. DMS works with the best technology providers and acts as a full-service agency that can offer everything from conception, development and implementation to ongoing editorial and technical support: always with a hands-on mentality and a team that works reliably to perform even better.

We make digital matter. www.digitale-medien.at/en