InMobi’s Roposo Forays Into Online Shopping With Creator-Led Live Commerce

InMobi Group’s Roposo has announced its entry in the live commerce segment with the launch of ‘creator-led, live entertainment commerce’.

In a statement, the startup focussed on short videos said that its new offering will enable consumers to shop for products in real-time with some of “their most loved creators”, while taking part in entertaining, contemporary pop-culture, within a live, “virtual mall” environment.

In June this year, Glance had acquired the full-stack ecommerce platform Shop101. A business unit of Glance, Roposo intends to leverage Shop101’s technology, supply chain infrastructure and experience in managing end-to-end digital shopping, to drive its commerce proposition.

“Shoppers on the Roposo platform will now be able to discover products recommended by creators in highly entertaining, exciting, action-packed live streams, visit hundreds of creator-led pop stores, and get up close and personal with some of their favourite stars,” it said.

The platform will also enable multiple features for social interactions on both sides of the screen in its live streams.  

“With Roposo’s popularity amongst creators, the scale and LIVE stack of Glance, and the e-commerce infrastructure of Shop101, we are well poised to take this new Roposo experience out in a big way,” said Piyush Shah, cofounder of InMobi Group and President & COO of Glance.  

For its creators, Roposo will endeavour to integrate a wide range of monetisation levers on the platform. Besides creating live experiences, creators can also run their own multi-brand pop stores on Roposo, according to the startup. 

Further, with opportunities to go live on Glance lock screen as well, these creators can potentially have access to Glance’s 150 Mn Indian users. Going forward, creators can have the opportunity to monetise their expertise by conducting paid masterclasses, and through ticketed live shows such as music concerts, stand-up comedy, talk shows, fashion shows, and more, it said. 

Glance also recently launched Glance LIVE, which brings users live content from across the internet, on the lock screens of their smartphones. Roposo will be one of the major content developers on Glance LIVE.

InMobi’s subsidiary Glance acquired Roposo in 2019. Founded in 2018, Glance entered the unicorn club after it received an investment of $145 Mn from Google and existing investor Mithril Capital. According to recent reports, oil-to-telecom major Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) may invest $300 Mn in Glance.

The Rise Of Live Commerce In India

Celebrity and influencer-led LIVE commerce is touted as one of the emerging ecommerce trends globally as shoppers look for new buying experiences. As opposed to traditional ecommerce which is focused on efficiency, wider choice and convenience, influencer-led commerce is a form of interactive commerce that integrates recommendation tools right into the buying experience.

It also looks at replicating the fun of physical shopping on digital platforms, enabling the shoppers to interact with the brand endorsers and order products in real-time.  

This model has seen huge adoption in China accounting for over 20% of the total ecommerce sales. 

Chinese platforms like Alibaba’s Taobao, Douyin (TikTok) and WeChat have already used live commerce format successfully to sell global beauty brands like L’oreal, Clinique and Estée Lauder. In fact, it has become an integral part of their brand marketing strategies at home. 

Live commerce influencers hold so much sway in China that Viya, a leading influencer there, sold $6 Bn worth of goods through her account in 2020. However, it is yet to be implemented worldwide.

Even though it is still in an early phase in India now, the total addressable market for live and Interactive commerce in the country is expected to surpass $40 Bn by 2025. 

In India, Woovly, Trell, 335bazaar and Hypd are exploring their way around live commerce offerings.