10 trending livestream equipment for B2B e-commerce

Live streaming and livestreaming equipment have become an important marketing strategy for business owners. This technique involves broadcasting live footage to connect with your audience.

While live streaming is mainly used by celebrities, influencers, and other personalities, it is also an important tool for business owners who want to reach a wider audience. This article goes through everything you need to know about real-time live streaming for B2B e-commerce and the equipment to make it right.

Why do you need to know how to do a livestream

When you are trying to grow your B2B e-commerce, staying connected with your customers is essential to developing relationships. One of the ways to connect with your audience is through a live streaming video. Live streaming is an essential digital marketing strategy that involves broadcasting live video to your audience over the internet. You can make live videos through social media apps or through specific platforms made for live videos. Live streaming is an excellent way for manufacturers and business owners to advertise their products and increase brand awareness.

Here are 4 reasons why live streaming is so essential for your B2B e-commerce:

Reason 1: Stay on their mind

During the pandemic, many businesses had to look for ways to stay connected with customers from a distance. A few brands were able to attain that through live videos. Live streaming allows business owners to interact with their audience far and wide. No matter where your customers are, your livestream will make them feel connected to your business.

Reason 2: Increased engagement

A lot of B2B e-commerce and business owners struggle to keep customers engaged.¹Live streaming helps people put a face on your brand and business. In other words, it makes it easy for people to connect and interact with your brand, which in turn increases engagement. Also, when you go live, your audience may have the fear of missing until they join.

Reason 3: Expand your reach

A lot of marketing study has proven over and over that video content performs better than others.² In other words, people are more likely to engage with video posts like streams than pictures and texts.

Also, live streaming helps you reach more customers because most platforms favor live video content. For example, if you start a live video on Instagram, your audience's chances of seeing it are greater than if you posted a picture. The increased exposure live streaming offers is a great way to grow your audience and generate more leads.

Reason 4: Increases conversion

The end goal for every business owner is to boost sales and revenue. Learning how to livestream is an effective digital marketing tool to increase conversions and boost sales. A study showed that live streaming boosts sales intent by 97%.³

What makes a perfect livestream setup?

So you have decided to explore live streaming? Well, you have to start by creating a perfect livestream setup and choosing the right equipment. Here is some equipment that makes a perfect livestream setup.

1. Mobile livestream platform

A livestream platform is critical to host your live video and connect with customers in real-time. Many brands leverage well-known platforms like Instagram Live Videos, Youtube Live, Facebook Live, Zoom, and Twitch. These platforms can be a great way to connect with your audience and even build income through advertising on YouTube or tokens like on Facebook.

2. Video Source

Yes, you are going to need a camera. This is an obvious one, of course, because you need a video source with excellent quality to give your viewers clear and high-definition visuals.

Your video source could be DSLR cameras, phone cameras, computer cameras, or other image sources. If you are just starting out, a good laptop or smartphone camera will work well to capture your live stream. Meanwhile, you can also invest in cameras like webcams, mirrorless cameras, DSLR cameras, camcorders, etc.

3. Audio Source

In a live video stream, the audio quality is often more important than the video quality. Therefore, it’s a great idea to invest in audio equipment like live-streaming microphones to deliver a clear and crisp sound. The most common audio live streaming choice is the USB microphone which connects directly to the computer. You can also invest in audio equipment like audio mixers and audio sources for background music.

4. Internet Connection

A stable internet provision is necessary for your video streaming. Your internet bandwidth requirements may depend on the kind of device you are using. However, the upload speed of your internet provider should be enough to support some level of streaming.

5. Accessories

Livestream accessories include equipment like tripod stands, ring lights, headphones, light stands, cables, connectors, and other materials that improve the convenience and quality of the live streaming process.

10 trending livestream equipment for B2B e-commerce in 2022

The live streaming equipment you use will determine the impact of your video content production. Here are some trending live stream gears for B2B e-commerce.

1. Video cameras

The first requirement for any live streaming session is a video camera. There are different video cameras available, and the best ones will help capture high-quality video.

• Entry-level video cameras tend to be cheaper, and their video quality is fair enough when the lighting is good. Prosumer video cameras have better image quality, and HDMI is the standard option.
• Professional video cameras have high-resolution sensors and produce great video quality.

One of the most trending video cameras for B2B e-commerce is the PTZ camera. Unlike most cameras, PTZ cameras feature a rotating lens with zoom and directional controls.

2. Attachable lens

Using mobile phones for video streaming is becoming more and more popular. However, your phone’s camera will perform better with an attachable lens.

Attachable lenses come in different shapes, sizes, and forms; however, the most trending ones for live streaming are the wide-angle lens. Also, you can use attachable lenses for mirrorless cameras.

3. Microphones

The microphone is another valuable gear B2B commerce should use to attain quality audio. Your laptop or phones’ inbuilt mic may not be enough, so adding a microphone is a great way to improve audio quality. Like other live video gears, there are different options of microphones depending on your needs.

• USB microphone: a great option that lets you plug the microphone directly with your phone or laptop
• XLR: XLR is used with mixers and is best if you are using an audio mixer.
• Mic Adapter: if you already have an external microphone, a mic adapter is what you need to connect it to your mobile device.

4. Mobile WiFi routers

Whether it’s a webinar, event streaming, or product launch, a stable internet connection is vital for video streaming.

It’s not a great idea to connect to the in-house connection that everyone else is using because it can slow down your connectivity. That’s why many people now invest in wifi routers to ensure they don't get cut off unexpectedly. A WiFi router provides an internet connection from a SIM card, and it’s a perfect option to achieve an excellent love video.

5. Ring lights

Sunlight is one of the best lighting sources to capture images and stream videos. However, it's a great idea to invest in lighting materials like a ring light for a more steady light source.

There is a reason ring light is very popular among video content creators. Ring lights enhance video content, and the best part is that they are mostly affordable. These live streaming gears are powered by LED lights, and they offer real value for money. Also, ring lights have evolved from heavy and sturdy equipment to a range of static and flexible pieces that can attach easily to your smartphones.

6. Audio mixers

While audio mixers are commonly known with video games, they can also be amazing equipment to create the best live video. Fine-tuning the audio quality of your live streams is a great way to create an excellent experience for your audience, and that’s what an audio mixer does. With an audio mixer, you take your audio quality to the next level by combining different audio inputs. This is especially useful for people using multiple cameras or sound sources to stream.

7. Power banks

The last thing anyone wants is to have their phone, laptop, or router die in the middle of a live stream. This is what a power bank is here for, to keep all your devices plugged. And there are many available to ensure your device never goes off.

8. Video encoders

Encoders are great for professional broadcasters who want the best video quality livestream. Most video cameras are not made for streaming in real-time so using an encoder can make the process better. An encoder works by converting audio and video signals to digital so that your viewers can see them in real-time.

If you are live streaming with a video camera, you have the option of 2 encoders: software encoders and hardware encoders.

• Software encoders take videos and audio signals from computers and translate them into a proper format sent out to the online streaming platforms. Therefore, it works with the computer operating system.
• Hardware encoders are often used with advanced live stream setup. Software encoders are the most popular amongst beginner live streamers.

9. Tripods

One of the reasons some live streamers have poor quality video is due to shaky footage while recording. That’s why many people prefer to use a tripod stand for stabilization. Whether you are using a mobile device or a professional video camera, it helps to use a tripod for hands-free streaming and steadiness. There are different tripods and some are specifically made for your mobile device type.

10. Gimbals

The ability to add a gimbal makes your video smooth and steady for live streaming. A gimbal uses motors and sensors to stabilize a camera so that you achieve a smooth live video even while on the move. The option to walk and move while recording has made the gimbal one of the best accessories to achieve a great live video.

4 tips for choosing the proper gear for your business

The quality of your livestream equipment can make or break your video streams. For this reason, it’s important to choose the proper gear for great live video content. When you ace your first live video, your audience will likely join another time. However, if you present your audience with shaky audio and blurry video, they will skip your livestream another day. Here are some tips to help you choose the proper gears:

1. Create a budget

Creating a budget involves allocating a price for every piece of gear needed for your live streaming. It’s a great idea to have a budget because it lets you know how much you have to spend on your live streaming gear.

2. Research: Look for equipment commonly used by other live streamers

One great tip for choosing the proper gears is looking out for common equipment used by other live streamers. Professional live streamers have already found the best camera and audio mixers and tripos, so following their route is a good idea.

Also, you should research and evaluate every piece of gear before you buy them. Check out for reviews and product features to see if it’s something you want to invest in.

3. Look for items that will last a long time

Longevity is important for the equipment you want to invest in the live streaming process. You want gears that will grow with your business, not those you will need to discard once your business grows bigger. For instance, you can go for an audio mixer with more inputs than you currently need.

4. Consider your location

The place you stream may determine some accessory needs. Is there a spot to position your camera? If not, you may need a tripod. Is there enough lighting, or do you need a ring light? What are the acoustics like, or would you need background music?

Sell on Alibaba.com

Alibaba.com is a B2B e-commerce platform where manufacturers and business owners can meet suppliers and buyers. Also, Alibaba.com has a live-streaming feature on its app for sellers to connect with their audience and drive sales.

In conclusion, live-streaming involves sharing a real-time video where you interact with your audience to create brand awareness and increase sales. Visit Alibaba.com to open a seller account, reach a global audience and take advantage of marketing features like live-streaming.