With a community of 15 million fans, Twitch is a powerful social platform for sharing products in real-time on livestream. Spring is one of the only platforms that enables you to create subscriber-exclusive products to sell via Twitch as well—you can require fans to verify their subscriber status to access your exclusive product releases.
Set up Merch Store Extension
The Spring x Twitch merch store panel extension offers a fully integrated shopping experience. Your community can use the extension to purchase your products without leaving your live stream.
Whenever you create new products, they’ll appear in your panel within 15 minutes. Customize products displayed on your panel within your Spring account in the “Integrations” tab. Your products will be visible to international fans, and products can be shipped worldwide.
Automatic Chat Purchase Alerts
Chat purchase alerts are automatically enabled when you integrate! This real-time notification appears in chat and encourages their fans to purchase your products. Once you’ve integrated, fans can create personalized messages post-purchase that are visible to you and all viewers on your livestream.
Create a Merch Command
Using a !merch command is a must when promoting on Twitch. Creating a command will easily direct people to your store via chat. Use a chatbot such as Nightbot, Moobot, or StreamElements to create the command. Your merch command should always link to your merch store URL (you can use tracking links like bitly too). You’ll also want to include a call to action similar to some of the following options:
- CHECK OUT MY NEW STORE
- NEW PRODUCTS JUST ARRIVED
- CLICK FOR NEWEST PRODUCTS
Also, you can add additional content like a link to a clip of you showing off products. If you’re releasing a limited-edition product, create a custom command like !shirt to feature in the launch video. You may also want to automate your merch command to post within chat to remind your community to check out your products.
Optimize Stream Title
Whenever you’re announcing new products, we recommend mentioning ‘NEW MERCH’ at the beginning of your stream title. Optimizing titles will make your products more discoverable to people browsing through streams. Plus adding the merch command at the end reminds viewers how they can learn more about your products.
Announce Product Releases Live
Try creating hype leading up to a new launch to drive more sales within the first 24 hours. Examples of creating hype include hinting at ‘something big’ coming up while streaming or that you have new limited-edition products launching soon. Loyal viewers will be anxious to know what the big news is, and you can plan to announce during your stream on the day of your launch.
Tip: If you’re running a promotion or have mentioned a new product launch in your stream, provide a link directly to the listing, rather than your store URL. It removes one step for the fan and has been shown to almost double conversion rates, meaning more completed sales (easy win).
You can schedule an end date on any of your listings to make products available for a limited time. Also, consider doing a giveaway of one of your new products or a limited-time discount to increase viewership.
Wear Your Products
Wearing samples of your products on stream and in promotional content can increase your sales by 50%. It’s a great way to show off your products without specifically calling them out. You can order samples of your products at base cost and have them delivered directly to you.
Add Overlays and BRB Screens
Adding a merch overlay is a good way to keep your products top of mind, without creating distraction from your content. You can build your overlay with product images and/or a merch command. Overlays are good for letting lurkers know about your products even if they’re not engaged with chat.
Get into the habit of featuring products in your stream intro, outro, and BRB screens. Fans waiting for your stream to start or for you to return from a bathroom break is the perfect time for them to browse your store. Include mockups of your products (or images of you with them), your store URL, merch command, and/or a call to action like “Check out official merch!” too.
Create Crowd-Sourced Designs
Creating crowd-sourced designs on stream is an effective way to engage viewers and drive sales—you can even create the product on stream. Because viewers are actively involved in the design and creation of the product, they’re way more likely to purchase it.