Saturated, according to the Oxford Dictionary, means "beyond the point at which the demand for a product is satisfied." Influencer marketing is saturated, yet live streaming is still struggling to find its place in Western markets. Businesses are competing relentlessly for attention across multiple platforms. The sheer volume of content being produced makes it increasingly difficult for brands to stand out. Consumers are bombarded with ads, promotions, and information that is leading to fatigue and disengagement, and traditional marketing strategies, once effective, are no longer enough to cut through the noise.
In 2023, live commerce sales in the U.S. reached $50 billion, driven by the growing popularity of shopping via livestreams. This trend is expected to increase by 36% by 2026, comprising over 5% of all e-commerce sales. However, as the market becomes more saturated with brands competing for attention, the need for innovative solutions is greater than ever.
Enter Contester. By merging video shopping experiences with real-time engagement, their digital platform provides businesses with an effective solution to help brands stand out and boost online sales while amplifying the reach of their influencers. Contester doesn't just plug into existing systems; they transform them by giving influencers the tools to host their videos and live streams directly on brand websites to create a seamless shopping experience.
The co-founders of Contester, Hadi Alavi and Kostas Cibulskas, were the perfect pair to bring this solution to fruition. Their unique blend of advanced marketing and technical expertise has been critical to the company's rapid growth. Alavi's 20 years of experience allowed him to witness firsthand a significant gap in the market. "I saw a great need to bridge the gap between social media and brand websites; I just needed a technical genius to build it. That's where Kostas comes in," Alavi explains. With over a decade as a CTO and engineer in fintech and eCommerce, Cibulskas developed the technical backbone of Contester's unique technology. Together, they've built a collaborative platform that doesn't require additional resources from brands, which makes it efficient and scalable while not adding extra burdens to in-house marketing teams.
Contester's Dynamic Feed technology is a simple yet powerful tool. Instead of relying on third-party platforms, influencers are given direct visibility on the brand's site, which means brands can engage users at the very point of sale. This increases both transparency and trust in influencer partnerships. By keeping users within the brand ecosystem, Contester offers a more transparent, more actionable view of how influencer content drives traffic and sales. The result? Higher sales volume and enhanced user experiences without the hefty price tag associated with traditional live-streaming setups.
"Our product is a seamless layer that integrates with brand websites, enhancing the customer journey, not just content. Influencers guide users with a personalized narrative, leading them from social media directly to the brand's site, where they expect to continue the journey with the influencer." Alavi adds, "Brands and industry experts often remark that they've never seen such an innovation in this space."
The platform offers comprehensive features like campaign management, influencer messaging, approval process, sales reporting, and analytics, all of which are integrated with affiliate channels. "These collaborative features are tailored for multiple stakeholders across the affiliate ecosystem," explains Alavi.
Brands are able to activate Contester through a simple checkbox. Thanks to a partnership with Awin, the world's largest affiliate network, there's virtually no friction in setup. Its one-click activation, even for huge brands like Nike or Samsung, means their marketing team is able to generate influencer-driven journeys without disrupting their current operations. This monopoly within the affiliate space makes Contester stand out and gives it a significant edge in the market. Likewise, the platform requires minimal oversight, which means it can be scaled across different markets and regions to ensure brands can replicate their success.
Contester couldn't be hitting its stride at a better moment based on the vast e-commerce market. Brands are increasingly looking for unique and dynamic ways to differentiate themselves in the saturated digital space. Influencers were once an afterthought in marketing strategies, but now, they are central to driving traffic and conversions. However, the influencer marketing industry faces long-held challenges, such as unclear data and vague social metrics to prove the return on investment. Contester's solution crushes these issues. "We are solving an industry-level problem of unclear influencer ROI and low sales. Our collaboration with companies such as Samsung across regions shows that our technology works at scale," says Alavi, highlighting the platform's commercial viability.
The platform's business model also makes it very attractive to brands and investors. "We operate in a low-risk, high-reward model through a cost-per-acquisition strategy. Our solution is not only providing brands with a way to cut through the noise in a saturated market, but it is also cost-effective and scalable for any brand," asserts Alavi.
Contester has garnered multiple prestigious recognitions reflecting its innovative approach and impact. "We're thrilled to announce that our Cyber 2023 collaboration as part of the Go BIGGER, Go Live campaign has won the Global Performance Marketing Award for Best Use of Social Commerce. This marks our second consecutive win, showcasing our strong connection with Nike Affiliate channel and our lasting partnerships with Awin," notes Alavi. This year, the company was also nominated for Awin's Partner Technology of the Year and secured a spot on the Awin Power 100 list, celebrating it as one of the top companies in the industry.
Contester is tackling the inefficiencies in both influencer marketing and live streaming. Contester founders have built a platform that enhances sales and provides data-driven insights and efficiency, which are crucial for brands navigating the ever-changing digital world. As the demand for more interactive, video-driven shopping experiences continues, Contester is positioned to take advantage, offering a scalable, innovative solution that solves real problems for brands and influencers alike.
Learn more about Contester today.
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