Shein and Zara’s pushes into livestream shopping show the channel is gaining momentum

The trend: Livestream shopping is gaining momentum.

• Nearly one-quarter (24%) of US consumers have browsed or purchased in a livestream shopping event, up from 16% a year earlier, per The EMARKETER Ecommerce Survey conducted by Bizrate Insights.
• Another US survey, conducted on behalf of VTEX, finds even more striking results, with 45% of respondents participating in a livestream shopping event hosted on marketplaces like Poshmark or Amazon, and 61% shopping on social platforms such as TikTok Shop or YouTube Shopping.

Zooming in: Broken down by demographics, 61% of consumers under 55 are interested in livestream shopping, according to an Agora survey. And VTEX found that Gen Z and millennials are the most active participants. Those findings have led several brands to invest in the channel.

• Shein will showcase its new fall and winter apparel collections via a live streamline shopping fashion show it calls Shein Live: Front Row on Facebook, X, YouTube, and Instagram. The 90-minute show will feature Shein customers modeling the clothing. This will be the retailer’s third livestream fashion show.
• Inditex-owned Zara will soon begin hosting “Zara Streaming” live-shopping shows for customers in the US, the UK, Canada, and select European markets, following success with the format in China. The retailer plans to host the live shows exclusively on its app and website in an attempt to exert maximum control over aesthetics, as well as drive more shoppers to its owned channels.
• That’s not to mention brands such as Benefit Cosmetics and COOLA that have livestreamed via TikTok Shop to reach consumers on Gen Z’s favorite destination for social commerce.

Our take: While livestream shopping was slow to catch on in the US, it is starting to find a foothold with consumers. Although the channel is unlikely to reach the scale of China—where we expect it to account for 25.4% of all ecommerce sales this year—it is beginning to emerge as a viable tool retailers can use to appeal to younger consumers.