In 2023, livestreaming commerce sales in the United States reached an estimated ** billion U.S. dollars. Referred to as live commerce, shopping via online streams on social networks is gaining popularity globally. Forecasts indicate that by 2026, sales from live online shopping will grow by ** percent, making up more than **** percent of all e-commerce sales in the North American country. The global landscape According to a survey, frequent users in the United States attended fewer live commerce shows compared to China, Latin America, and Europe in 2022. U.S. consumers may not participate in as many live commerce events as in other regions, but when they do, they bring their purchasing power with them. The average annual spending per frequent live commerce user in the U.S. surpassed that of Europe and matched that of Latin America, highlighting the potential of this emerging trend. China, known as the epicenter of live shopping, continues to lead both in attendance and spending. Why livestream shopping? The increasing popularity of live commerce can be attributed to various factors. According to consumers worldwide, the main benefits of live commerce include access to exclusive discounts, inspiration, and ideas, as well as the ability to make smarter, more informed purchase decisions. However, livestream shopping isn't just about scoring great deals; it's also about having fun. Entertainment plays a significant role in attracting consumers to participate in livestream shopping. That is especially true for younger age groups, who value real-time interaction and personalized experiences, which Gen Z consumers see as a major advantage.

In the first quarter of 2023, the United States had the highest share of Gen Z consumers who had participated in a live-streaming shopping event by a large margin, with ** percent. For comparison, Australia was next in line with ** percent. On the other hand, Poland and Portugal had the lowest share of Gen Z consumers who had participated in live commerce over the same period, with ** and * percent of respondents, respectively.

In 2021, consumer interest in livestream commerce was higher in the Asia Pacific region than in the rest of the world. According to a survey, ** percent of APAC respondents said they had an appetite for shopping via influencer streams and video calls with sales assistants. In the United States, ** percent of shoppers said the same, while Europe lagged with **** percent.

In 2024, the gross merchandise value of e-commerce live-streaming in China accounted for **** percent of the total online shopping's GMV, showing a rapid growth over the past years. That year, China's live commerce market totaled around *** trillion yuan.

A 2024 survey revealed that social media platforms with shoppable features are the preferred live shopping platforms for ** percent of U.S. adults. Live shopping on e-commerce marketplaces ranked second, with ** percent of those surveyed saying they prefer this platform for this activity. Video-streaming platforms followed, with ** percent of respondents.

Although buying via livestream or video has grown in popularity in recent years, adoption in the United States is still limited, regardless of gender and age. According to a 2023 survey, adults between ** and ** are the heaviest users of this shopping channel, but less than *** percent use it regularly. On the other hand, almost ***** out of ten U.S. users aged 55 and older stated never having shopped via video commerce and had no interest in doing so either.

A 2024 survey revealed that, of all the countries included, online shoppers in China were the most familiar with live commerce, with ** percent of online shoppers having already purchased products via live-streaming. Indonesia ranked second in live e-commerce adoption, with over ** percent of respondents claiming to have used it in the past.

In 2023, the top three countries with the highest proportion of social media users viewing a livestream shopping event in the week leading up to the survey were all located in Asia. Indonesia held the first position, followed by Vietnam and China. Brazil, Turkey, and Kenya rounded out the list, each accumulating more than ** percent of respondents.

According to a 2022 survey, the main benefits of livestream shopping globally were the possibility to access exclusive discounts and use it as a source of inspiration and ideas. Additionally, ** percent of respondents said that this purchasing channel enabled them to shop smarter and make more informed buying decisions.

A 2022 survey revealed that, in the UK, live commerce was most popular among younger adults, with ** percent of users between the ages of ** and ** saying they had already purchased something during a livestream shopping event. In contrast, users aged 56 and older were the least likely to buy at livestream commerce events.

While China is the cradle of live commerce, western countries are slowly catching up. According to a 2022 survey, more than a third of U.S. shoppers had heard of live streaming shopping events. However, participation in these events was lower, with ** percent of respondents saying they had taken part in them. Despite having the same level of awareness, the usage rate in Denmark was slightly higher, with ** percent of respondents participating in this activity.

China, still miles ahead With nearly ** percent of Chinese internet users watching livestreaming commerce in 2021 and its popularity among younger generations of online shoppers, this purchase channel promises to reach new heights in the Asian country in the coming years. According to forecasts, the gross merchandise value (GMV) of live commerce in China will account for almost a quarter of the country's total online shopping GMV by 2023.

Growth prospects in the U.S. In the United States, where live commerce is still in the integration phase, the total value of livestream e-commerce sales is projected to almost double from 2022 to 2026. The platforms that will benefit most from this growth are YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram, as they topped the list of the most popular sites for live commerce in the U.S. in 2021.

According to a 2024 survey in the United States, social media platforms with shoppable features, such as Facebook and TikTok, were the most popular live-commerce platforms for all generations. For instance, ** percent of consumers between the ages of 16 and 24 used these platforms to make live shopping purchases. In comparison, live shopping apps were the least popular among all age groups. Only **** percent of 25 to 34-year-olds bought something from live commerce apps.

A 2025 survey revealed that European Millennials use livestream events the most for shopping. According to the survey, around ** percent of Millennials had engaged in live commerce, followed by Zoomers at ** percent. Boomers used livestream shopping the least.

In 2023, the live streaming e-commerce market in China reached nearly **** trillion yuan, showing a remarkable increase from *** billion yuan in 2019 and forecast to surge to **** trillion yuan by 2026. Live commerce in China  In 2022, the largest Chinese online marketplace Taobao was estimated to have a *********** yuan revenue from its live-streaming commerce business. While most of the western internet users still associated live streaming with gaming and entertainment, it had become a vastly used shopping channel among Chinese online shoppers. The number of live streaming watchers in China hit *** million in June 2023, and shopping-related content listed as the most popular type among live streaming watchers. Live streaming commerce was not only a rivalry between online retail giants. The short-video sharing unicorns, Douyin (known as Tik Tok globally) and Kuaishou, were also popular in the market. Bridging entertainment and online shopping, live streaming has the huge potential to change the status quo and become the new norm for e-commerce in China.

E-commerce was the most popular type of live streaming in China with about *** million users as of December 2023 accounting for about **** percent of the country's internet population. Live streaming commerce is a new format that combines influencer marketing and social experience into a live shopping show on e-commerce platforms. Taobao, Douyin, and Kuaishou were the prominent players in China's live commerce market.

In the first quarter of 2023, Gen Z consumers identified exclusive discounts and sources of inspiration and ideas as the primary advantages of live shopping, with ** percent of respondents mentioning each benefit. Additionally, over ** percent of Gen Z shoppers highlighted real-time engagement and a more interactive shopping experience as benefits of live commerce.

According to a survey among Southeast Asian consumers in 2021, ** percent of the respondents in Vietnam have purchased through livestream shopping before. In comparison, ** percent of the respondents in Singapore have purchased through livestream shopping before as of 2021.

Shopping online via live commerce is not commonly done in Japan, as revealed in a survey conducted by Rakuten Insight in May 2024. Around ** percent of respondents stated that they do not watch or shop over livestream shopping events, whereas only one percent would participate regularly. Although popular streaming platforms like YouTube and Showroom have integrated shopping functions on their websites, live commerce participation remained low.

From before to during the coronavirus pandemic, the share of respondents who made purchases via livestream increased by an average of ** percentage points worldwide. Of the regions included in the study, Europe saw the highest growth during this period, with livestream shoppers growing by ** percentage points. The Middle East followed with **, while North America recorded a usage spike of about ** percentage points.

During a 2020 survey, ** percent of internet users in India reported frequently viewing livestreams of influencers, and as many as ** percent said they were likely to buy products from influencers they follow. While the share of internet users who frequently watched influencer livestreams in China was lower than in India, eight out of ten still said they were likely to buy from those influencers they were interested in.