Survey: Live shopping, video commerce on the rise
A growing number of consumers have engaged in live shopping and video commerce in the past year, presenting opportunities for retailers and brands ahead of the holiday season.
A new survey from commerce platform VTEX revealed that 45% of consumers have browsed or purchased from live shopping events in the past 12 months. Nearly half (45%) of respondents said they have participated in a live shopping event hosted on marketplaces like Poshmark or Amazon in the last year, while more consumers (61%) said they have browsed or shopped on Social Video Commerce channels like Facebook Live, TikTok Shop, YouTube or Instagram Reels in the last year.
Across all demographics and genders, 66% of those surveyed shop on social platforms like Facebook, TikTok Shop, and Instagram Reels at least once a month, with 32% doing so multiple times a week. The frequency of live shopping is lower than shopping on social platforms (12% monthly and 11% multiple times a week), although 55% said they would shop on all forms of video and live commerce if it was more consistently available. Nearly four-in-10 (38%) respondents in VTEX’s survey said they aren’t even sure if brands they like and buy from offer video commerce or live shopping.
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Perhaps unsurprisingly, Gen Z is the largest demographic shopping video content on social platforms with 83%, while millennials are the largest group (58%) participating in live shopping. When it came to who engages with and buys via video, men came out on top in every category of potential video engagement with nearly half (48%) of men saying they’ve engaged in live shopping, compared to 42% of women. Nearly a third (31%) of men find discovering new products to be the most valuable aspect of shopping through this channel, and 20% said they would participate in live shopping events hosted by brands on a daily basis if they were consistently available.
“Through our partnerships with enterprise B2C and B2B brands and retailers — who stand to gain significantly by offering more invite-only or personal shopper experiences — we’ve seen firsthand how lucrative live shopping and video commerce can be,” said Dani Jurado, executive VP of North America at VTEX. “These strategies not only boost awareness of new product launches but also highlight special opportunities and promotions. The findings from this survey highlight that U.S. consumers are ready and engaged with live shopping. Interestingly, our experiences with B2B corporate buyers closely align with these consumer trends, indicating a broader opportunity for brands in both sectors to capitalize on this opportunity.”
The online survey was commissioned by VTEX and fielded by Dynata, a global market research firm, in August 2024 and featured a consumer mix of 1,000 U.S. adults.
