What is live shopping and will it take off?

After graduating college Kelsey Krakora worked full time in a steakhouse, bartending and serving meals.

She had dabbled with selling clothes online, but only part-time.

But in 2021 that all changed for Cleveland-based Ms Krakora.

She switched to selling clothes on Whatnot and then Poshmark - online marketplaces where people can also use live video to sell items.

"My first live show with Poshmark was 27th November 2022. I sold zero things on my first show... but that didn't last long!"

Now she sells around 100 items per show, worth about $1,000 in sales (£773).

Her shows are on average three hours long and she does between two and three a week.

"These events are inclusive, welcoming, you can shop in your PJs, and there's no need to head to the shopping mall," says Ms Krakora.

Live shopping has been popular in the Asia-Pacific region for some time, where social networks such as China's Douyin regularly host live shopping streams, but now European and US brands are experimenting with this new way of selling their products.

Live shopping is a close relative to shopping channels like QVC, where viewers are urged to call in and buy the products demonstrated by presenters.

But live shopping acts as a quicker shortcut from buyer to product, especially in the era of one-click purchases, made popular by online retailers such as Amazon.

Also, as younger generations increasingly cut the chord and can't access cable TV, shopping channels don't hold the same relevance as they once did.

It's estimated the live shopping market has reached $32bn, with the most active sectors being fashion, cosmetics and collectibles.

A 2024 survey from digital commerce platform VTEX found that 45% of US consumers have browsed or purchased from live shopping events in the past 12 months.

Guillaume Faure, chief executive of LiveMeUp, which provides live shopping video software, remembers when interest in live shopping surged.

"When Instagram introduced Reels, and when YouTube launched Shorts, we saw live shopping really take off."

He's noticed the popularity of tutorials and how-to videos in live shopping events, such as how hosts can teach shoppers how to apply a certain type of make-up, or arrange a variety of flowers to deliver the most evocative bouquet.

However, some analysts think that live shopping is likely to have a limited appeal.

"Many companies have tried live shopping but it simply doesn't scale," says Sucharita Kodali, retail analyst at Forrester Research.

"Maybe it works in China where they don't have the same kind of store density we have in the US, where it's better for consumers to go and try something on rather than watch a host try on a piece of clothing," she adds.