How Livestreamed Shopping Became QVC for Zoomers

In January, writer Liana Satenstein hosted an informal runway show in her living room. As friends-cum-models paraded through the narrow space, she announced each piece over the din of the well-heeled crowd. But to be in the room where it happened, you didn’t have to score an IRL invite. You just had to tune in to the live selling-and-buying platform Whatnot.

Shopping, for as long as it has existed, has been about more than just the practical act of purchasing goods. It’s a chance to socialize, to indulge, to play. And now that e-commerce has become old hat, there’s a desire to bring some real-life excitement to the online experience. Enter the livestream.

Satenstein, who hosts a series of closet cleanouts she calls “Neverworns,” started with in-person sales, but kept receiving messages when she’d post teasers online. “What am I supposed to do? You have to either be here or too bad,” she thought at the time. Livestreaming became a way to bridge the gap—shoppers could get the full Neverworns experience, including a chance to purchase, from the comfort of their own homes.

Courtesy of Liana Satenstein

Liana Satenstein (right) hosting a Neverworns livestreamed runway show. expand=

If boomers had QVC, livestreams are shoppertainment for the Twitch generation. “Gen Z, and the up-and-coming Gen Alpha, sees social media as an entertainment platform just as much as traditional TV,” says Rebecca Rom-Frank, a marketing strategist for the trend forecaster WGSN. “With the rise of video platforms, it makes sense that livestream shopping would follow.” Satenstein drew inspiration from QVC clips on YouTube and a 1989 interview with Donna Karan on a talk show called Attitudes. “There’s context, layers, history—and [Karan] has a model walk out in the clothes showing how something fits.”

Since its founding in 2019, Whatnot has become a buzzy name in the live shopping space. In January, the platform announced that it had raised $265 million in new funding. According to Whatnot, viewers spend an average of over 80 minutes per day watching its content, more time than they spend on Instagram or TikTok. While they buy about 12 items per week, there are also plenty of users who are tuning in just to chat or listen, no purchase necessary. “I hear time and time again that it feels like a TV show, where each week there’s a new episode,” says Nica Yusay, who sells luxury handbags on the account FashioNica.

Despite the convenience of a one-click checkout, there’s a loss of community spaces. Shopping has become a solo sport, but livestreams can bridge the gap. Customers can get involved, connecting with like-minded shoppers—and the seller on the other side of the lens—without leaving the couch.

a woman sitting in front of a group of designer handbags

Courtesy of Whatnot

A handbag seller on Whatnot.

Watchers ask questions on the fly, and sellers do their best to keep up, offering banter, backstory, and even try-ons in front of their audience. “People ask me how many unitards I own at this point,” says Nina Chong-Jimenez, a Whatnot seller whose account, Lockitin, has made nearly 68,000 sales. “At any given moment, I’m stripping down to put anything on that I can. It’s important for you to see how a piece is going to fall on a person.” It’s an added layer of transparency that’s often lacking in apps or large online marketplaces: You can see the person behind the post, and get real-time info on the piece for sale, all while chatting with friends.

With higher sale conversion rates than conventional e-commerce and a growing market share, livestreaming seems poised to keep winning new fans. For now, buyers and sellers are still figuring things out. “There’s no rhyme or reason,” Satenstein says of how much she ends up selling in a livestream. “But I’m having a good time.”