Live Shopping in the U.S. is Booming

Tech companies have good reason to believe that live shopping could thrive in the United States, given its size in China. Statistics show that 60 million people watched live videos of shopping in March, an increase of 126 million compared with June last year. Even Kim Kardashian West also teamed up with Chinese influencers on live shopping streams, selling 15,000 bottles of perfume almost immediately.

Layla Amjadi, head of shopping product at Instagram, said: "Live shopping is really a magical, two-shot way of discovering and thinking. It can even be boiled down to a form of entertainment. Not only can you find the product, but you can also hear some introduction about it, see it with your own eyes and even see the effect."

Moreover, with the closure of retail stores related to COVID-19 outbreak, the transition to online shopping will only intensify. Live shopping could be the future of retailing, especially when coupled with the tentacles and enthusiasm of influencers.

When Nikita Dragun, a YouTube makeup artist, hosted a live shopping event on Instagram, 40,000 people tuned in, Mr. Anjadi said. Across the entire segment, 5,000 items were added to the shopping cart, she said. And sales are also a boon for Ms. Dragon, because she only sells only her own branded products.

"There's a lot of potential demand for brands and products from people you look up to and want to emulate," says Mr. Anjadi. However, the creator can appear on Instagram in multiple identities. They can demonstrate marketing or sales skills, and increasingly they tend to do both."

Influencers, who do not sell their own products, can make money through affiliate links, depending on the platform. Amazon accepts affiliate links for live events, while Instagram requires brands to register with Facebook before launching. Currently, only brands can make money on Instagram, with Facebook taking a cut of the proceeds from the deal.