SHOPPERTAINMENT: HOW LIVESTREAM SHOPPING IS CHANGING CONSUMER HABITS

It's not enough to click "add to cart" anymore. In 2025, it's all about being entertained, involved, and affected in real time. Welcome to shoppertainment, the potent mix of shopping and entertainment that uses live streams, influencers, and interactive platforms to boost sales like never before. From its roots in China, the phenomenon of livestream shopping has now spread its wings across the globe, transforming the way we shop and interact with brands. The idea began in China, where platforms like Taobao Live made shopping through live streams a cultural phenomenon. In just a few years, it grew into a $700 billion market, with livestream hosts selling everything from lipstick to expensive cars in minutes.

• Li Jiaqi, who is known as the "Lipstick King," sold 15,000 lipsticks in less than five minutes.

• Kim Kardashian used Alibaba's Tmall livestream to launch her perfume line in China, and it sold out in seconds.

Growth Around the World

Livestream shopping is now available all over the world:

• TikTok Shop has turned social media into a store, where creators easily mix product demos with entertainment.

• Amazon Live brings influencers to the site to show off products to customers.

• Shein and Zara use livestream drops to get people excited about new collections, making shopping an event.

Why People Like It: Livestream Shopping Offers:

• Trust: Watching a real person use the product makes it more believable.

• Community: People can talk, react, and buy together, which makes shopping social.

• Urgency: Limited-time deals and countdown timers make people make decisions right away.

  
  

For Gen Z and Millennials, shopping isn't just shopping; it's also entertainment, a way to connect with others, and a way to feel better.

The Future of Shoppertainment

As we look to the future, the potential of livestream shopping is boundless. With analysts predicting that 20% of all online sales will be driven by this trend by 2030, we can expect more innovative crossovers between influencers, brands, and entertainment platforms. The next big trend could be just around the corner. Our Fashion Marketing program at Raffles Jakarta teaches students how to deal with these new digital trends. We teach future marketers how to do well in the age of shoppertainment, from using influencers to creating interactive retail platforms.

Arman POUREISA

Marketing Manager

Business Management Lecturer

Raffles Jakarta

Reference

Forbes Technology Council. (2025, February 3). How live shopping is changing the retail landscape across the globe. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbestechcouncil/2025/02/03/how-live-shopping-is-changing-the-retail-landscape-across-the-globe