What’s the Story?

Coresight Research has identified livestreaming e-commerce as one of the key trends to watch in retail. The concept was ignited by the growth of content-sharing platforms and e-commerce prevalence in China and is gaining traction worldwide as an innovative way of connecting with shoppers online, particularly amid the Covid-19 pandemic-led shift to e-commerce. Consumers today are turning to brands and retailers that can provide customized expertise and authentic engagement through the digital channel. Our upcoming Livestream Shopping 2021 virtual conference and innovator showcase will bring together VIPs, decision-makers, influencers and technology providers the livestreaming e-commerce space, providing an opportunity for participants to learn from the experts, network with peers, and build new relationships and business partnerships. The event is sponsored by Gerber Technology, a Lectra company, and end-to-end omnichannel gifting solution GiftNow.

Livestream Shopping 2021: Unlock Next-Gen Live Commerce

The conference will comprise a pitch session, a fireside chat and panel discussions, exploring key technologies and themes in the livestreaming e-commerce space.

The Pitch Session

The event will see five innovative livestreaming-tech startups pitch their solutions. Each startups meets the following selection criteria:

• Seed financing (under $100 million in annual revenues)
• Scalable, with strong growth prospects
• B2C (business-to-customer) and focused on livestream e-commerce technology

Each innovator will have six minutes to present to the audience and a panel of expert judges, followed by a short Q&A session with the judges. The image below outlines the judging criteria for the startup pitches.

[caption id="attachment_131408" align="aligncenter" width="550"] Source: Coresight Research[/caption]  

The esteemed judges are as follows:

• Carlos Alberini—CEO of Guess? Inc.
• Ken Harrell—Co-Founder and Senior Managing Director at Pharus
• Oren Paran—Managing Director, Retail Innovation Club
• Sarah Williams—Brand Educator and Spokesperson at T3

The session will conclude with one innovator being voted as the winner by the judging panel and audience. The winner will receive a prize from event sponsor GiftNow to support their business growth.

We provide an overview of the five livestreaming-tech contestants in Figure 1 below. Click the link in each description for a more detailed profile of each company.

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Figure 1. Tech Innovators Presenting at the Livestream Shopping 2021 Conference

	Buywith provides a solution for brands, retailers and content creators to host live virtual shopping events at scale, with no app, integration or equipment needed. The company claims that its offering is unique in using a website as the background to the session—taking thousands of viewers on a highly engaging shoppable journey on an e-commerce site, combined with video and chat. To date, Buywith states it is the only company in the US livestream shopping space that has developed its own patent-pending technology: the “shop with me“ user experience. Headquarters: Tel Aviv, Israel Funding Stage: Pre-seed • Innovator Profile: Buywith Enables Live “Shop with Me” User Experience
	Livescale offers a complete customer-branded solution to give merchants full control over the look and feel of their live shopping experiences. Livescale focuses on enabling retailers to integrate and manage their inventory and live storefronts across channels. The company also offers actionable business insights to ensure visibility into the online customer journey, which is crucial as consumers return to more normal ways of living, working and spending. Headquarters: Montréal, Quebec, Canada Funding Stage: Seed • Innovator Profile: Livescale Enables Seamless Live Shopping Experiences
	LiSA focuses on designing and developing solutions to meet the specific needs of large multibrand e-commerce retailers, marketplaces and international direct-to-consumer (DTC) brand groups. The company enables these players to launch their own customized and holistic live shopping programs, which they can easily scale across multiple hosts and countries. Headquarters: Dusseldorf, Germany Funding Stage: Private • Innovator Profile: LiSA Identifies Livestream Scalability as a Key Competitive Advantage
	Quidol provides a comprehensive mixed-model range of solutions to make live shopping accessible to businesses of any size, according to the company. Along with livestreaming technical support, Quidol’s managed service offers editorial, video production and filming services. The company serves blue-chip companies in various industries. Quidol’s self-service livestreaming platform encourages local businesses and individuals to broadcast their own live shopping sessions and interactive content (quizzes, sales, surveys), with the technology accessible from their phones or laptops. Headquarters: Paris, France Funding Stage: Quidol is a subsidiary of Redpill Media • Innovator Profile: Quidol’s Dual Solution Caters for Self-Broadcasting and Corporate Live Selling
	VISX by Omnyway is a commerce platform that brings innovative engagement opportunities and frictionless checkout solutions to live shopping experiences. It opens access to inventory across its clients’ physical and online presences, offering seamless omnichannel retail, which is advantageous to store-based retailers in the era of digital commerce. Through livestream commerce and mall partnerships, VISX by Omnyway estimates that it will have an addressable market of over $100 billion in GMV in the US by 2023. Headquaters: San Mateo, California, US Funding Stage: Series A • Innovator Profile: VISX by Omnyway Drives Livestreaming as Retail’s Third Channel

Source: Coresight Research  

The Fireside Chat

Coresight Research’s in-house livestreaming experts will discuss five myths about livestreaming e-commerce to help brands and retailers strategize ahead of the holiday season:

1. Only big brands can execute livestreaming on their own website.
2. Celebrities and influencers are the only way to drive sales conversion.
3. Only beauty and fashion brands attract shoppers through livestreaming.
4. Social media platforms are the most effective live-selling channels.
5. Setting up livestream sessions requires a professional studio and video team.

The Panel Discussions

The panel discussion will feature two sessions in which retail leaders and livestreaming influencers will present their insights into livestream shopping and consumer engagement, covering strategies for brands and retailers to integrate live shopping solutions into their online customer journeys.

1. The Power of Livestream Commerce: Increasing Market Awareness Through Social Media

Host: Deborah Weinswig—CEO and Founder of Coresight Research

Panelists:

• Marie Driscoll—Managing Director of Luxury and Retail at Coresight Research
• Ric Kostick—CEO and Founder of cosmetics and skincare brand 100% Pure
• Christina Liedtke—Founder and Creative Director of women's ready-to-wear apparel brand Astouri
• Lisa Mason—jewelry designer and former QVC host
• Tyler Marie Shumpert—Founder of Gladys Tyler

2. The Power of Livestream Commerce: How Brands Are Engaging Consumers in the Digital Age

Host: Ken Fenyo—President of Research and Advisory at Coresight Research

Panelists:

• Bob D’Loren—CEO of Xcel Brands
• Ian Jay Ginsberg—Owner and President of C.O. Bigelow Chemists
• Alison Hop—Vice President of Commerce at Ministry of Supply
• Kim Tunick—Senior Director and Head of Brand Experiences and Partnerships at Walmart

More on Livestreaming E-Commerce

We estimate that the livestreaming e-commerce sector in China will total $300 billion in 2021, accounting for 14.3% of total e-commerce revenue in the country. In the West, livestreaming e-commerce has lagged the China market but is now beginning to see a surge in adoption; we expect the channel to be a key driver of digital transformation in retail. Coresight Research estimates that the US livestreaming e-commerce sector will reach $11 billion in 2021—up from $6 billion in 2020 and accounting for 1.3% of the overall e-commerce market (see Figure 2).

The growth potential of the livestreaming e-commerce sector can be partly attributed to the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic over the past year, with companies turning to digitalization and live engagement strategies to better capture consumers in a volatile retail environment. As consumer concern around inflation and the spread of the Delta variant is heightened, e-commerce growth remains strong: Brands and retailers should continue to launch and develop their livestreaming capabilities to remain competitive in the digital channel.

• Read Coresight Research’s US Consumer Tracker to keep up to date with our weekly survey findings on US consumers’ behaviors and expectations, with a focus on the implications for US retail.

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Figure 2. US: Livestreaming E-Commerce Sector Size (USD Bil.; Left Axis) and Penetration (% of Total E-Commerce; Right Axis), 2019–2024E [caption id="attachment_131416" align="aligncenter" width="550"] Source: Coresight Research[/caption]  

Coresight Research Coverage of Livestreaming E-Commerce

• Our Think Tank further explores the livestreaming e-commerce market in the US, including its growth potential and the key factors that are driving opportunities for brands and retailers.
• Our Playbook presents five best practices for US brands and retailers to develop winning strategies in the livestreaming e-commerce space.
• The Coresight Research Livestreaming Latest series provides regular updates on the variety of approaches to livestreaming e-commerce that are emerging around the world, across different retail sectors. We present recent market developments and discuss the trends we are seeing in the livestreaming space, with examples of notable livestreaming events.
• Click here to read more Coresight Research coverage of livestreaming e-commerce.