For years, QVC reigned as the ultimate home shopping experience, filling television screens with energetic hosts, limited-time deals, and an endless parade of must-have products. Now, a new wave of shopping is taking over, and instead of broadcast studios, it’s happening in bedrooms, kitchens, and makeshift sets around the world. Welcome to QVC 2.0—livestream shopping for the creator economy.
Andrew Garson, a marketing executive who has been closely tracking the space, describes livestream shopping as the natural evolution of QVC, but with one major difference: power has shifted from corporate networks to individual creators.
“For years, QVC was the gold standard for real-time product discovery,” Garson told California Business Journal. “What TikTok has done is take that same formula—live engagement, urgency, and personality-driven sales—and hand it over to anyone with a phone and an audience.”
How TikTok Turned Livestream Shopping into a Powerhouse
While China’s livestream shopping market hit a staggering $647 billion in sales last year, the U.S. is just starting to catch up. In 2022, livestream shopping in the U.S. pulled in $17 billion, and analysts predict that number will skyrocket to $55 billion by 2026. What’s driving that growth? According to Garson, it’s TikTok’s ability to mainstream an interactive shopping experience that previously only thrived in niche markets.
“This isn’t just an experiment anymore,” Garson explained in a recent post in Hacker Noon by Drew Chapin. “TikTok Shop has taken livestream shopping and made it a serious player in U.S. e-commerce for the first time. Before, you’d see collectors trading baseball cards or sneaker drops happening in small communities. Now, you have beauty brands, tech startups, and major retailers all diving in because they see the engagement numbers and realize this is where shopping is headed.”
Why Creators Are Thriving in QVC 2.0
Unlike QVC, where polished TV hosts drove sales, livestream shopping thrives on authenticity. Creators don’t need to follow a script or fit a corporate mold. They connect directly with their followers, answer live questions, demonstrate products in real time, and create an experience that feels more like a conversation than a sales pitch.
Beauty and fashion brands have embraced this shift, turning influencers into digital shopkeepers. Instead of seeing an ad, viewers watch their favorite creators try on clothes, test out skincare, and talk about products in a way that feels personal. And it works—studies show that nearly 80% of consumers are more likely to buy a product after watching a livestream demo.
But it’s not just beauty and fashion. The sports memorabilia and collectibles world has taken off, with platforms like Whatnot and Loupe replicating the energy of a live auction house. Sneaker drops, tech launches, and even grocery sales are finding their footing in this space, proving that just about any industry can make livestream shopping work—if they get the right creator in front of the camera.
A New Era for E-Commerce Shopping
The shift toward creator-led commerce isn’t just about sales—it’s about reshaping how people discover and engage with products. Traditional e-commerce platforms rely on search algorithms and static product pages. Livestream shopping brings the excitement back to the experience, making it feel less transactional and more like a shared event.
“This is QVC for the digital generation,” Garson said. “But instead of a few TV hosts selling to millions, now it’s millions of creators selling to niche audiences who trust them. That’s the future of shopping, and we’re just getting started.”With TikTok leading the charge and platforms like Instagram, YouTube, and Amazon Live racing to catch up, one thing is clear: QVC 2.0 is here, and it’s a creator’s dream.
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