Livestream shopping, a retail phenomenon that has dominated China for years, is finally gaining serious traction in the United States, powered by TikTok and the platform Whatnot. The U.S. live shopping industry is projected to generate nearly $20 billion in sales in 2026, up about 35% from the prior year, according to eMarketer estimates cited by CNBC.
One example of the trend in action: Beachwaver, the viral hair curling iron brand led by celebrity hairstylist Sarah Potempa, pulled in roughly $8,000 in sales during the first four hours of a TikTok livestream in late July. CNBC sat in on the session, where Potempa auctioned limited-edition irons, demoed hair care products, and promised to shave her brother-in-law’s head on camera if viewers ordered 500 units. The company, which runs hundreds of livestreams annually, said about a quarter of its $1 million in TikTok Shop sales so far in 2026 came from live sessions.
The format is reminiscent of old-school QVC, but with a digital twist. QVC itself has embraced the new wave, now broadcasting live on TikTok for more than 200 hours per week across seven channels, according to the company, after recently emerging from bankruptcy. Patrick Nommensen, president of strategic initiatives for TikTok Shop in the Americas, called QVC “a great example of a large established retailer” that has turned into a “really successful merchant” on the platform.
Potempa, whose brand first gained exposure on QVC, said digital platforms offer more flexibility than traditional TV shopping. “Nobody is saying, OK, you have 10 minutes at 7 p.m. and get ready and here’s your 10 minutes and you’re done,” she said. “You definitely need to be on longer on a digital platform, but you really are more in control of the revenue.”
TikTok and Whatnot lead the charge
TikTok Shop launched in 2023, and the company told CNBC exclusively that live shopping sales more than doubled in the first half of 2026 compared with the same period a year earlier. The number of live shopping sessions jumped more than 60%, and total live hours grew more than 80%.
Whatnot, founded in 2019, has also seen explosive growth. The company recently reached a $20 billion valuation, doubling its worth since October, and ranked No. 8 on this year’s CNBC Disruptor 50 list. Whatnot says it is the largest live shopping platform in the U.S., though it declined to share domestic sales figures. The company told CNBC that a majority of the $8 billion in global sales it reported for 2025 came from the U.S.
Whatnot’s core focus is auctions, where viewers bid in real time. TikTok rolled out live auctions in January. Eric Pagan, a livestream host who sells for brands on both platforms, said the reach can be staggering. “You can have [5,000], 10,000 people on Whatnot or TikTok watching your show at one time,” he said during an interview in mid-August. “I did a show on TikTok this weekend that was well into six figures.”
Armand Wilson, Whatnot’s chief revenue officer, said the platform has evolved beyond its collectibles roots. “In year one, it was largely all collectibles,” he said. “Now pretty much anyone can download Whatnot and find something for them.”
Legacy platforms and challenges
Amazon, Walmart, and eBay all offer native livestream shopping features, though they are not as video-first as social media sites. Amazon and Walmart declined to comment, while an eBay representative said the offering makes shopping “more human.” None shared sales figures.
Mark Yuan, a former eBay live shopping business development lead and now an e-commerce consultant, said legacy marketplaces benefit from consumer trust, but that trust also creates structural barriers. “Those are the things you can’t buy with money, but unfortunately, what gives them the advantage also might be their barriers as well,” he said. “Structurally it’s very hard to transform themselves into a discovery-first or content-first [platform].”
Newer entrants succeed by building communities around like-minded shoppers. Whatnot, popular for Funko Pop figurines, Pokemon cards, sneakers, and fashion, says community is its core differentiator. Pagan emphasized the importance of trust: “Those people are my friends,” he said of his viewers. “I believe that they know things about me that a normal person on the street wouldn’t know.”
Marshal Cohen, chief retail analyst at Circana, said livestream shopping helps bridge a key e-commerce shortfall. “You can’t touch and feel the product, but you can hear from others what they think about it,” he said. “[Live shopping] bridges that shortfall of the inability to touch and feel. And that’s always been online’s biggest challenge.”
Still, platforms face hurdles, including counterfeit and stolen goods issues. Sellers also pay fees: Whatnot takes a commission of 4% to 8% of sales depending on the product, and TikTok charges 6% plus payment processing fees. As competition grows, visibility becomes harder. Globaldata’s Neil Saunders said, “The biggest challenge really is visibility. You have to make sure that your feed is aligned with the algorithm and that it’s putting you in front of the right people.”
The U.S. market remains far behind China, where Alibaba introduced Taobao Live in 2016 and the market crossed $50 billion within five years, projected to top $1.1 trillion in 2026. Saunders noted that Chinese consumers use livestreams for entertainment and inspiration, while U.S. shoppers traditionally relied on stores. That is changing as younger consumers embrace live commerce, he said.
Source: www.cnbc.com — https://www.cnbc.com/2026/09/01/tiktok-whatnot-livestream-shopping.html
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