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Insights and Expertise

The rise of live line shopping is customer interaction. Shoppers no longer
want to passively browse. They expect authentic, partici-
commerce patory, social experiences. During a livestream, hosts re-
spond to audience questions, peers share real-time feed-
back and purchases happen seamlessly within the same
window. This makes the transaction itself a pivotal mo-
ment. Smooth, secure, instant payment processes are now
as important as the entertainment value of the stream. A
clunky checkout experience risks undermining the excite-
ment that drives conversions.
The technology behind the experience
By Aaron Stephens A successful livestream requires more than reliable video.
PXP It depends on sophisticated infrastructure that integrates
payments, digital identity and compliance. Consumers in-
n early April 2025, more than 5.6 billion people were creasingly expect features like mobile wallet integration,
online, close to 70 percent of the global population one-tap checkout, and buy now, pay later options..
(see https://bit.ly/4hHLzgq). With so many consum-
I ers living significant portions of their lives digitally, At the same time, regulatory frameworks, from GDPR in
retail has undergone a dramatic transformation. What Europe to PCI standards for payments, continue to evolve.
once relied on brick-and-mortar locations now depends Retailers must ensure their systems are both compliant
increasingly on digital platforms, with some mega retail- and adaptable, while also transparent about how consum-
ers operating entirely online. er data is used. In this environment, the ability to balance
innovation with trust has become a brand differentiator.
This digital shift has pushed businesses to rethink their From novelty to normal practice
strategies and develop innovative models. Among them,
live commerce—shopping via livestreamed video—has As live commerce shifts from emerging trend to main-
become one of the most influential forces shaping the fu- stream channel, retailers must ask: how do we not just
ture of retail. participate, but excel? The answer lies in treating live
shopping as more than a sales opportunity. Successful
A market set for explosive growth companies use livestreaming as a marketing and engage-

Analysts estimate the global live commerce market ment platform, tailoring content to their audiences and
could reach more than $3.5 trillion by 2033 (see https://bit. analyzing data in real time to improve each session. By
ly/49D1lHs). In the United States alone, sales are projected combining creativity with technology and compliance,
to hit $55 billion within the next few years. These figures they turn live events into repeatable engines for growth.
highlight not only current momentum behind the trend
but also its potential to reshape retail at scale. The con- Payment systems play a central role in this. When checkout
cept is not entirely new. Home shopping television chan- is quick, intuitive and aligned with customer preferences,
nels have long shown how real-time product demonstra- the barrier between intent and purchase disappears. The
tions can drive sales. But the modern form of live com- fundamentals of creating truly frictionless payment expe-
merce, first popularized in China, takes the model further riences extend beyond live commerce, requiring careful
by merging video, social media and ecommerce into one attention to user interface design, security protocols and
seamless experience. integration strategies. Done well, payment becomes an in-
visible enabler of the overall experience.
A turning point came in 2020, when Alibaba's Taobao Live Looking ahead
generated $7.5 billion in the opening half hour of its Sin-
gles' Day presales campaign (see https://bit.ly/47Zd7dW). The rise of live commerce reflects a broader reality: shop-
Since then, livestream shopping has spread globally, with ping today is as much about experience as it is about prod-
platforms like TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and Amazon ucts. Consumers are looking for interaction, authenticity
integrating live shopping features. Nearly half of U.S. con- and convenience. For retailers, success will depend on
sumers report having joined a live shopping event in the building systems that can deliver all three securely, seam-
past year. In the UK, uptake has been slower due to the lessly and at scale. The difference between one-time buy-
resilience of physical high streets, yet the long-term direc- ers and loyal customers will often come down to how well
tion is clear. As digital and physical channels continue to retailers integrate trust, technology and real-time engage-
blur, livestreamed shopping will become an essential tool ment into every interaction.
for customer engagement.

Shifting consumer expectations Aaron Stephens is vice president of retail at PXP. Contact him via
LinkedIn at https://linkedin.com/in/aaronmstephens.
What sets live commerce apart from earlier forms of on-

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