Andrew Martin illuminated his bedroom—now transformed into a refined content creation studio—with a cascade of warm, inviting lights as he prepared for a highly anticipated Prime Day livestream event. The soft glow of his setup created a relaxed yet professional atmosphere, setting the perfect stage for the hourlong broadcast that would follow. During this October session, Martin, a livestreamer based in the United Kingdom but producing content primarily for Amazon Live’s U.S. audience, offered a detailed demonstration of a wireless microphone’s impressive range. At one point, he rose from his desk and settled comfortably onto a sofa positioned further back in the room—a space fitted with cat perches, ambient accent lights, and a distinct homey charm that blurred the line between performance and authenticity. With casual wit, he entertained his viewers, joking that he might as well conduct the session from his chair rather than at his desk: “I fancy doing the stream from the chair here,” he quipped with a smile, adding that he could easily sit back, enjoy a beverage, and chat in comfort while still showcasing the microphone’s functionality.
Viewers tune into Martin’s streams partly for the allure of good electronics deals, but equally for his conversational and relatable demeanor. Through Amazon Live’s interactive chat feature, audiences not only ask about product details but also engage him in discussions about everyday life. Martin belongs to a growing collective of livestreamers who bring together commerce and entertainment on platforms such as Amazon Live, eBay Live, and TikTok Shop. Their broadcasts follow a consistent formula: hosts present products, offer firsthand opinions, field live questions from the audience, and often announce time-limited deals—all in real time. This synergistic format has redefined digital shopping, merging the sociability of in-person marketplaces with the convenience of e-commerce.
This retail phenomenon, already a massive success in China, is gradually transforming the U.S. digital landscape. In China, livestream commerce evolved beyond mere shopping into a form of interactive entertainment deeply ingrained in the culture. One of its pivotal moments came in 2018, when Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba, publicly challenged beauty influencer Austin Li to a friendly competition on Taobao Live. Li’s triumph in selling 15,000 lipsticks within five minutes earned him the title of “Lipstick King,” marking a cultural milestone that solidified livestreaming as an essential sales mechanism. Li now commands an enormous following exceeding 35 million fans on Douyin—the Chinese counterpart of TikTok—and his daily sessions are sensory spectacles overflowing with imagery, pop-up banners, and rapid product demonstrations. In one marathon broadcast, he famously tested 380 lipsticks over seven hours, transforming a simple sales pitch into a multisensory performance blending product testing and entertainment.
Jacob Cooke, CEO of Beijing-based consultancy WPIC Marketing + Technologies, described this evolution as a merging of commerce with live entertainment. According to Cooke, livestream shopping combines real-time discovery, interaction, and transaction in a collective social moment—a dynamic experience that static online listings simply cannot replicate. The widespread lockdowns during the pandemic further accelerated this transformation by providing an alternative to the in-person retail experience. Shoppers, starved for connection, flocked to these live sessions, where flash sales, exclusive vouchers, countdown timers, and gamified incentives urged rapid participation and immediate purchasing decisions. The result was an around-the-clock shopping ecosystem: even at midmorning hours, thousands of live streams across Taobao showcased everything from beauty products and hair accessories to umbrellas and household gadgets.
Cooke also emphasized that livestreaming simplifies decision-making by allowing hosts to interpret complex product specifications for viewers. This hands-on demonstration fosters trust and clarity, particularly for categories like beauty, fashion, and electronics—fields that rely heavily on personal recommendation and demonstration-driven persuasion. Unsurprisingly, this model has proven especially durable for impulse purchases and items where tactile evaluation would normally play a larger role.
In recent years, the United States has begun catching up with this model’s momentum. Platforms such as TikTok Shop reported that during the 2024 Black Friday and Cyber Monday period, livestream-driven shopping surged by 165% over the previous year, generating approximately $100 million in U.S. sales during that weekend alone. Meanwhile, Whatnot, a livestreaming marketplace specializing in collectibles, secured $265 million in Series E funding—valuing the company at nearly $5 billion and underscoring investor confidence in livestream commerce as a substantial growth sector. A separate 2024 survey by digital commerce firm VTEX revealed that nearly half of 1,000 U.S. consumers had either viewed or purchased items through live shopping events on digital marketplaces such as Poshmark and Amazon. This signals a decisive shift in how U.S. consumers, particularly younger demographics, expect shopping experiences to engage them—infused with interactivity, social proof, and entertainment.
At the same time, an expanding collectibles boom has powered further growth in livestream commerce. The demand for limited-edition figurines, trading cards such as Pokémon, and novelty “blind-box” toys has become emblematic of the ‘kidult’ movement—a term describing adults who enthusiastically consume nostalgic or hobbyist goods. For these collectors, livestreaming offers a forum that combines community interaction with product authenticity verification. Sellers often unbox products live and demonstrate their genuineness to an engaged audience. When Business Insider joined a Utah-based livestream focused on Pokémon cards, around fifty viewers tuned in as the host described each card enthusiastically to an energetic soundtrack. Bidders haggled in real time, while bursts of digital applause and likes flooded the screen each time a new pack was opened. eBay CEO Jamie Iannone, speaking in a podcast episode of “Opening Bid,” reaffirmed his company’s optimism about the medium, noting that collectibles generate roughly $10 billion annually for eBay, and that its new service, eBay Live, though still early in development, holds formidable potential.
For individual creators, the appeal of livestreaming extends beyond economic opportunity. Many view it as an adaptable and flexible career path that offers autonomy, remote work, and the chance to turn personal interests into income. Caleb Wessels, a 34-year-old beauty content streamer from Vancouver, exemplifies this new generation. Formerly employed as a professional makeup artist in a retail chain, Wessels turned to livestreaming during the pandemic when his usual work became impossible. Selected by Amazon to join its Amazon Live creator roster, he found entry effortless, already possessing the necessary tools: ring lights, cameras, and a smartphone. He routinely goes live to demonstrate makeup techniques, share swatches, and engage with viewers—sometimes discussing their personal lives as much as the featured products. The relaxed tone of his sessions mirrors that of Martin’s; both entertainers cultivate audiences that value genuine conversation as much as commercial insight.
Nonetheless, Wessels admits that commissions alone are not sufficient to sustain a full-time income. To mitigate this, he supplements his earnings through part-time work in AI training. He also acknowledges that increasing competition within Amazon Live has diluted individual audience reach, saying that while early streams sometimes attracted over one hundred thousand viewers, his numbers have since declined as more creators entered the space. Martin echoes these sentiments, explaining that though livestream sales occasionally contribute to his revenue, much of his effort now focuses on building material for platforms like YouTube, where viewers consume content on their own schedules. Despite modest financial returns, Martin views his creative independence and ability to maintain a modest livelihood—enough to cover expenses and care for his cats—as the true measure of success. Together, he and Wessels illustrate both the promise and the growing pains of a profession that stands at the crossroads of entertainment, technology, and the evolving consumer marketplace.
Sourse: https://www.businessinsider.com/china-livestreaming-sleepless-selling-machine-us-catching-up-2025-10
