Social Commerce

Beauty brand e.l.f. has expanded its partnership with virtual world and gaming platform Roblox to include real-world commerce, reports PYMNTS. In the new virtual kiosk within the e.l.f. Up! experience on Roblox, which is powered by Walmart, U.S. visitors can buy a Roblox-exclusive limited-edition physical product — a hoodie — as well as a selection…

On April 24, President Biden signed into law the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, which had one immediate, if not explicit, purpose: Wrest control of the social media application TikTok from the potential influence of the Chinese government. Whether founded or unfounded, concerns that China might be willing and able to access…

The phenomenon of social commerce is rapidly transforming how people buy products online. Whether through serendipitous discovery or a deliberate search, social media is now very much part of the commercial experience for consumers. And the second youngest generation, Gen Z, are the trendsetters. A massive 88 percent of Gen Z consumers use social media…

The social commerce landscape is relatively new and still evolving, but it’s easy to see what makes it so enticing for online sellers. However, its potential is accompanied by pitfalls, and the brands that stand out most will be the ones to tweak their strategies to account for nuance, new trends, or price competition from…

Seeing the remarkable success that live shopping has generated in China, U.S. retailers are eager to build out their own live shopping capacities to entice younger shoppers and deepen customer engagement. Although the live shopping category is expected to grow to $68 billion in the U.S. in just two years, translating the awareness that livestreams…

TikTok enjoyed a meteoric rise during the pandemic and has evolved from a song-and-dance platform to a bona fide digital commerce powerhouse. TikTok is a crucial platform for digital commerce for many businesses due to its unparalleled ability to blend entertainment with commerce seamlessly. However, the app is once again in the hot seat in…

In episode 443 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Rob Robillard, chief merchandising officer of HSN, a leading interactive and lifestyle retailer that is part of Qurate Retail Group. Listen in as Robillard provides an overview of HSN's history in enabling video commerce and live shopping (1:00), the retailer's increased focus on streaming…

Shopping + social platforms = social commerce. It’s not a new concept in other parts of the world; as of 2022, over 70 percent of Asian consumers, specifically in Thailand, China, and Vietnam, had shopped on social media platforms. To put this into perspective, just 36 percent of U.S. internet users are social buyers, meaning…

Over the past few years, consumers have become hyperconnected online. What used to be individual tasks, like exchanging money or listening to music, are now opportunities for social networking among friends with apps like Venmo and Spotify. It was only a matter of time before shopping took to social platforms as well, and it has…

With all the buzz surrounding artificial intelligence in the retail industry, it’s no surprise that its embrace is one of the top trends as the industry begins 2024. The rapid growth of AI, machine learning and predictive technologies is opening up new worlds of opportunities. However, AI isn’t the only key trend in retail. Here…