E-commerc

Livestream shopping soars in Europe, fashion leads the charge

06 Apr '25
3 min read
Livestream shopping soars in Europe, fashion leads the charge
Pic: Shutterstock

Insights

Livestream platforms are attracting a diverse range of buyers, with apparel as the most popular category—31 per cent of buyers purchase clothing during livestream sessions. Twenty-five per cent of buyers showed interest in shoes, according to a report by Whatnot, a live-stream shopping platform.

This year, thirty-seven per cent of European consumers are shopping more frequently on live platforms compared to the previous year, as livestream shopping rapidly gains traction across Europe and emerges as a powerful revenue channel, according to the first-ever European Market Report by Whatnot titled ‘The Live Selling Revolution: 2025 European Market Report.’

A striking 94 per cent of European live sellers consider it vital to their business success, with 59 per cent generating over half their total revenue through the medium. Nearly 65 per cent earn more than £10,000 monthly, and one in four surpass £50,000, highlighting its strong income potential.

Livestream platforms are expanding opportunities across various product categories—from clothing to collectibles. Women’s fashion leads with 25 per cent of sellers, followed closely by men’s fashion (22 per cent).

Among those using live selling platforms, 43 per cent reported increased sales volumes, while 42 per cent have seen a boost in overall revenue. Other key advantages include enhanced brand visibility and larger online communities (both cited by 41 per cent), along with stronger customer relationships (38 per cent), the report added.

Sellers also benefit from the ability to showcase products in real time (34 per cent) and experience faster inventory turnover (31 per cent), underscoring livestreaming’s growing impact on e-commerce success.

Even European part-time sellers are finding success, with 55 per cent going live at least three days a week and averaging around 15 hours weekly. The momentum continues to grow—78 per cent of European live seller’s plan to increase their activity in the coming year, while only 9 per cent have been livestreaming for over two years, indicating a rapidly evolving and still-nascent marketplace, added the report.

In the UK, fashion has emerged as the fastest-growing category, experiencing an average quarterly sales growth of 90 per cent in 2024. This sector also leads in sales volume, with UK sellers averaging 25 items sold per hour during livestreams.

In France too, live shopping is booming, with Whatnot viewers logging over 1.3 million hours of live shows in 2024 and the number of French sellers rising by nearly 650 per cent year-on-year.

In Germany, Whatnot users watched over 1.6 million hours of live shows in 2024, while the number of sellers increased by 30 per cent month-over-month (MoM).

Cross-border sales between the UK, France, and Germany have grown by an average of 40 per cent MoM, with some markets seeing 60 per cent of their sales from other countries.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (SG)