Whatnot's 2026 State of Live Selling Report: Time to Go Live
We’re excited to share our 2026 State of Live Selling Report with you, the most comprehensive report on live selling to date. It combines Whatnot platform data with survey insights from thousands of live sellers across the U.S., U.K., France, and Germany to show how the industry is evolving, the incredible success businesses are having because of going live, the categories that are going to be big this year, and how the industry is having a real, positive impact on local economies.
The report shows what our community already knows: live commerce is outperforming. In our survey of live sellers across platforms, nearly nine in ten say live selling drives stronger sales than traditional e-commerce. More than half now generate the majority of their revenue through live selling. For many, it’s solving their biggest business challenges: reaching new customers, increasing repeat buyers, and converting at higher rates. Eighty-eight percent of sellers believe businesses that don’t adopt live selling will struggle to stay competitive.
The live shopping market has reached an estimated $22 billion across North America and Europe, with Whatnot having nearly 60 percent market share. As the category leader, Whatnot is where sellers are building. In 2025, sellers drove $8 billion in live sales, more than doubling the year before. The seller base is scaling just as quickly: one in eight Whatnot sellers is now full time, up 20 percent year over year. Sellers who go live 3-4 times per week average over $13,000 in monthly sales And over 20 million new accounts were created last year, expanding the buyer base for every business on Whatnot.
Europe is growing just as fast. The seller base grew 600 percent year over year. France is adding new sellers faster than any market, up 888 percent. In the U.K., sellers who go live every day are averaging £30K a month. In Germany, sellers are making €475 per hour they're live, more than anywhere else.
“When I look at the rise of live selling today, I don’t see a trend. I see a continuation of everything that has always worked in commerce: attention, trust, and connection. Now the technology is finally catching up. “
— Gary Vaynerchuk, Entrepreneur and Whatnot seller @veefriends
This report breaks down what's driving that growth and why live selling is becoming one of the most effective ways to build a business across categories.
Consistency Drives Revenue
Live selling rewards consistency. Sellers who go live 3-4 times per week earn 40-70x more than those who stream once or twice a month. Daily sellers push that even further, earning 100-250x more. The jump from monthly to weekly alone delivers 10-20x returns, and it compounds from there.
Why Businesses Are Switching to Live
Live selling replaces static product pages with real-time interaction, community, and trust. It brings people back more often and keeps them engaged longer. On average, users spend 95 minutes per day on Whatnot, making it one of the most engaging commerce platforms in the world.
That engagement is translating into results:
Ninety-three percent of sellers say live selling is important to their business’s long-term success.
More than half now generate the majority of their annual revenue through live selling.
Customer retention on Whatnot is over 80 percent month over month, significantly higher than what is typical in traditional e-commerce.
For a growing number of businesses, live commerce isn't just outperforming traditional e-commerce. It's replacing it as their primary channel.
Where Demand is Growing
Lifestyle categories are growing fastest on Whatnot as more sellers expand beyond collectibles and a broader buyer base turns to fashion, beauty, electronics, and jewelry.
The share of women on Whatnot has doubled in the past year, and fashion buyers now place more than 12 million orders each month. This growth is creating new opportunities for sellers across a wider range of categories.
Fastest-Growing Categories Globally:
Beauty: +791%
Electronics: +444%
Jewelry: +259%
Women's Fashion: +223%
How Sellers Are Scaling
Live selling is scaling beyond the screen. Sellers are investing in space, hiring teams, and turning online momentum into full-scale operations.
The number of Whatnot sellers earning $10K+ per month more than doubled since last year
One in four sellers on Whatnot have rented additional space to keep up with demand
The number of sellers earning over $1 million in lifetime sales more than doubled in 2025
These are no longer side hustles. Sellers are building real businesses and growing them fast.
Time to Go Live
Nearly 90% of sellers said they plan to increase their live selling efforts this year, and the same percentage believe businesses that don't adopt live commerce will struggle to stay competitive.
Whether you're thinking about going live for the first time or ready to make it a regular habit, the timing has never been better. The sellers who go live consistently are the ones pulling ahead.
If you're reading this, the window is open now for you to capitalize, too. Not in three years when the headlines finally call it 'mainstream.' Not when your competitors have already built audiences you can't catch. Right. Now.
— Gary Vaynerchuk, Entrepreneur and Whatnot seller @veefriends
Dive into the full report to see how live selling can unlock new opportunities for your business.
