Where Culture Meets Commerce: Whatnot’s 2027 Consumer Trends Report
Today, we’re releasing our 2027 Consumer Trends Report, exploring the products, trends and communities we expect to shape how consumers shop, collect and connect in the year ahead. The report brings together Whatnot platform data, insights from our shoppers around the world, and the perspectives of sellers who know their communities best.
Live shopping is changing how people discover products and connect over shared interests. In a recent survey conducted by Censuswide, nearly half (47%) of Gen Z and 44% of millennials said they shop live more than they did a year ago. Among Americans who use live shopping platforms, more than 1 in 3 (35%) say it helps them discover products before they see them elsewhere, and more than 1 in 5 (22%) say it’s one of the first places they go to discover or buy something new. On Whatnot, more than 650,000 new buyers join every week.
Whatnot spans hundreds of categories, from sports cards and trading card games to fashion, beauty, toys, and seafood. These communities drove more than $8 billion in live sales globally in 2025, and Whatnot is on pace to more than double that this year.
Sellers are at the heart of those communities. They get to know shoppers’ tastes, help them find sought-after items, and introduce them to something unexpected. Their conversations with buyers, alongside search and purchase data, give us a view of the trends gaining momentum and what is poised to break through in 2027.
2027 Fashion Will Remix the Classics
Whatnot is quickly becoming a premier destination for personal style and self expression. Fashion generates more orders than any other category on the platform, with order volume more than doubling since last year. The number of fashion buyers and sellers has also doubled year over year, fueling discovery across women’s contemporary clothing, vintage, luxury handbags, and more.
Across the category, one trend is especially clear: vintage continues to reign as shoppers look to the past to create a style that’s uniquely their own. From nostalgic silhouettes to timeless staples, shoppers are increasingly gravitating toward one-of-a-kind pieces that reflect their individuality, prioritizing wardrobe longevity and product quality over fleeting trends.
Maximalist Y2K Takes Over
The Y2K revival is evolving into its flashier, rhinestone-covered sibling. In 2027, we expect the “McBling” Y2K style to take center stage, bringing back the unapologetic maximalism, bright colors and glamour of the early 2000s. Since this time last year, searches for baguette bags rose 320%, while rhinestones, low-rise styles and tracksuits each rose about 160%. The Louis Vuitton Speedy also ranked among Whatnot’s top-selling bag styles, pointing to renewed appetite for one of the era’s defining silhouettes.
The Coach Comeback Continues
Handbags will remain a major entry point into vintage in 2027, with Coach poised to be one of the biggest beneficiaries. Luxury Bags & Accessories live shows have driven over 150 million views so far in 2026, and while Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Chanel and Hermès remained among the most searched names, Coach emerged as a standout alternative. In 2026, Coach was named in nearly half of all vintage bag show titles on Whatnot, about 9x as often as the next most-mentioned brand, Dooney & Bourke.
With shoppers gravitating toward vintage leather, recognizable silhouettes and more accessible luxury, we expect Coach’s resurgence to continue in 2027.
Materiality Matters
Shoppers will also pay even closer attention to what their clothes are made of. Searches for cashmere rose 140%, while silk rose 100%. Brands known for craftsmanship and high-quality materials saw some of the strongest growth, including Brioni (+350%), Zegna (+340%), Brunello Cucinelli (+220%) and Loro Piana (+130%).
As shoppers become savvier about quality, we expect natural fibers, leather and material craftsmanship to increasingly influence purchasing decisions, with the fabric itself becoming as important as the label.
The Ralph Lauren Aesthetic Goes Beyond Prep
Classic American style or “Ralph Lauren” aesthetic will get richer and more eclectic in 2027. Think heritage sportswear layered with luxe textures, Western influences and country-club-meets-ranch dressing. Searches for tweed rose 120%, while Western searches rose 100%.
Instead of committing to one aesthetic, shoppers will mix familiar American style archetypes, pairing polished classics with rugged, lived-in pieces to create a look that feels collected rather than coordinated.
The Prada Effect Puts Skirts Everywhere
If the runways are any indication, 2027 will be the year of the skirt. Prada sent 63 skirts down its Spring/Summer 2027 runway in a mix of lengths, patterns and silhouettes, and Whatnot shoppers are already showing interest: searches for skirts climbed 93%.
Expect skirts to become a wardrobe workhorse in 2027, with shoppers experimenting across lengths, fabrics and eras rather than rallying around a single dominant silhouette.
Old-School Accessories Become New Classics
Some of 2027’s freshest accessories will be anything but new. Floral brooch searches tripled. Searches for silk scarves rose 78%, reflecting renewed interest in classic accessories styled in less traditional ways.
Oversized floral brooches emerged as a statement at New York Fashion Week, while silk scarves are increasingly moving beyond the neck to be worn as headscarves and incorporated into outfits in unexpected ways. In 2027, expect shoppers to rediscover the styling potential of pieces that may already be hiding in their – or someone else’s – closet.
The Pendulum Swings
Fashion loves an opposite, and some of the defining trends of the past few years may be ready for their counterpoint. Whatnot searches are already pointing toward the next wave: big sunglasses (+68%) over tiny frames, purple (+81%) following the reign of brat green, snake print (+84%) as an alternative to leopard, and pearls (+66%) as shoppers look beyond diamond and tennis bracelets.
In 2027, expect the pendulum to keep swinging toward bolder proportions, new prints and refreshed versions of classic glamour.
From Scent Layering to Worn-In Glam, More Is More
Beauty is becoming more personal, experimental and expressive as shoppers embrace new ways to make their routines their own. Since last year, beauty orders nearly tripled as shoppers explored fragrance as a form of self-expression, embraced K-beauty skincare routines, and gravitated toward the glowing skin, smoky eyes and textured hair appearing on Spring/Summer 2027 runways.
From personalized scent wardrobes to a renewed appetite for bold, imperfect beauty looks, platform activity, buyer preferences and seller observations point toward several trends that will shape beauty in 2027:
Fragrance Becomes a Wardrobe of Its Own
Expect shoppers to treat fragrance more like fashion, building scent wardrobes that can change with their mood, style or occasion. About 18 fragrance items sell per minute on Whatnot in 2026, and 72% of fragrance buyers returned for another purchase. Kayali, Tom Ford and Maison Francis Kurkdjian led searches, while sellers saw growing interest in smaller sizes that make it easier to try new scents.
That experimentation will increasingly extend to fragrance layering, with shoppers combining multiple scents and applying different fragrances to the hair, neck, décolletage and other areas to create something more personal. Smaller sizes will make it easier to discover, mix and rotate scents without committing to a full bottle.
Middle Eastern Fragrance Takes Off
Middle Eastern fragrance will continue to gain ground in 2027 as shoppers look beyond familiar scent profiles and brands. Searches and orders for Dubai perfumes tripled in 2026, while gourmand notes like vanilla remained favorites.
At the same time, emerging scent preferences point toward greater variety ahead: searches for peony jumped 460%, while woody scents rose 230%. Expect richer, more distinctive fragrance profiles to become an even bigger part of shoppers’ scent wardrobes.
K-Beauty Remains the Foundation
K-beauty will continue to anchor skincare routines in 2027. K-beauty brands accounted for more than 80% of Skincare orders on Whatnot in 2026, while buyers ranked anti-aging products among their top interests and orders for those products roughly quadrupled. Glowy “glass” skin was also a top search.
But perfectly prepped skin will increasingly become the canvas rather than the finished look. We expect shoppers to keep investing in multi-step skincare and luminous complexions while becoming more experimental with the makeup layered on top.
From “Clean Girl” to “Worn-In Glam”
After years of minimalist, barely-there beauty, 2027 will get a little messier. Glowing, well-prepped skin isn’t going anywhere, but what goes on top is changing: think smoky eyes, deeper hues, crimped hair and deliberately imperfect texture.
Shopping behavior is already reflecting the “worn-in glam” seen across Spring/Summer 2027 runways. Dark, moody eyeshadow shades ran at roughly 2x the volume of nude and neutral palettes throughout 2026. Hair crimper searches tripled. The number of shoppers looking for them rose 59%.
In 2027, expect polished skin paired with makeup and hair that feel less pristine, more lived-in and more personal.
Nostalgia Fuels the Next Wave of “Kidulting”
Adult collectors are reshaping the toy aisle, turning nostalgic childhood-favorite brands, beloved characters and tactile toys into serious hobbies and collectibles. On Whatnot, Toys & Hobbies orders grew 140% in 2026, with more than 118 items sold per minute. The number of toy buyers more than doubled.
From rediscovering childhood favorites to embracing the thrill of the hunt, the momentum we’re seeing across Whatnot points to three toy trends we predict will be everywhere in 2027:
The 2000s nostalgia boom is just getting started
The next wave of nostalgia will center on the brands and characters that defined the 1990s and 2000s. Searches for Build-A-Bear grew 190% in 2026, while Bratz jumped 170%, signaling growing demand for the childhood favorites of today’s adult collectors.
Likewise, LEGO remains a Gen Z and Millennial mainstay. Searches across adult-oriented lines, including Botanicals, Architecture, and Art, grew 250%, as buyers embraced the toy line as a hobby in its own right.
We expect reissues, anniversary collections and new takes on familiar franchises to bring even more of these brands back into the spotlight as millennials and Gen Z increasingly collect the toys they grew up with.
Squishy, tactile toys will continue their reign
Squishy toys are poised to move from breakout trend to collecting mainstay in 2027. This year, they’ve consistently accounted for nearly two-thirds of the Toys & Hobbies category search volume, with NeeDoh as the top-searched brand. Taba Squishy (up 15.6x) and Squishables (up 5x) also saw significant gains.
That momentum points to a growing appetite for toys that are as satisfying to touch and interact with as they are to collect. In 2027, expect more brands, characters and limited-edition drops to tap into the tactile toy craze.
We predict collectors will increasingly branch out across characters, franchises and brands, making the thrill of the reveal – and the hunt for a specific character – a defining part of toy collecting in 2027.
Pokémon and Pop Culture Will Power the Next TCG Wave
Trading cards continue to allow people to participate in the worlds, characters and fandoms they love. Pokémon’s 30th anniversary showed just how powerful that connection can be: four Pokémon cards sell every second on Whatnot on average while order volume and the buyer community both more than doubled year over year.
That momentum is poised to continue well past the anniversary, as longtime collectors and new fans alike seek out the rarest cards through pack openings, trades, and single-card purchases. As pop culture and collecting become increasingly intertwined, here are two trends we predict will shape collecting in 2027:
Pokémon’s anniversary will create a new generation of collectors
Pokémon’s 30th anniversary brought hundreds of thousands of first-time Pokémon buyers to Whatnot, helping drive the franchise’s biggest sales week of the summer and an all-time monthly high of more than ten million cards sold in September.
As anniversary releases continue through the 2026 holiday season, we expect that influx of new collectors to carry into 2027. From pack openings, trades and seeking individual cards, Pokémon’s milestone year could prove to be an entry point rather than a one-time celebration.
We also expect collecting to become even more personal. Pikachu led Pokémon searches in 2026, followed by longtime favorites Charizard, Eevee, Gengar and Mewtwo, while sellers also saw strong demand for special art cards, vintage cards, raw cards and rare chases. Rather than collecting solely around value or rarity, buyers will increasingly build collections around favorite characters, distinctive artwork and the cards that mean something to them.
Entertainment crossovers will bring new fandoms to the card table
The next wave of TCG growth won’t come only from established card collectors. We predict entertainment crossovers will increasingly turn fans of movies, games and other franchises into TCG buyers.
Magic: The Gathering offered an early signal in 2026, when The Hobbit Universes Beyond set sold 5x as much as in-universe sets in August and September. As TCGs tap into more familiar entertainment worlds in 2027, expect more fans to become collectors along the way.
Sports Collecting Expands to New Stars and Categories
The biggest moments in sports don’t just create fans, they create collectors. Over 100 million sports cards have sold on Whatnot so far in 2026, and our latest buyer survey shows strong demand ahead across football, basketball and baseball. But soccer offers a glimpse of where sports collecting could go next.
The 2026 World Cup brought tens of thousands of first-time soccer card buyers to Whatnot, while interest spilled beyond cards into jerseys and memorabilia. Based on that momentum, here are three sports collecting trends we expect to take off in 2027:
Women’s soccer will have its collecting moment
With the Women’s World Cup arriving in 2027, we predict women’s soccer will bring a new wave of fans into sports collecting. Searches for women’s soccer on Whatnot grew about 70% in 2026, with Trinity Rodman leading search interest. The number of people searching for Alexia Putellas roughly tripled.
We saw the 2026 World Cup turn tournament excitement into demand for soccer cards, jerseys and memorabilia, and expect the women’s game to create a similar opportunity in 2027 as global attention turns to its biggest stars.
The next generation of superstars will challenge the legends
Collectors will always seek out the icons, but in 2027, we expect rising stars to command an even bigger share of attention. In basketball, Michael Jordan narrowly led Victor Wembanyama in NBA card searches in 2026, while third-ranked Cooper Flagg saw unique searchers increase 440%. In soccer, Lamine Yamal joined Lionel Messi among the most searched names for jerseys, while Erling Haaland searches surged around 17x ahead of the World Cup.
As a new generation establishes itself on the biggest stages, we predict collectors will increasingly look to collect the athletes who could become tomorrow’s legends.
Sports collecting will cross categories
In 2027, we expect fandom to increasingly cross categories, with collectors prioritizing the athletes and teams they love rather than a single type of item. During the World Cup, soccer jersey searches jumped nearly 230% month over month, while vintage jersey searches increased nearly 70% in a month.
Cards may be the start, but jerseys, vintage apparel, autographs and other memorabilia give fans more ways to collect around their favorite players, teams and sporting moments. As major events bring new audiences into sports, we expect that broader definition of collecting to grow with them.
Hard-to-Find Snacks Spark an Appetite for Discovery
In 2027, food discovery will increasingly extend beyond the traditional grocery aisle, as shoppers seek out unique flavors, regional specialties and fresh foods they can't easily find locally. Americans spent 350% more hours watching food shows on Whatnot this year than last year. The number of food shows tripled. From fishmongers and BBQ pit masters to New Jersey bagel shops, sellers are turning food discovery into a shared experience.
Shoppers are already coming to Whatnot to find foods they can’t easily get elsewhere, whether that’s a fresh lobster, freshly churned butter or limited-edition snacks from around the world. Rather than being limited to what’s available in their local grocery aisle, buyers can connect directly with sellers, ask questions in real time, learn where and how products are made, and discover something unexpected.
Here’s where we predict that appetite for discovery will take food in 2027:
The Global Pantry Gets Bigger
Expect shoppers to get even more adventurous about what they keep in their pantries. Japanese, Chinese and Korean snacks emerged as the most popular global snacks in the category in 2026, with searches up 180% since the start of the year. The number of people searching for them doubled.
As shoppers become accustomed to discovering foods beyond their local grocery stores, we expect more hard-to-find snacks, limited-edition products and regional specialties from around the world to find new audiences.
Buyers on Whatnot are already gravitating toward new, distinctive flavors, with brown butter and pistachio leading preferences, followed by tropical flavors including passion fruit, guava and lychee. We expect that curiosity to extend to niche and rare produce, giving adventurous eaters access to fruits, vegetables and varieties they may not encounter at their local grocery store.
Fresh Food Goes Direct to the Consumer
Fresh food could become one of the biggest areas of growth in 2027. Meat, seafood, produce and baked goods doubled their share of the category this year, and the number of fresh food sellers more than doubled. Buyers are going deeper, too: meat and seafood shoppers have nearly doubled their monthly orders since February.
Live shopping creates a natural marketplace for butchers, fishmongers, artisanal bakers and other producers whose inventory changes based on what’s available. We expect more hyperfresh food to be sold at the moment of production, harvest or catch, connecting shoppers directly with producers while giving shoppers a chance to learn about what they’re buying and ask questions before making a purchase.
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Buyer Survey Methodology
The research was conducted by Censuswide, among a sample of 2000 Respondents across the UK, USA, and Germany. The data was collected between 06.10.2026 - 09.10.2026. Censuswide is a member of the Market Research Society (MRS) and the British Polling Council (BPC), and a signatory of the Global Data Quality Pledge. We adhere to the MRS Code of Conduct and ESOMAR principles.
Download press images here. Credit: Whatnot
