Your Success Story: Introducing Our First State of Livestream Selling Report
At Whatnot, we’re dedicated to empowering individuals to turn their passions into successful businesses and make a living from what they love. To showcase how livestream selling shapes the success of sellers like you, we’re excited to share our first external study, our State of Livestream Selling Report. This report takes a deep dive into the tremendous impact livestream selling has on sellers and their businesses. It also celebrates how far we’ve come together and recognizes your incredible contributions as part of our vibrant seller community.
Thanks to your dedication—whether you're a solo entrepreneur or running a brick-and-mortar store—we’ve reached an exciting milestone: surpassing $2 billion in livestream sales in 2024 alone. This achievement is a direct reflection of the hard work and passion that drives your success.
We’re also excited to share that more than 175,000 hours of livestreams are hosted by you each week – this exceeds QVC’s weekly broadcast hours by 800x! Our global growth has been just as exciting. So far this year, U.K. sales have grown 155% from January to September, while sales from livestreams in France have grown by an average of 73% quarter-over-quarter this year. And over in Germany, a Pokémon card is sold every 30 seconds on Whatnot.
Shopping on Whatnot brings a fun, personalized experience that builds trust and community between buyers and sellers. As entertainment and connection remain top priorities for shoppers around the world, livestream shopping is the future of commerce.
The Future of Shopping: Unveiling Our 2024 State of Livestream Selling Report
In collaboration with Wakefield Research, we surveyed 500 sellers across various live shopping platforms to understand how this emerging sales channel is boosting revenue streams and expanding customer bases, as well as the broader impact it’s having on the economy. We also surveyed 1,613 of you to learn how you’ve harnessed Whatnot to turn your passions into thriving businesses.
The results are clear: livestream selling is here to stay, and it drives real, measurable growth for the many different businesses that operate on Whatnot. It fundamentally reshapes how you connect with customers and scale your operations.
The future of shopping is here – and it’s live.
How Livestream Selling Fuels Business Growth and Expands Opportunities
The report confirms what many of you have already experienced—livestream selling is a powerful tool for growth. Here’s how:
Livestream selling makes a significant impact on a business's bottom line. Two-thirds of sellers (66%) earn more than $10,000 per month through livestream selling. Meanwhile, one in four sellers report making over $300,000 annually.
Small businesses use live shopping to open up new revenue streams. Three out of four sellers reported increases in their overall business revenue since starting on a live shopping platform, while 41% of sellers now generate more than half of their total annual sales from live selling.
Live selling creates jobs. 64% of sellers hire others to support their thriving e-comm businesses. At least one in three sellers employs over six people.
Livestream e-commerce is here to stay. 92% of sellers consider livestream selling very important to their business’ long-term success. That’s why 88% have plans to increase their livestream selling efforts in the next year.
Who’s Leading the Livestream Selling Movement?
The study also looked into demographics to help us understand more about who you are and how you’re making your mark on the livestream selling industry.
Most Whatnot sellers are millennials. According to the Whatnot user survey, over half (54%) identified as Gen Y (ages 28-43), while Gen X (ages 44-59) made up about 29% of respondents. Five percent of live sellers identify as Boomers.
But Gen Z is making bank. Even though Zoomers are just beginning to make their mark on social commerce (12% identify as ages 18-27), nearly one in four Gen Z Whatnot sellers reported earning over $120,000 annually. This far surpasses the median income for Gen Z workers, estimated to be about $45,493 according to a recent TransUnion report.
Live selling brings Main Street USA to the mainstream. Sellers don’t need to live in a major metropolitan market to be successful. One in five (or 20%) Whatnot sellers reside in rural settings, compared to 43% who live in urban areas and 37% who are located in the ‘burbs.
As the report shows, live selling is transforming how businesses of all sizes and locations grow, connect with customers, and generate revenue. Whether you're already hosting livestreams or just getting started, the future of retail is here, and it’s live.
Dive into the full report to see how livestream selling can unlock new opportunities for your business.
