Streamlist launched its iOS app for the U.S. market, enabling users to buy and sell fashion through video livestream events. It’s the latest firm to enter the burgeoning landscape that marries social, mobile, video, influencers, brands and style into an engaging commerce experience.
Founder and CEO Corbin White described Streamlist as “the future of social commerce.”
“Streamlist allows users to find new brands, be their own boss and easily connect with one another in an exciting new way through livestream video,” White noted. “We offer an end-to-end selling and buying e-commerce experience.”
During a livestream event, shoppers can ask questions about products of interest, see detailed product demos, outfit try-ons and more before committing to a transaction. Sellers have tools to schedule and promote an upcoming livestream and set a countdown timer that allows prospective customers to opt in to be alerted once that stream is live.
Streamlist’s app launch follows the news earlier this year that ShopShops secured a $6.1 million seed investment in April to connect U.S. brands with style savvy Chinese consumers via mobile live streaming. The business model relies on influencers, stylists and other experts who give viewers a store tour, helping the audience to feel almost as though they’re there. ShopShops manages the logistics of ferrying any orders from the U.S. stores to customers in China.
ShopShops founder and CEO Liyia Wu said in a statement announcing the funding news that her goal in starting the company was to tear down the geographic barriers for global fashion lovers. “China is our first market but consumers globally will have access to ShopShops very soon,” Wu said. “With today’s technology, there’s no reason why everyone can’t go shopping in local boutiques and mass market retail stores around the world, without having to step one foot outside their own home.”
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Two years ago, Livby claimed first-mover status as the original interactive live streaming shopping app. “Livby was created to bridge the gap between social media and e-commerce in the most fluid way through a platform that provides measurable, real-time results and data from sales,” co-founder and COO Phillip Butler said. “Our unique direct-to-consumer platform provides a fun way for brands and consumers to interactively connect.”
Co-founder and CMO Brian Rubenstein called Livby the “future of TV shopping for the socially savvy.”
Though it’s unclear where these livestream shopping apps will go, the popularity of Instagram—and its live streaming option, in particular—make it clear consumers are hungry for in-the-moment content and inspiration from the brands they admire and trust.