Livestream shopping is gaining steam in the U.S., thanks to apps like TikTok and Whatnot
- ID
- 20187
- Status
- summarized
- Published
- 01 Sep 2026, 9:40 PM
- Fetched
- 01 Sep 2026, 9:53 PM
- Provider
- CNBC Technology
- Category
- technology
- Original URL
- https://www.cnbc.com/2026/09/01/tiktok-whatnot-livestream-shopping.html
- Source URL
- https://www.cnbc.com/id/19854910/device/rss/rss.html
Summary
- Score
- 4.5
- Created
- 01 Sep 2026, 9:54 PM
- Tags
- Audience
- saas_foundersdevelopers
What happened
U.S. livestream shopping is forecasted to hit nearly $20 billion in 2026, more than double 2024, driven by TikTok and Whatnot (recently valued at $20 billion). Beachwaver, a hair-tools brand, generated about $8,000 in sales in the first four hours of a TikTok livestream, with roughly 25% of its $1 million in 2026 TikTok Shop sales originating from livestreams.
Why it matters
For Malaysian e-commerce founders and SaaS builders serving sellers, TikTok Shop livestream commerce is already live in Malaysia — these U.S. numbers validate the channel's revenue potential and suggest tooling around livestream analytics, affiliate management, or inventory sync for live sellers has a growing addressable market. The 25% of TikTok Shop sales from livestreams is a concrete benchmark to cite when evaluating whether to invest in live-selling capability.
Discussion angle
Is there a gap in the Malaysian market for tooling that helps small sellers run TikTok livestreams more efficiently — inventory syncing, real-time auction management, affiliate commission tracking — given that the channel already drives a quarter of some sellers' TikTok Shop revenue?