As of June 24, the second top free shopping app on iOS devices across the United States is a live shopping app. Further, according to the app charts of the day, the same live shopping app is 19th overall. Whatnot is firmly in the top 20 and only three places behind traditional shopping app Shein and four back of TikTok. Perhaps more impressive is the collection of apps Whatnot, a dedicated live shopping app, has leapfrogged.
Now, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh among the top Apple shopping apps read as Walmart, Pop Mart, Shop, Amazon, and Costco. Whatnot’s achievement in what is very much a niche part of retail cannot be overstated here and is indicative of significant changes in the business world.
Learning from Other Live Streaming Uses
Anyone with a home computing setup can access live streaming for free. This counts for both sides of the stream – as a viewer or a live streamer. This makes live streaming an incredibly accessible technology, one of the key reasons it now holds key significance in the entertainment sector. As platforms like Twitch have proven, there is a lot of appeal and a degree of camaraderie in tuning into a live stream with a community.
This is what drives much of the live streaming audience of Western markets. Enjoying watching something with others – be it another online video, some sports, some trailers, or some gameplay – isn’t anything new. However, individuals streaming content is a more new form of this format, allowing for large audiences to watch one popular individual streamer. The live element means that anything could happen, and you need to tune in to experience the fun when it does.
It’s a very raw form of using live streaming, with the central premise essentially being a live chat box with viewers and the camera focused on the streamer doing whatever they’re doing. They may also be a screen share up, too. This system made Twitch roughly $1.8 billion in 2024 thanks to its average of 2.37 million concurrent viewers and over 20 billion hours of content shown across the platform.
Such use of live streaming represents the most adopted format in the mainstream. Not too far behind in popularity, however, is the sprawling world of live gaming and iGaming. This sector takes the tech to a new level. For example, in the case of iGaming, games are played from a studio and run by a professional host or croupier. In real time, through the live stream, players can bet on outcomes and see there and then if they win or lose.
The level of immersion in this application of live streaming tech has been taken up a gear, blurring the lines between in-person and online casino gaming. Its popularity can be seen through the rampant selection of online blackjack games that are now based in live studios. Even within this bracket, the popularity of the format has forced a lot of competition, leading to many variants like Mega Fire Blaze Blackjack and Live Eclipse Blackjack.
Maximum Immersion, Interactivity, and Real Time Action
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Live commerce remains niche, but it’s certainly on the rise. A lot of this comes down to certain apps leveraging the most enticing aspects of other live-driven experiences into their technology approach. It’s certainly taken some time to get here, though. Way back in 2021, McKinsey flagged the $7.5 billion made in 30 minutes of Alibaba’s Singles’ Day in 2020 as showing the potential for live commerce.
This turned out to be yet another clear indicator of how different the Chinese market is to Western markets. Taobao Live popularised the approach in China, with several other platforms following suit -particularly within social media circles.
Whatnot might just break the mould in a way that is clearly finding an audience. According to Fortune, it sold $3 billion in goods in 2024 and is primed to eclipse $6 billion in gross merchandise volume in 2025. This is because it’s combining the draw of communal viewing of Twitch, the interactive capacity of live casino gaming, and the real time action inherent in live events. Collectibles have been the main sellers, but women’s fashion is on the rise.
If it continues its trajectory, Whatnot might end up being the live shopping app that finally breaks the Western market.