IN-DEPTH: Why is live selling booming?

Selling products live is not a new phenomenon. The likes of QVC have been doing it on TV for decades now. But selling via a live social media stream is a concept that’s still in its relative infancy. Jewellery and watch writer Rachael Taylor digs deeper to find out just how big this market is about to become. 

There was one thing I could not stop thinking about after visiting the Jewellery & Gem Asia show in Hong Kong last year: live selling. Walking around the show, nearly every exhibitor acknowledged it. Some had signs actively welcoming the activity: “Live Streaming Welcome” on pre-printed booth wraps. Others had hastily hand-written paper signs of encouragement taped to their stands.

And there was no shortage of these live sellers in action on the sales floor. Sales tables within the booths were cleared for them to stack product and sell to consumers via live streams, direct from the trade show. Others simply stood in the aisles, leaning on glass cabinets, shouting into phones teetering on tripods, while holding up gems or jewels. The concept was so popular at the Hong Kong Show that exhibitors were booking meeting rooms at the exhibition centre for streamers to use between 10pm and 2am — these being the most profitable hours for live shopping.

With no stock to hold, the sellers risk only their time, and can make serious money on commissions — many are said to be turning over hundreds of thousands of dollars a year from this activity, according to staff at the trade show. For the wholesalers, not only are the margins better than traditional retail models, it answers a recurring question: are trade shows worth the investment these days? Once, this would never have been up for debate, but as buying cycles have shifted and technology has made it easier to find and do business directly with stores, many do raise it. Connecting with live streamers who want to sell your products before the exhibition is even over is another reason to commit — and, from a commercial standpoint, a few good live streams have the potential to return the investment before the booth is even packed up.   

In truth, live selling is not a totally new concept: QVC, and all TV shopping, is essentially a live streaming commerce business, and one that has been hugely successful for lots of brands. Yet live selling via social media platforms is a new retail model, and one that anyone can try — with no major outlays or broadcasting licences required. It is big business in Asia, not just at this particular trade show. According to Intel Market research, the Asia-Pacific livestream e-commerce market was valued at $515.2 billion in 2024, and is projected to grow to $1.78 trillion by 2034, with a CAGR [Compound Annual Growth Rate] of 19.6% during the forecast period. China dominates this market, accounting for 70% of all sales made, and the most popular streaming platforms for this activity are Taobao Live (part of the Alibaba Group),  ByteDance (via Douyin/TikTok Shop), and Kuaishou Technology. 

Live e-commerce hasn’t really been embraced by luxury watch brands, aside from a few panicked pandemic-enforced strategies. In 2020, for example, Richemont teamed with Net-a-Porter and Tmall Luxury Pavillion to unveil Watches and Wonders launches from nine of its brands. The watches were then made available for sale during the show, elevating it from purely informational. However it definitely lacked the frenzied selling culture associated with live shopping. The same is true of retailers. The 1916 Company launched live streaming in 2024 with weekly educational shows hosted by watch expert Tim Mosso. These give viewers early access to certain watches relevant to the show before they are listed for sale publicly — more of a teaser than a hard sell. 

I had the experience to better understand the mechanics behind live e-commerce in 2023 when I co-hosted a Tiffany & Co. pre-owned jewellery sales show with Luxury Promise, a reseller that started out specialising in pre-owned luxury bags and now also sells high-end jewellery and watches. Co-hosted is a bold term to describe what I did; the show was truly held together by Sarah Duncan, who has since moved on to auction house Lyon & Turnbull. I was invited on because I had recently published my book Tiffany & Co: The Story Behind the Style, and Luxury Promise wanted to give away a signed copy of the book with every purchase. While I dropped a few facts about the brand and made out dedications in the books live on air, Duncan did the heavy lifting, assisted by an off-screen team who would add in sales links to the stream, which was hosted on Instagram and Luxury Promise’s website. When a viewer — some of whom stayed the duration of the two-hour show, and many of whom seemed to know each other — had a question about a particular item, the team would be quick to look up product descriptions, fact check dates, and shout out prices. The show was lively, with lots of audience participation and sales.

Luxury Promise is still going strong. In May, it launched a dedicated women’s watch division aimed at female collectors, kicking off with a live stream from Japan, anchored by its head of sales and marketing Grace Kennett (ex Watchfinder). It is a strong example of social selling done well, and reinforces that this sales model is perhaps best for pre-owned watches. 

A more familiar name pushing into the live selling market for watches is eBay. Its live sale functionality officially launched in 2022 and is established in the US, and last year it started rolling out in Europe. Rather than just letting anyone with a seller account dangle watches on camera, Kirsty Keoghan, eBay’s GM of fashion and luxury for the EU, tells me they are looking to partner with established dealers so that buyers can be assured of authenticity. 

As a concept, it has huge potential for the watch market. “There was a watch seller in the US who was our first live streamer to earn a million dollars in a single livestream,” says Keoghan. “Obviously, you might not have to sell that many watches to get to that point if they’re very high-value, luxury [models], but it’s a different format and we’re really seeing people spend on shopping in that way, which is really interesting.”

The million-dollar seller was Vookum, a YouTuber and social media star who describes himself as the “#1 live seller on the internet,” with a focus on jewellery and watches. He used the platform to host a three-hour show last year that was packed with live auctions of timepieces, including Rolex Cosmograph Daytona and Skydweller models, which had reserve prices of $1. His reactions to the climbing prices and the breach of the $1 million total sales mark were delivered live on camera, spiking the hype. In the comments, watchers egged each other on to make higher bids. 

Keoghan expects big things from eBay Live for watches as it continues its roll out, and it’s easy to see the allure. There can’t be many stores that can make $1 million in three hours without ever having to meet with a customer face-to-face, so why not give it a whirl? Just make sure to bring the live-action energy, and enough nerve to list a gold Rolex for a dollar.