Small retailers have stepped up their live shopping game, harnessing accessible technology and knowledge of their customer bases to level a playing field with larger competitors, according to a recent story on Retail Brew. Store Leads founder Ammar Mohamed said 60 apps are now tagged “live stream.” While TikTok and Meta are backing away from livestream shopping and Amazon struggles to make it a success, tech innovations help smaller companies create their own retail channels to interact with and sell to customers. XRC Labs partner Diana Melencio told Retail Brew the percentage share of livestream purchases will increase with retail adoption and consumer education. Gen Z and Gen Alpha, the so-called “social natives,” are shaping shopping trends, and their enthusiasm for real-time videos heightens their emotional connections to stores and products. Some research shows that users spend nearly four times as long on a website if they can use livestream shopping.

Read more about the state of livestream shopping at Retail Brew.