UK ecommerce is entering a new growth phase, with higher spending, omnichannel investment, and expanding online categories determining which retailers pull ahead.

Spending on social remains very strong, thanks largely to automation tools. And with social video continuing to pull in ad dollars, the platforms make a push for live video.

That indicates growing confidence that livestream shopping can drive discovery and impulse purchases.

Livestream shopping is finally carving out a role in the US, even as adoption trails well behind China. For years, the format was held up as ecommerce's next frontier. Now it's settling in not as a replacement for traditional ecommerce, but as a different kind of shopping experience.

The engaging format has enticed nearly 2 in 5 shoppers to make a purchase.

The retailer is front and center in NBCU’s latest shoppable TV experiment.

After years of uncertainty, TikTok is regaining momentum with efforts in commerce, creators, and entertainment. But rising competition, regulatory pressure, and changing user behavior threaten its next phase of growth.

On today’s podcast episode, we discuss why the mega shopping festival Singles’ Day is so much larger than Prime Day, how the event is more interactive, and how US retailers and brands can start capitalizing on Singles’ Day as a cultural moment, a marketing opportunity, and a demand driver. Tune in to hear the discussion featuring Vice President of Content and host Suzy Davidkhanian, Principal Analyst Sky Canaves, and Christopher Carl, Head of Marketing & Commercial Strategy for the US at AliExpress (Alibaba Group).

The retailer hopes to leverage TikTok’s beauty influence to drive sales and deepen connections with customers.

UK ecommerce is entering a steady, mature phase—but there are still opportunities for growth.

“Returns are in, brands are sharing how the holidays really performed on investor calls, and before we know it, we're going to start planning for the next cycle,” said our analyst Suzy Davidkhanian on a recent episode of “Reimagining Retail.” As retailers wrap up their analysis of the 2025 holiday season and begin planning for 2026, here’s how consumer behaviors are evolving across channels and what this means for future holiday strategies.

This FAQ examines how shoppable media works, where consumers engage with it, and how marketers should evaluate these emerging formats.

This FAQ covers how consumers shop on social platforms and what it means for brands.

Social commerce has hit a turning point as creators, younger shoppers, and built-in checkout push spending higher. Growth is accelerating, but it’s uneven—favoring platforms and strategies that turn attention into action.

Here are four “Reimagining Retail” episodes to queue up for your holiday travel.

Social commerce is booming in the UK, but the era of hyper-growth is coming to an end. Even so, social will continue gaining share of the digital wallet through 2029.

TikTok Shop’s US GMV exceeded $500 million from Black Friday through Cyber Monday, fueled by a nearly 50% jump in shoppers and rapid momentum in livestream commerce. Brands and sellers using livestreams saw 84% sales growth as viewers engaged with more than 760,000 sessions generating 1.6 billion views, a trend amplified by major influencers like Kim Kardashian. Other platforms, including Whatnot, also posted strong holiday results, signaling growing comfort with live buying. The data points to TikTok Shop’s accelerating scale and suggests it is well positioned to capture a larger share of holiday spending as more major brands join the platform.

QVC partners with TikTok as time runs out on second ban deadline: The retailer’s bet on the platform reflects both the growing importance of social commerce as well as confidence in TikTok’s future.

While many users sell products via Twitch livestreams, Amazon has yet to position the platform as a rival to other social video commerce sites like TikTok Shop.