While live shopping has long dominated Asian markets, its adoption in the United States has hinged less on functionality and more on the depth of viewer connection.
As platforms integrate retail capabilities directly into video streams, the focus is turning toward the authenticity of the messenger rather than just the mechanics of the cart.
For live stream commerce to truly take hold domestically, it must leverage the existing rapport between creators and their followers, said Sarah Iooss, director, global agency and global Twitch ads, Amazon, in this video interview with Beet.TV.
From passion points to purchase
Iooss described Twitch as a venue where “communities forming around passion points” create a natural environment for long-form, interactive viewing. She noted that streamers often broadcast for hours, establishing a rapport that transforms them into a “trusted voice” in their viewers’ lives. This relationship is foundational to the platform’s commerce strategy.
To capitalize on this engagement, Amazon has developed specific utilities to reduce friction. “We’ve built the tools to enable a purchase to happen right from a Twitch stream, which is really exciting to see,” Iooss said.
That follows Twitch’s integration of native live-shopping features powered by Amazon Ads, which debuted with e.l.f. Cosmetics to keep users within the stream during transactions. And the strategy extends beyond gaming into broader influencer categories through Amazon Live.
The integration of these signals is expanding across the media landscape. Amazon recently extended its shoppable live streams to Prime Video and Freevee, a move that supports the effort to blend retail data with entertainment environments. Iooss said that bringing signals into these platforms is “incredibly important” for driving accountability and effectiveness.
And she observed “success around influencers who have that audience, that engagement, that community feeling.” She emphasized that in the U.S. market specifically, cultivating “engaged audiences” remains the primary driver for adoption.
Rethinking the marketing funnel
But Iooss expressed skepticism about traditional measurement frameworks, saying: “I don’t know if the funnel is the right metaphor anymore because a decision can come, really at any point from anywhere.” She emphasized the need for tools like Amazon Marketing Cloud to trace how upper-funnel brand moments translate into outcomes.
Ultimately, the value of live streaming may lay in the active nature of the audience. Iooss differentiated this from passive media consumption, explaining that viewers “are actually participating in the community” through chat and direct interaction with streamers. “When you put an advertising message in a highly emotional and engaged environment like that, it’s a great complement to reach and scale,” she said.
The scale of this sector is expanding rapidly, with US live stream e-commerce sales projected to surge nearly 50% in 2025. Iooss noted that while Twitch offers scale with millions of concurrent viewers, the “individual live streams, those community moments” remain the critical element for brands looking to go deeper.
