Amazon’s Julie Haleluk: Live Commerce Is Still in Its Infancy. Brands Should Move Now Anyway
CANNES, France — Live commerce’s mix of real-time streaming video viewing and online shopping hasn’t quite reached mainstream adoption in the U.S. But that early-stage status is precisely what makes it strategically valuable for brands willing to move before the format becomes crowded.
“Live shopping on Amazon is a very interesting creative advertising format. It is social shopping, meets shoppable carousel, meets an always-on content engine,” Julie Haleluk, global head of growth for Amazon Shopping Video, told Beet.TV contributor David Kaplan at Cannes Lions. “It functions as an incredibly performant asset that drives campaign performance overall. It’s an amplifier.”
The numbers behind that amplification effect are striking. Haleluk noted that while over 50% of product discovery happens on social media, 94% of influencer-inspired purchases ultimately happen on Amazon. Live commerce is uniquely positioned to bridge, she contended.
Social starts the journey
Rather than treating social marketing and live commerce as separate campaign elements, brands finding the most success think about them as complementary parts of a single storytelling arc.
“There’s this opportunity to see how they complement each other and build that storytelling. It may start on social or in a standard media ad, but once the customer lands to see that Amazon Live content, they are now engaged. They are now super high-intent,” Haleluk said.
When brands combine standard campaign assets with Amazon Live, the halo effect drives measurable upside across purchase rates and branded search — outcomes that neither element consistently delivers alone.
Live content earns authenticity
Something shifts when a creator knows the camera is rolling and there’s no second take. That constraint, paradoxically, is what drives viewer engagement and purchase behavior.
“When the camera starts rolling and you know you’re live, if you say the wrong thing, you’ve got to keep going. It encourages this natural flow that customers really feel on the other side,” Haleluk said. “There’s something about those candid moments that we see drives impact.”
Critically, the live moment doesn’t disappear after broadcast. Content continues replaying, creating remarketing opportunities for viewers who didn’t convert immediately and extending the investment well beyond the original air time.
Preparation drives live performance
Successful live commerce requires deep product knowledge and creator-brand fit — not scripted talking points that viewers immediately see through.
“The ability to prepare and know what you’re talking about — customers who are watching, they can immediately see if it’s not the right fit, someone doesn’t know what they’re talking about, they’re not excited about it, doesn’t feel natural,” Haleluk said.
The format spans product demonstrations, unboxings, get-ready-with-me content, and highly produced brand storytelling — flexible enough to serve both awareness and immediate conversion objectives within the same stream.
Breaking silos unlocks full-funnel potential
The brands finding the most success with live commerce are those dismantling channel-specific planning in favor of approaches that meet consumers wherever they are in the purchase journey.
“Thinking about everything from a full funnel approach and really breaking down those silos, thinking about meeting the customer where they are and enabling them to progress that content journey on their terms in a natural way — that’s where things are going,” Haleluk said. “Those are really the brands that are finding success.”
You’re watching Beet.TV coverage from Cannes Lions 2026. For more videos from this series, please visit this page.
CANNES, France — Live commerce’s mix of real-time streaming video viewing and online shopping hasn’t quite reached mainstream adoption in the U.S. But that early-stage status is precisely what makes it strategically valuable for brands willing to move before the format becomes crowded.
“Live shopping on Amazon is a very interesting creative advertising format. It is social shopping, meets shoppable carousel, meets an always-on content engine,” Julie Haleluk, global head of growth for Amazon Shopping Video, told Beet.TV contributor David Kaplan at Cannes Lions. “It functions as an incredibly performant asset that drives campaign performance overall. It’s an amplifier.”
The numbers behind that amplification effect are striking. Haleluk noted that while over 50% of product discovery happens on social media, 94% of influencer-inspired purchases ultimately happen on Amazon. Live commerce is uniquely positioned to bridge, she contended.
Social starts the journey
Rather than treating social marketing and live commerce as separate campaign elements, brands finding the most success think about them as complementary parts of a single storytelling arc.
“There’s this opportunity to see how they complement each other and build that storytelling. It may start on social or in a standard media ad, but once the customer lands to see that Amazon Live content, they are now engaged. They are now super high-intent,” Haleluk said.
When brands combine standard campaign assets with Amazon Live, the halo effect drives measurable upside across purchase rates and branded search — outcomes that neither element consistently delivers alone.
Live content earns authenticity
Something shifts when a creator knows the camera is rolling and there’s no second take. That constraint, paradoxically, is what drives viewer engagement and purchase behavior.
“When the camera starts rolling and you know you’re live, if you say the wrong thing, you’ve got to keep going. It encourages this natural flow that customers really feel on the other side,” Haleluk said. “There’s something about those candid moments that we see drives impact.”
Critically, the live moment doesn’t disappear after broadcast. Content continues replaying, creating remarketing opportunities for viewers who didn’t convert immediately and extending the investment well beyond the original air time.
Preparation drives live performance
Successful live commerce requires deep product knowledge and creator-brand fit — not scripted talking points that viewers immediately see through.
“The ability to prepare and know what you’re talking about — customers who are watching, they can immediately see if it’s not the right fit, someone doesn’t know what they’re talking about, they’re not excited about it, doesn’t feel natural,” Haleluk said.
The format spans product demonstrations, unboxings, get-ready-with-me content, and highly produced brand storytelling — flexible enough to serve both awareness and immediate conversion objectives within the same stream.
Breaking silos unlocks full-funnel potential
The brands finding the most success with live commerce are those dismantling channel-specific planning in favor of approaches that meet consumers wherever they are in the purchase journey.
“Thinking about everything from a full funnel approach and really breaking down those silos, thinking about meeting the customer where they are and enabling them to progress that content journey on their terms in a natural way — that’s where things are going,” Haleluk said. “Those are really the brands that are finding success.”
You’re watching Beet.TV coverage from Cannes Lions 2026. For more videos from this series, please visit this page.
