#social-commerce

#social-commerce

Marketplace is getting a new "collections" feature that lets users create groups of listings and invite friends to join. Users can get started by saving a listing, starting a new collection, and then choosing whether to make it public or private. They can then add friends to their collection and share updates through Feed, Messenger, WhatsApp, and more. Meta's also testing collaborative buying, which means users can invite a friend to join their chat with a seller.

"It's very clear that live shopping in the US is going to be a huge, huge, huge market," Lafontaine told me. "And it's definitely going to be one of those shifts we see in e-commerce over the next 5 to 10 years. It's sort of been happening in Asia over the past decade or so, where upwards of $1 trillion worth of products are being sold through live video in China."

Retail's AI-driven digital transformation is well underway. In 2026, more than ever, customers are looking to technology for smoother, hassle-free shopping experiences, while businesses harness it to drive efficiency and hone their competitive edge. At the same time, the barriers between physical retail and e-commerce are blurring, and shifts in the way algorithms put products in front of us are shaking up the industry.

On this week's episode, co-hosts Gabriela Barkho and Melissa Daniels get into the news of Quince dodging claims from Ugg's parent, Deckers Brands, that it unlawfully copied two of its best-selling styles. Next, they discuss the announcement from cosmetics company E.l.f that it will be offering live shopping on streaming service Twitch, and the implications for the potential resurgence of streaming in social commerce.

E.l.f. Cosmetics wants to inject more performance into its Twitch advertising with the new in-stream shoppable integration. The capability is powered by Amazon Ads, allowing E.l.f. to draw on the e-commerce giant's troves of retail media data to better target and measure campaigns. The timing aligns with the gear up to the holiday season, a critical sales window for retail brands.

Consumers are using social media platforms like Instagram to search for new products and services. Forbes research found that 24% of people primarily use social media to search online (versus traditional methods like Google search). Furthermore, 44% of Gen Z actively discover new brands on social media every day. Your ideal customers are likely already searching for businesses like yours on Instagram. Show up where they are to give your small business the best chance to be discovered.

According to NIQ's State of Beauty 2025 report, online beauty sales are growing nine-times faster than in-store, up 21 percent in North America, 20 percent in the Asia-Pacific region and 10 percent in Europe. Brazil, India and Indonesia are also seeing significant, albeit more emerging, e-commerce growth. Total beauty spend is up, too, growing 10 percent globally during the last 12 months.

As retail chains scaled, the focus shifted to shelf space. The brands that occupied the most shelf space inside the store gained an immediate advantage. When shopping moved online, the fight shifted from real estate to clicks and traffic. Social commerce has fundamentally transformed the way people shop. Discovery and checkout are merging into a single cycle, creating both opportunities and chaos, which is precisely why brands need their own creator infrastructure.

Minimalist skin care brand Sonsie has named Kailey Bradt, formerly the founder of waterless hair care line Susteau, as chief executive officer. Sonsie is majority-owned by actress Pamela Anderson, who joined the 2023-founded line last year. Beauty manufacturer Solésence has tapped Kevin Cureton as president and CEO. Previously, Cureton served as chief operating officer of the Illinois-based manufacturer. He succeeds Jess Jankowski, who will retire from the company in November.

The TikTok challenger had just cracked the Apple App Store's top-five ranking. Downloads soared 855% month over month, Sensor Tower data showed, fueled by TikTok's imminent ban in the US. It was a dream scenario for an app that - with over $230 million in funding and a roughly $1.1 billion valuation - promised to reinvent social shopping through a mix of product reviews and entertaining videos.

YouTube Shopping enables creators to tag products directly in their videos, allowing viewers to purchase without leaving the platform, marking a significant progress in social commerce.

"The declines are driven by the continued worsening of the mass colour cosmetics category, which declined by a mid-single-digit per cent in Q3, with the US market under the most pressure."