Wayfair Debuts In-App Video Commerce Offering

Home furnishings company Wayfair Inc. on Tuesday (Nov. 2) rolled out the immersive video commerce platform Wayfair On Air, an initiative that will help shoppers find products to enhance every room in their homes.

Wayfair On Air offers “entertainment, ideas and inspiration” to the company’s mobile shopping platform and features new episodes several times a day throughout the week, according to the company announcement.

“With Wayfair On Air, we’re bringing amazing video content to our seamless mobile shopping experience, making product discovery entertaining and fun,” Steve Oblak, Wayfair’s chief commercial officer, said in the company announcement. “We look forward to building upon this feature as we further expand our cast of creators and deliver even richer content experiences that engage and inspire our customers.”

Wayfair On Air’s content lineup includes studio show formats and deeper looks inside the homes of some of the content creators. The Wayfair Rundown, a daily show focused on affordable home furnishings, and Two-Spaced, which is designed around multi-functional living, are part of the daily programming.

Celebrity chef Danny Boome, family blogger Amiyrah Martin and shopping expert Albany Irvin will be among the creators featured on the platform, which will also showcase holiday deals and seasonal tips.

Related news: Snapchat Says Social Commerce Reliant on Augmented Reality

Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel told analysts last month that the company is “doubling down” on expanding augmented reality (AR)-powered shopping experiences to let shoppers try on clothing, beauty products and accessories before they buy them.

Snapchat has about 306 million daily active users, up 23% year over year and the fourth consecutive quarter of at least 20% growth. The photo-sharing app reaches more than 75% of people between 13 and 34 years old in the U.S., Canada, France, the U.K., Australia and the Netherlands.

U.S. social commerce is expected to exceed $36 billion this year, one-tenth of the projected social commerce sales in China. More than 14% of retail eCommerce sales in China come from social channels, according to eMarketer, compared to 5% in the U.S.