Livestreamed Commerce Hits the Streets With Debut of Digital Window Shopping

Shoppers in New York City accustomed to browsing the decorated storefronts of Manhattan’s busy shopping district are about to get a glimpse of the future as livestreamed window shopping will make its debut Wednesday evening (Nov. 23) in the nation’s largest city.

In announcing the kick-off of its newest livestreamed shopping experience and format, TalkShopLive Co-founder and CEO Bryan Moore told PYMNTS the urban outposts of its holiday themed programming are only the tip of the iceberg.

“We see the TalkShopLive window shopping as another step in meeting customers where they are and where they consume content,” Moore said in an email to PYMNTS. “The opportunities for expansion of window shopping extends far beyond the streets of New York, and this is just the start as we continue to connect the retail landscape online, in-store and meeting customers where they consume content.”

To compete with the glitter and glitz of the famed seasonal displays set up by New York’s department stores, the TSL endeavor consists of a stable of celebrity-backed shows to ensure passing eyeballs have something interesting to look at.

Among the debut stars taking part in the launch weekend are Gloria Estefan, Shania Twain, Bobby Flay, Dolly Parton, Noah Schnacky, Ludacris and Drew Barrymore. They’ll be talking about their new and favorite products, which shoppers can buy on the fly via a QR code.

“We see connecting the retail landscape in all ways as critical for our leading retail and brand partners,” Moore said, noting that bridging the digital shopping experience with the physical has proven to drive both sales conversions within the program as well as overall omnichannel sales.

Talent, authors and publishers also like the livestreaming format, Moore told PYMNTS in an interview posted in February 2021, while pointing to the 2,000% increase in demand for embedded point-of-sale (POS) video players TSL had seen in the previous year, including from Walmart, Best Buy and other major brands.

“This is just the start of what is planned for window shopping, to in-store and beyond,” he said, while flagging the release of further announcements in the days and weeks to come. “Bridging the digital shopping experience with the physical is something our large retail partners, media partners, brand partners and talent partners are all seeking.”

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