Live shopping Shopify: the future of e-commerce

What is live shopping? Live shopping combines livestreaming with direct purchasing functionality. Viewers can buy products without leaving the video, with one-click checkout and real-time stock display. In China 84-100% of viewers watch and buy immediately. In Europe that figure is between 28-46%.

For Belgian Shopify webshops the reality is nuanced. The technology works, the figures are impressive, but Western adoption remains far behind Asia. This guide shows what does work, which platforms to avoid, and how to implement live shopping realistically without burning your marketing budget.

How does live shopping work for e-commerce?

Live shopping combines the immediacy of a physical shopping experience with the convenience of online shopping. A presenter shows products in real time, answers questions via chat, and viewers can buy with one click without leaving the stream.

The concept originated in China, where platforms such as Taobao Live and Douyin (the Chinese TikTok) turn over billions per day. The average Chinese consumer spends €75-82 per live shopping session and watches multiple streams per week. By comparison, European consumers spend €115-180 per session, but do so far less frequently.

What does live shopping deliver? According to McKinsey research among 2,410 respondents, live shopping achieves conversion rates of 9-30%, while traditional e-commerce webshops average 2-3%. Return rates fall by 40% because customers actually see the product in action before buying. This connects directly to proven conversion optimisation strategies we implement for Belgian webshops.

Maryam Ghahremani, CEO of Bambuser, places video commerce in perspective:

“Video commerce is about creating more human and interactive online shopping experiences. With live video, brands can reconnect with customers and guide them in a way traditional e-commerce never could.”

— Maryam Ghahremani, CEO of Bambuser

Live shopping in Belgium: MediaMarkt as the only case study

Which Belgian companies do live shopping? MediaMarkt Belgium remains the only documented large-scale live shopping implementation in the country. On 10 October 2020 they launched as the first Belgian retailer with this technology, in partnership with digital agency Intracto (now iO).

The implementation was bilingual: Dutch streams with presenter Jeroen Dewulf, French streams with actor Christophe Stienlet. Viewers could ask live questions via chat and directly order products via integrated links.

Yannick de Bièvre, Head of Marketing at MediaMarkt Belgium, explained the motivation:

“Live Shopping was created to combine the convenience and speed of e-commerce with the quality advice of a sales assistant in one of our stores.”

— Yannick de Bièvre, Head of Marketing at MediaMarkt

Notably, MediaMarkt’s dedicated live shopping page now redirects to their general homepage. This suggests the initiative has been scaled back or discontinued.

Other major Belgian retailers such as Torfs, ZEB, JBC, LolaLiza and e5 mode have no documented live shopping implementations, despite their strong digital presence. ICI PARIS XL Belgium shows “Live Streams” in their French navigation, but no concrete campaigns were found. This contrasts with broader e-commerce trends in Belgium where digital innovation is accelerating.

Mathias Vissers, Marketing Manager at Intracto, puts this in perspective:

“Too often we look critically at Asia as a continent where mainly copying takes place. We really need to leave that dogma behind. Asia innovates more than ever. And certainly when it comes to digital sales, we have an enormous amount to learn from them”

— Mathias Vissers, Marketing Manager at Intracto

Best live shopping platforms for Shopify in 2026

Which live shopping platform is best for Shopify? For Belgian Shopify webshops Channelize.io is the strongest option due to Dutch language support, GDPR compliance and accessible pricing. Bambuser is the premium alternative for enterprise and luxury brands.

When choosing a platform you need to consider EU data residency, GDPR compliance, Dutch language support and integration quality. When choosing the right apps it is also important to look at the best Shopify apps for e-commerce for a complete tech stack.

Channelize.io offers native Dutch language support (17 languages in total), GDPR compliance tools and accessible pricing. You get unlimited live shows with simulcasting to Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Twitch. Brands such as Garnier and Maybelline use Channelize worldwide.

Bambuser is the premium European choice with headquarters in Stockholm and optional EU server hosting. The platform won the LVMH Innovation Award and serves luxury brands that require advanced data control. Their 60-day free trial for Shopify users provides ample testing time.

Warning about Livescale: despite frequent recommendations, the Livescale Shopify app is currently not available in the App Store. Verify directly with the company before planning implementation.

Instagram Live Shopping and TikTok Shop: status for Belgium

Does Instagram Live Shopping still work? No. Meta ended Instagram Live Shopping on 16 March 2023. You can no longer tag products during live broadcasts. This fits the broader picture of social commerce strategies where platform choice is crucial.

Standard Instagram Shopping (product tags in posts, Stories and ads) is available again in Belgium, after being disabled in summer 2023 due to in-app checkout requirements.

Belgian businesses can use Instagram Shopping with website-redirect checkout. Customers complete purchases on your Shopify webshop rather than in the app. Requirements: Business/Creator account, linked Facebook page, Meta Commerce Manager, and products that comply with the commerce policy. No minimum follower count is required.

When will TikTok Shop come to Belgium? TikTok Shop had not launched in Belgium as of end 2024. Current European availability includes the UK (200,000+ sellers), Germany, France, Italy, Spain and Ireland. Belgium, along with the Netherlands, Sweden and Poland, is expected in 2026.

Belgian webshops can use TikTok now for brand awareness and advertising with website redirects. When TikTok Shop launches, Shopify integration will enable automatic product sync, in-app checkout and affiliate programme access. Read more about effective strategies in our TikTok marketing guide.

Own website versus social platforms: conversion comparison

Where does live shopping convert best? On your own website. A Calpak case study demonstrates the difference: their Instagram livestream achieved approximately 1% conversion, while their own-website livestream achieved 19% conversion. That is a 19x improvement by owning the customer experience.

This underlines why conversion optimisation for e-commerce is so important: the environment in which you sell determines a large part of your result.

Vincent Yang, Co-founder and CEO of Firework, highlights the fundamental mismatch between social platforms and conversion in Western markets:

“Social media is particularly strong for brand awareness, but in Western markets the vast majority of digital purchases still take place on the retailer’s own website or app, not within a social application. This makes owned platforms structurally more effective for conversion than social-first shopping.”

— Vincent Yang, Co-founder and CEO of Firework

Why live shopping fails in the West

Does live shopping work everywhere? No. Results in Europe and the US remain far behind Asia, and several major platforms have already discontinued their live shopping features.

Facebook Live Shopping closed on 1 October 2022. Jason Goldberg of Publicis noted that brands spent approximately 1% or less of their marketing budget on Facebook’s live shopping feature. Nobody made it a core pillar of their growth strategy.

TikTok Shop UK missed targets despite being the first Western market launch. The Financial Times reported that influencers dropped out, sales disappointed despite subsidies, and there was 50% staff turnover. Monthly GMV reached only $24 million in the UK versus $200 million in Indonesia.

Jasmine Enberg of Insider Intelligence offers a clear analysis:

“Facebook shutting down its live commerce feature is a signal that it’s not driving users or revenue. For most brands, live shopping should not be a core part of their social commerce strategy.”

— Jasmine Enberg of Insider Intelligence

Why does live shopping work in China but not in Europe? McKinsey discovered a fundamental behavioural mismatch: 42% of American shoppers and 38% of European shoppers use live commerce because it is “fun”. In China “fun” comes last; consumers prioritise functional benefits such as better prices and brand access. This also explains why video marketing trends in Europe play out differently than in Asia.

Step-by-step plan: implementing live shopping for Shopify

How do you start with live shopping? Start by activating Instagram Shopping (free), then test an embedded solution on your own website, and only scale when you reach >5% conversion.

Phase 1: Activate Instagram Shopping (weeks 1-2)

Restore Instagram Shopping via Shopify’s native Facebook & Instagram by Meta app. This costs nothing, enables product tagging in posts and Stories, and prepares your infrastructure for the eventual TikTok Shop launch. Also consider reviewing your complete Shopify marketing strategy.

Phase 2: Test an embedded solution (weeks 3-6)

Start a trial with Channelize.io (€99/month, Dutch support, 14 days free) or Bambuser Essential ($79/month, 60-day trial). Run 4-6 test streams on your own website to establish baseline conversion rates before scaling.

Phase 3: Roll out multicast (weeks 7-12)

If test streams reach >5% conversion and justify continued investment, upgrade to multicast capabilities. Stream simultaneously to website, Facebook and YouTube to maximise reach while you own the conversion environment.

Critical success factors:

• Build audience on social platforms, convert on owned property
• Schedule multiple regular streams rather than one “big event”
• Invest in host training and production quality
• Measure conversion rate, average order value and return rate, not just views
• Accept that Western adoption will likely remain lower than China

For webshops that do not yet have a Shopify store, it is wise to lay a solid foundation first. Our guide on setting up a Shopify webshop will help you get started.

When to avoid live shopping

Is live shopping suitable for every webshop? No. Avoid or postpone if your audience is too small, your product category does not fit, or you lack resources for consistent streams.

Live shopping is not suitable when:

• Your audience is too small: TikTok requires 1,000+ followers for live access
• Your product category does not fit: complex, considered purchases requiring extensive research do not convert in impulse-driven formats
• Resources are limited: no dedicated host, production capabilities or capacity for regular streaming
• No commitment to consistency: one-off events build no momentum; regular streaming is required
• No existing community: live shopping amplifies existing engagement rather than creating it
• Fully dependent on social platforms: data shows that owned channels perform up to 19x better in conversion

Consider investing first in CRO optimisation of your existing webshop. The ROI is often faster and more predictable.

Implementing live shopping for your Shopify webshop?

The technology is available, the conversion figures are proven, but success requires a realistic approach. At ClickForest we help Belgian webshops with the complete e-commerce strategy, from Shopify webshop development to performance marketing that actually converts.