Amazon is trying to keep live shopping relevant with the launch of an “Amazon Live” FAST (free ad-supported TV) channel on Prime Video and Freevee. Previously only available as a feature on desktop, mobile, and Fire TV, the new live channel will give customers in the U.S. more ways to engage with interactive, shoppable content.
Amazon Live’s FAST channel will feature 24/7 programming from popular creators and celebrities, such as reality TV stars Lala Kent (“Vanderpump Rules”) and Paige DeSorbo (“Southern Charm”), who is also launching her own original show on Amazon Live, where she’ll develop brand new content. Brands like Tastemade and The Bump will also host streams to sell their products.
Viewers can browse and buy the items influencers show off by using the Amazon Shopping app on their mobile device. When entering “shop the show” into the search bar, users are directed to a shopping carousel featuring the products they see on TV in real-time.
This isn’t the first time Prime Video has introduced an e-commerce shopping experience on the streamer. To promote “The Boys” spinoff series “Gen V,” Amazon launched a virtual store selling merchandise and home goods based on Godolkin University, the superhero school in the show.
Last year, QVC and HSN — the top two shopping channels — launched linear offerings on Freevee, which were the only livestream shopping channels on the service at the time.
Amazon Live launched in 2019 as a QVC-like shopping experience to help brands get their products discovered and for talent to interact with fans. It rolled out the offering to customers in India in 2022. According to the company, more than 1 billion customers in the U.S. and India streamed Amazon Live’s shoppable videos in 2023 alone.
Despite Amazon’s success with live shopping, the format only makes up a small percentage of the e-commerce market. Last year, live shopping was anticipated to be worth $31.7 billion, however, total U.S. online retail sales reportedly reached $1.14 trillion.
techcrunch.com
