November 2025
Live shopping on social media and websites might seem at odds with any efforts to boost bricks-and-mortar retail. But Sprii is proving how technology can bring brands closer to their customers – and encourage those customers into stores. In large numbers.
For anyone not familiar with live shopping, it’s a way of live streaming videos to promote products and interact with viewers – while they make purchases immediately, without leaving the stream. Sprii is the world’s only live shopping solution that lets you host live, shoppable events simultaneously on Facebook, Instagram (adding in influencers’, ambassadors’ or brand partners’ socials) and your website. And it does this for brands of all shapes and sizes, including QVC, Phase Eight, Nivea and Lego.
So why should this innovative extension of online shopping be of interest to bricks-and-mortar retailers? “It’s all about engagement,” says Sprii Non-Executive Director, Steven Hubbard. “Okay, live shopping builds impressive sales within the platform, but it also helps retailers build communities. And by using live events to highlight in-store promotions, they can get those communities back onto the high street. It's another vehicle to persuade shoppers into shops.”
Live sales are just the start.
For Sprii, live shopping is really live commerce. Customers can buy while they’re watching, but the biggest benefit to retailers is the relationships they can create through showcasing their products in a live, interactive experience. Crucially, it’s an experience that’s very close to being in store. As Sprii International Director, Macdara Duncan, says, “You’re engaging with a brand expert or a presenter in a social way that lets you interact. So it’s very similar to the face-to-face retail situation. You can ask questions, and get instant answers. You might think this would replace bricks and mortar, but it’s actually a stepping stone back into stores.”
Many retailers are now even using their stores as studios for the live events, making the connection between online and physical environments even stronger. Some of Sprii’s clients, such as Flying Tiger and Søstrene Grene, have found their customers want to see the familiar in-store setting – and within an hour, they’re often in there, browsing the deals promoted during the live event.
Entertainment is another way Sprii helps retailers create engagement, with built-in gamification tools, such as polls, quizzes and competitions. Viewers become active participants and, again, this enhances a sense of community among consumers. So does the ability to review purchases. Macdara continues: “Once the orders start coming in, people start interacting in the comments, telling others how great a product is. This kind of social proof is a really powerful way to influence customers.”
Accessible technology.
For many retailers and brands, the video content needed for live shopping has historically been considered too expensive. But, as Steven points out, Sprii’s technology has changed that: “You can go live virtually anywhere now. And if that’s in one of your stores, it’s a really tangible way to push deals and offers – and you can do it whether you’re a global player or a small independent.”
Landlords can join in too. In shopping centres and malls, landlords have the same aim as their tenants: to increase footfall. Working with Sprii, they can support their retailers through live events that highlight offers across the site.
Retaining control.
When selling through a platform, retailers rarely keep control of the customer journey – but with Sprii, they can. Steven explains: “You want to be able to control the CRM, the whole experience. You want to have visibility of the customer’s data, and to complete the transaction within your own environment. That’s exactly what Sprii does. The shopping basket is the retailer’s basket, not the platform’s. It’s a massive point of difference.”
What lies ahead?
Looking into the future, two trends seem clear for live commerce. The first, says Macdara, is the variety of sectors set to benefit from it: “Fashion and beauty were the early adopters, but we’re seeing home and decor, electronics, and food and drink coming on very strongly. We’ve now even got butcher’s shops going live, getting everyone excited on a Friday, with customers dropping in after work to collect their purchases.”
The second trend is rapid growth. Steven observes, “Live commerce is already a trillion-dollar industry in Asia alone, and that’s built up over just the last five or six years. We’ve forecast the UK should perhaps be a £5 billion market, and reach this in the next year.”
Sprii stats.
2,700+
companies have hosted live events with Sprii’s help
67,000
live Sprii events to date
19 million
products sold
€337 million
generated in revenue
20+ minutes
average viewing time
60%+
checkout rate
Less than 10%
returns rate