Sam Blumenthal

The backdrop for Tophatter’s new approach is gaming’s overall rise in the U.S., which has pushed retailers and brands to experiment with gaming-adjacent platforms like Twitch. (Twitch has nearly tripled the number of monthly broadcasts it has hosted since 2019, bringing it up to 9.7 million monthly streams today.) In-game transactions, called... See more

Slated to roll out soon, the upgraded “live stores” will be highly customizable, the platform said. Brands will be able to display their streams prominently on their store homepage and can also tailor special experiences for different tiers of customers. For example, they can create invite-only VIP programs and interactive features and vouchers... See more

Studies show that friends and family are still the most trusted sources when it comes to making purchasing decisions, with consumers more likely to buy a product they have experienced. Up against this kind of scrutiny, it is important for brands to select a host with a proven following and high engagement rates, and up to the influencer to promote... See more