Sam Blumenthal

How to win on TikTok: • Use Caution With #SponCon. Influencers and consumers on TikTok tend to be distrustful of content that appears overly transactional, so it’s important for brands to prioritize inspiring authentic enthusiasm, rather than leaning heavily on sponsored activities. When possible, use paid activations to elicit an organic response,... See more

“From the consumer side of things, the appetite for that live content increased right at the same time” as when retailers were attempting to find interactive methods to put products in front of consumers, said Matt Moorut, senior principal analyst at Gartner. “It sort of makes a perfect storm where, from both sides of the equation, there’s more of... See more

While this motivation may be latent—even subconscious, for most—in the U.S., it’s an economic driver that’s well understood in China, fueling a thriving video ecommerce market. In Asia, the powerful force of video entertainment shopping has spawned a livestream ecommerce industry akin to professional movie production. It’s more than a place where... See more

This new technology builds on Pinterest's industry-first inclusive product feature, skin tone ranges, first launched in 2018. Pinterest's Head of Inclusive Product Annie Ta says, "Our mission on the Inclusive Product team is to help everyone feel like Pinterest is a place for them. As a visual discovery platform, we have an opportunity and... See more

In the span of just two years, Whatnot became the first U.S. livestream shopping unicorn with a valuation of $1.5 billion. Its app is home to thousands of sellers that deal in sports and Pokemon trading cards, action figures and comic books. Some have created multi-million dollar businesses on the back of its marketplace. Lafontaine says it’s these... See more