TikTok Shop told CNBC its live shopping sales on the platform more than doubled during the first six months of 2026 against a year earlier, with live sessions up more than 60% and hours streamed up more than 80%. Whatnot, freshly valued at $20 billion, calls itself the biggest US live shopping platform but won’t break out domestic figures beyond saying US buyers drove most of its $8 billion in worldwide sales last year. Both are converging on the same format, since Whatnot is built around real-time auctions and TikTok added live auctions in January. Sellers pay for the audience, with Whatnot taking 4% to 8% by product type and TikTok taking 6% before payment processing. Emarketer expects US live shopping to reach almost $20 billion this year, roughly 35% above 2025.
