Once a signifier of luxury or novelty, custom products and services are now within reach of the everyday consumer, thanks to the rise of artificial intelligence, algorithm-led platforms, and the COVID-era digitisation boom. Today, everyone wants to be the main character of their brand experience.

Ahead of the 2021 holiday season, YouTube is launching a livestream event to position the platform as a shopping destination. Social media shopping has not taken off in the US as it has done in China, but YouTube’s celebrity-driven shopping event may be a sign that this is changing.

The pandemic has definitely accelerated the adoption of online shopping, and social shopping is becoming more popular, where ease and social distancing can be combined with fun. Tapping in this shift in shopping behaviour in the run-up to Christmas is TikTok’s livestream shopping event.

The rising cost of living is seeing many Americans cut down on unnecessary spending. But at times of heightened stress, many also indulge in shopping as a form of escapism. So, how can social shopping platforms simultaneously help people limit their expenses and engage in retail therapy?

How are media channels shaping the way we shop? What can brands do to make the convergence of physical and digital retail more seamless? And how are store spaces adapting to consumers’ shifting needs? In this part of the 2022 Expert Outlook, we speak to three experts about the future of shopping.