The self-made mythos is as powerful as ever, despite societal upheaval testing its limits. Even mundane pastimes have been monetised as people cash in on massive audiences and leave no niche unexplored. Selling out is no longer a source of embarrassment, it’s just what makes the world go round.

Pinduoduo is an app that’s turning the tide on China’s e-commerce sector. Working at the intersections of artificial intelligence, livestreaming, and social shopping, the tech brand is innovating the landscape of social commerce and giving the big names some competition.

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.

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.

Americans’ approach to using technology in their shopping journeys has fundamentally shifted due to COVID-19, providing new opportunities for brands as pandemic restrictions come to an end. Canvas8 polled 1,020 people and spoke to eight individuals to explore this topic in depth.