# Curated Live Shopping Services Marks & Spencer Announces Plans to Launch a Live E-Commerce Service By Niko Pajkovic | Published 2022-01-28 | Marketing Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/marks-spencer1 References: [retailgazette](https://www.retailgazette.co.uk/blog/2022/01/ms-launches-tiktok-style-live-shopping-service-to-win-younger-customers/) & [marksandspencer](https://www.marksandspencer.com/) British multinational retailer Marks & Spencer has announced that it will be launching a new live shopping service that will enable influencers to model the brand's products over live video streams. The new service will make Marks & Spencer the first major UK retailer to embrace live e-commerce -- a phenomenon that has taken the Asian market by storm but has yet to gain popular appeal in the West. The live streams will be hosted on a weekly basis by M&S experts who will provide shoppers with information about the items they are browsing. In addition, shoppers will be able to ask questions in real-time via the services chat function, watch product demonstrations, and make purchases on the fly. The new service aligns with Marks & Spencer's broader goals to attract younger consumers to the brand. "Live shopping puts our experts front and center and gives them the ideal platform to share the Marks & Spencer point of difference," said Stephen Langford, the Director of Online at Marks & Spencer. Image Credit: Marks and Spencers ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 4.9/10 - Popularity: 56% | Activity: 79% | Freshness: 11% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Gen Z, Gen Alpha, Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: Europe ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Marketing](https://www.trendhunter.com/marketing) > [Branding](https://www.trendhunter.com/branding) ## Key Themes ### What's Driving This Trend - **Live E-commerce:** Online retail businesses can benefit from integrating live e-commerce services to increase engagement and interactiveness for customers. - **Influencer Marketing:** The rise of live e-commerce services provides an opportunity for influencer marketing to move beyond traditional sponsored posts and connect with audiences in a new, more personalized way. - **Real-time Customer Interaction:** Real-time customer interaction through the chat function in live e-commerce services has the potential to improve customer satisfaction and loyalty. ### Who This Affects Most - **Retail:** Retailers can increase customer engagement and attract younger audiences through the implementation of live e-commerce services. - **Marketing:** Influencer marketers can expand their reach and offer a more immersive experience to audiences by utilizing live e-commerce services. - **Customer Service:** Real-time customer interaction via live e-commerce services can enhance the customer service experience and foster brand loyalty. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Immersive Video Shopping Experiences](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/asos-live.md) - [Virtual Department Store Influencers](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/mira.md) - [Interactive Shopping Streams](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/amazon-ads.md) - [Social Shopping Networks](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/stage-ten.md) - [Live Shopping Flagships](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/outlandish.md) - [24/7 Live Shopping Streams](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/247-live-shopping.md) - [Livestream Shopping](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/brandcast.md) - [Clothing Repair Hubs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/clothing-repair-service.md) - [Live Chat Shopping Features](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/klarna-1.md)