Facebook Launches QVC-Esque Ecommerce Series ‘Live Shopping Fridays’

Facebook’s latest ecommerce initiative is Live Shopping Fridays, where it’s partnered with fashion and beauty brands like Abercrombie & Fitch, Clinique, and Sephora for a series of QVC-esque broadcasts.

Beginning this Friday, May 21, the platform will air one-and-a-half-hour live streams where brand hosts will showcase products, offer tips and demos, and answer questions submitted by viewers in real time.

During the streams, tappable popups will display items on offer, and anyone who buys will check out with Facebook’s ecommerce suite Shops.

“The way that we’re thinking about this is that e-commerce has made buying incredibly convenient,” Yulie Kwon Kim, head of product for Facebook App Commerce, told TechCrunch. “But buying is not shopping. And so, a lot of what people do is window shop to see what’s new, for entertainment.”

Kim adds that while shopping, “people often want to hear from a live person, get suggestions, and see the product and context.”

This live interaction is what Facebook intends to provide for consumers. For brands, it says Live Shopping Fridays are “a chance to build relationships with customers, provide new entertaining content, answer questions and streamline the purchase process through convenient checkout with Shops.”

Live Shopping Fridays will air to U.S. viewers at noon and 3 p.m. Pacific each Friday through July 16.

Every broadcast will feature three brands, and will have one of three themes: Glow Up, New Fashion Finds, or Self Care Spotlight.

You can see the complete list of participating brands (with descriptions provided by Facebook) below:

• Abercrombie & Fitch will showcase summer trends from dresses to denim, swim to sweats, moms to their mini-me’s presented by the brand’s stylists, designers and influencer friends.
• Alleyoop will share makeup tips from celebrity makeup artist @beautybychloe and founder Leila Kashani.
• Bobbi Brown Cosmetics will stream makeup classes led by top industry talent including celebrity makeup artists and Artist in Residence Nikki DeRoest featuring looks crafted with Bobbi Brown bestsellers.
• Clinique experts will teach you how to achieve an endlessly plump, healthy-looking glow, how to find the right moisturizers for your skin type and how to add fan-favorite skincare products into your routine.
• Dermalogica will walk shoppers through a complete skincare treatment, SPF Guide and travel sizes of your favorite products.
• Dolce Vita will give shoppers a sneak peek inside the Dolce Vita NYC showroom and share an inside look at the styles that keep selling out, including summer’s hottest sandals under $100 and the comfortable heels you’ll actually feel ready to put on.
• Sephora’s team of expert beauty aficionados will share this season’s must-haves and so much more. Get ready to glow!
• ZOX will release the ultra-collectible ZOXBOX 13, a hand-picked Gradients set for mental health awareness and the new 2021 Pride collection that benefits the Trevor Project.