Live Shopping Gains Traction in U.S. as Startups Revive Infomercial Format

Victoria Jackson built a namesake cosmetics brand in the 1980s and sold products through 30-minute infomercials and on QVC in the 1990s. She frequently demonstrated makeup on half her face during live appearances to show results in real time. At the time, infomercials carried a negative reputation.

"Infomercials at the time had such a bad rap," she said. She added that the format allowed her to reach 20,000 new customers a week. Jackson, now 70, returned to the beauty business last year with a brand called No Makeup Makeup, a phrase she had trademarked decades earlier.

The brand follows a less-is-more philosophy and sells a curated assortment. Its foundations use flex shade technology that adapts to different skin tones, limiting the line to 13 shades. Jackson has demonstrated the products on QVC, where some viewers remain skeptical that one of the 13 shades will suit them.

Current shopping startups are applying a model similar to the one Jackson helped develop, now adapted for social apps rather than cable television. The rise of live commerce, combined with beauty tutorials on YouTube, has reduced earlier stigma associated with the infomercial format.

Beauty products lend themselves to live selling because consumers seek to evaluate texture, color matching and application in real time. QVC has not fully adapted to digital platforms. Algorithmic discovery on TikTok and the role of creators have brought the live demonstration approach pioneered by QVC to new audiences.

QVC filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last month but stated that its shopping shows will continue and described the filing as a reset to pursue future growth. Live shopping appeals to consumers who encounter manipulated images and heavily curated influencer content.

"You can’t fake on QVC. You can’t fake on live TV," Jackson said. The developments illustrate how an established sales approach has found renewed application across digital platforms.