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ShopShops operates a livestream shopping application that brings an interactive retail experience directly to consumers. The platform connects shoppers with new, pre-owned, and discounted luxury and designer items, enabling hosts to broadcast live from iconic boutiques, designer stores, and sample sales worldwide. This approach offers users a real-time, engaging way to discover fashion, beauty, and lifestyle products.
The company was launched in 2018 by co-founders Liyia Wu, who serves as CEO, and Xiao Qian Hang. Their insight centered on transforming online retail by providing an authentic, interactive global shopping experience. They aimed to allow consumers to virtually explore and purchase designer goods from diverse international locations directly through their mobile devices, creating a dynamic alternative to traditional e-commerce.
ShopShops primarily serves consumers who seek unique access to fashion, beauty, and lifestyle products, emphasizing luxury and designer categories. The company envisions itself as the leading global live shopping destination, committed to delivering an engaging and reliable platform that democratizes access to international and exclusive retail offerings, shaping the future of interactive commerce.
ShopShops has raised $49.0M across 3 funding rounds.
ShopShops has raised $49.0M in total across 3 funding rounds.
ShopShops is a livestream shopping platform specializing in authentic new and pre-owned luxury fashion, beauty, and lifestyle products, including designer handbags, shoes, jewelry, and accessories.[1][2][3][5] It serves fashion-savvy consumers, particularly in the US and China, by enabling interactive shopping through live video events where users engage with hosts, influencers, and boutiques in real-time dialogues, solving the problem of disconnected online luxury retail by blending social commerce with live discovery and immediate purchases.[1][4][6] With around 50-99 employees, estimated revenue of $10-25 million, and headquarters in New York, the company has built growth momentum as the first US-based app in this space, attracting tens of thousands of users early on through its focus on global accessibility.[2][3][6]
Founded in 2016 by Liyia Wu, ShopShops emerged from her deep cross-cultural expertise in fashion retail between the US and China.[1][4] Wu, who graduated from the University of British Columbia with majors in finance and accounting, gained experience in Beijing's media and advertising before fast-tracking Parsons' fashion merchandising program; she later served as head merchandiser for New York brand Twinkle by Wenlan and founded Beijing's first US designer boutique in 2008, introducing brands like Helmut Lang and Tory Burch, followed by her own label WO Squared which peaked at 7 million RMB in annual sales by 2012.[4] In 2015, she channeled this background into ShopShops, initially bridging US brick-and-mortar retailers with next-generation Chinese shoppers via an interactive app, marking a pivotal shift to livestream commerce that quickly gained traction with tens of thousands of users.[4][6]
ShopShops rides the explosive growth of livestream shopping, a trend blending e-commerce with social media video that has reshaped retail, particularly for luxury fashion amid rising demand from Gen Z and Millennial consumers in the US and China.[1][2] Its 2016 timing capitalized on early adoption in China while preempting US expansion, aligning with market forces like the creator economy, shoppable videos, and post-pandemic shifts to interactive online experiences that boost engagement and sales conversion.[1][6] By connecting physical boutiques to digital global audiences, it influences the ecosystem by accelerating social commerce adoption, competing with platforms like Firework or Livescale, and democratizing luxury access through live authenticity checks and influencer-driven events.[1]
ShopShops is poised to expand its global footprint amid surging livestream commerce, potentially deepening AI integrations for personalized discovery (echoing rivals like Orca) and scaling pre-owned luxury amid sustainability trends.[1] Rising social video dominance and cross-border e-commerce will shape its path, with opportunities in creator partnerships and logistics enhancements to sustain revenue growth beyond $10-25M.[3] Its influence may evolve from niche US-China bridge to mainstream social retail player, reinforcing its founding vision of interactive luxury discovery in a video-first world—much like Liyia Wu's early boutique innovations that sparked this tech pivot.[4][5]
ShopShops has raised $49.0M in total across 3 funding rounds.
ShopShops's investors include Craft Ventures, Helion Venture Partners, Trajectory Ventures, Rajiv Bala, 468 Capital, ACME Capital, Bam Ventures, Forerunner Ventures, Great Oaks Venture Capital, Pelion Venture Partners, Red Swan Ventures, Nina Faulhaber.
ShopShops has raised $49.0M across 3 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $29.0M Series B in June 2021.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 1, 2021 | $29.0M Series B | Craft Ventures, Helion Venture Partners, Trajectory Ventures, Rajiv Bala | |
| Jul 1, 2019 | $14.0M Series A | 468 Capital, ACME Capital, Bam Ventures, Forerunner Ventures, Great Oaks Venture Capital, Pelion Venture Partners, Red Swan Ventures, Nina Faulhaber | |
| Apr 1, 2018 | $6.0M Seed | 468 Capital, ACME Capital, Afore Capital, Bam Ventures, Forerunner Ventures, Founder Collective, Great Oaks Venture Capital, NextView Ventures, Pelion Venture Partners, Red Swan Ventures, Sequoia Capital, Union Square Ventures, Nina Faulhaber |