The DTC Playbook to Live Shopping Success on Whatnot
In this episode of the ASOM Pod, hosts Jimmy Kim (CEO of eCom Email Marketer, formally Founder of Sendlane), John Roman (CEO of BattlBox), and Amer Grozdanic (CEO of Praella) unpack the growing world of live shopping with a spotlight on the Whatnot platform. John (a.k.a. the Android Loving Survival King) shares his real-world playbook for turning Whatnot streams into a profitable and scalable sales channel. From treating live selling as entertainment to building a community that keeps coming back, the conversation blends data, strategy, and war stories from the front lines of live commerce.
What you’ll learn in this episode:
- Why live shopping is more than sales it’s entertainment.
- The key operational roles every live selling team needs.
- How consistency and scheduling make revenue more predictable.
- Gamification tactics that keep audiences engaged (and spending).
- Lessons from testing different show formats and hiring dedicated team members.
- Why Whatnot can outperform TikTok Shop in both engagement and growth.
- The importance of leveraging existing communities while expanding to new ones.
- How to scale live shopping sustainably without burning out your team.
Whether you’re already experimenting with TikTok Shop or just curious about Whatnot, this episode offers actionable insights to help eCommerce and DTC brands future proof their sales strategy with live shopping.
Big shoutout to our sponsors who make this podcast possible!
Omnisend — With 125,000+ eCommerce merchants, Omnisend is the all-in-one email & SMS marketing platform built to deliver seamless, personalized experiences via email and sms with ease. Learn more at https://www.omnisend.com/
LiveRecover — Live Agents for eCommerce — Get more out of your revenue strategy with real-time SMS engagement and sales recovery for higher ROI. Learn more at https://www.LiveRecover.com
Kintsugi — AI that monitors, files, and optimizes sales tax for you. Eliminate your tax headaches forever. Mention ASOM for 3 months free at https://www.TryKintsugi.com
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00:00 Teaser Trailer
02:14 John's Presentation on Live Shopping
04:23 Live Shopping Trends and Data Insights
08:19 Comparing Whatnot and TikTok Shop
12:15 Community Building and Engagement
22:59 Roles and Strategies for Live Selling
28:10 Forecastable Revenue and Show Scheduling
28:49 Gamification and Audience Engagement
28:56 Team Meetings and Scheduling
30:54 Hiring and Team Expansion
32:09 Conservative Growth Strategy
34:19 Leveraging Social Media and Organic Growth
36:04 New Hosts and Show Formats
38:40 Channel Growth Potential
43:25 Gamification Strategies
46:12 Takeaways and Final Thoughts
57:28 Podcast Wrap-Up and Closing Remarks